Continuing a 33-year-old family tradition, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park will open for the 2011 season on April 17 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by park owners Dennis & Steve Vourderis, including face painters, clowns, stilt walkers and D.J. Joe.

“The Vourderis family works hard all winter to get the rides ready for spring,” says Debbie Santiago, director of the Salt and Sea Mission, a nearby charity, “and these Coney Island kids enjoy them free. They’ve waited all winter for the rides to open.”

In addition, the first 100 people in line get half-price rides on the Wonder Wheel.

The world-famous landmark Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park is located near the New York Aquarium on the Boardwalk in the heart of Coney Island. It includes 22 rides, an air-conditioned arcade, a pizzeria and an old-fashioned sweet shop, and sponsors free Friday night fireworks and karaoke on the Boardwalk starting at the end of June. The park is also the new home of the Coney Island History Project.