As shop owners wheeled their wares onto the uneven boardwalk and food vendors prepared a feast of hotdogs, french-fries, pizza and other high-calorie delectables, an air of uncertainty hung over the park.

Coney Island, a peninsula in south Brooklyn, N.Y., was a tourist hotspot throughout the late 1800s and mid-1900s. Since then, it has continued on, while rather sluggishly, as an amusement hub for the working class.