After 13 days it was done. The crowds had come and gone and the Festival Village stood mostly silent last Wednesday afternoon as a small group of men picked up their wrenches: It was finally time to pack up the Tilt-A-Whirl.
The spinning ride was one of eight imported for the Festival to form Coney Island, the annual temporary amusement park set up as part of the August Emancipation Festival.
Each year the Coney Island Festival Subcommittee chooses a company to bring a group of rides to the Virgin Islands, decisions that are made based on what rides are available and rider feedback, said James Lettsome, the subcommittee’s chairman.
“You can choose out of the rides what is new and are of interest for people, especially for parents and their children,” he said.
Though he’s not sure how many people attended Coney Island this year, Mr. Lettsome said that the merry-go-round, boats and other amusement rides aimed at young children were especially popular.
See the Aug. 11, 2011 edition for full coverage.