MGR Summer 08 - ChasingMerryGoRounds.com

VOLUME 35, NUMBER 2
Inside this issue ....
President’s Message
Carousel News from Around the World!
Qualitative Research Paper #C8979E
The 2008 NCA Technical Conference
The Kit Carson Carousel & New Carousel Museum
SUMMER 2008
OFFICERS/DIRECTORS
President - [email protected]
Bette Largent 509 466-3186
10009 N. Moore, Spokane, WA 99208
Vice President - [email protected]
Jo Downey 719 348-5562 (h), 719 348-5562 (w)
PO Box 66, Stratton, CO 80836
Recording Secretary - [email protected]
Tom Allen 206 860-6167
511 Lakeside Ave. South, Seattle, WA 98144
Executive Secretary [email protected]
Norma Pankratz 719 346-7246
PO Box 382, Burlington, CO 80807
Treasurer - [email protected]
Nancy Morris 509 775-3096
PO Box 607, Republic, WA 99166
Past President/Director - [email protected]
Brian Morgan 818 986-5984 (h), 310 553-2606 (w)
17188 Escalon Dr., Encino, CA 91436
Archives Chairman - [email protected]
Jerry Reinhardt 913 897-2521
18770 Metcalf, Stilwell, KS 66085
Census Chairman/Director
[email protected]
Patrick Wentzel 304 428-3544
2310 Highland Ave., Parkersburg, WV 26101
Merry-Go-Roundup Editor
[email protected]
Dennis Towndrow 303 956-2806
6800 Osage St., Denver, CO 80221
Conservation Chairman/Director
[email protected]
Tommy Forney 704 484-6811
Shelby City Park Carousel, PO Drawer 207,
Shelby, NC 28151
Photoshow Chair/Web Site Designer
[email protected]
Gary Nance 509 928-2849
1104 N. Dorn Court, Spokane Valley, WA 99212
Directors (not noted above)
Sharon Black 810 736-6416
[email protected]
6336 Lucas Rd., Flint, MI 48506
Mark S. Chester 800 626-1665, x 5168
[email protected]
124 Washington Ave., Phoenixville, PA 19460
James Hardison 781 925-0472
[email protected]
c/o Paragon Carousel
PO Box 100, Hull, MA 02045
Rich Kenyon 607 638-5656
[email protected]
PO Box 31, Schenevus, NY 1215
VOLUME 35
NUMBER 2
SUMMER 2008
“The purpose of the NCA shall be to promote conservation,
appreciation, knowledge, and enjoyment of the art of the classic wooden carousel
and especially the preservation of complete wooden carousels.”
—NCA Constitution, Article II
President’s Message (Page 3)
Carousel News from Around the World! (Page 4)
Qualitative Research Paper #C8979E (Page 5-6)
The 2008 NCA Technical Conference (Page 7-10)
The Kit Carson Carousel & New Carousel Museum Part 1
(Page 11-18)
This story was first published in the March/April 2008 edition of
Mechanical Music. Permission to reprint by Author, Art Reblitz and
Editor, Rosanna Harris, MBSI.
The second half of the article will be published in our Fall edition.
Memorial Donations & Those Gone Glimmering (Page 19)
CREDITS
Front cover: Photo of the 100-year-old Windmill Island Carousel in Holland, Michigan,
taken by Dennis Towndrow. Back cover: Herschell Spillman carousel, September 1951
Country Gentlewoman's Magazine, Bob Taylor photo. Publication design, layout, copy
and photo editing by Dennis Towndrow. Printing by EPI Printing & Finishing,
Rochester, N.Y.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Merry-Go-Roundup, an official publication of the National Carousel Association, Inc., is
published quarterly and distributed free to members. Contents © 2008 by the National
Carousel Association, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the
written permission of the NCA. Request permission in writing to Dennis Towndrow,
Editor, Merry-Go-Roundup, 6800 Osage St., Denver, CO 80221, or send an e-mail
message to [email protected].
MEMBERSHIP
Annual dues: $47 in U.S. and possessions, $53 for foreign surface mail. Membership runs
from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 and includes four issues of Merry-Go-Roundup. Please make
checks payable to “NCA” and send with name, address, and phone number to: NCA,
Norma Pankratz, Exec. Secretary, PO Box 382, Burlington, CO 80807-0382
[email protected] - 719 346-7246.
NCA Archives - [email protected]
320 S. Esplanade, Leavenworth, KS, 66048
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Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
Visit the NCA Web site at www.nca-usa.org
President’s Message
By Bette Largent
F
ive more carousels will celebrate their 100th anniversaries
in 2008. Join me in wishing them congratulations and great
success in their next century of operation! Two years ago our
census chairman, Pat Wentzel, sent an email out that we would
add 32 carousels to this growing category by 2011. What a
triumph for those who have already achieved this centurion
status and congratulations to those celebrating in 2008. They are:
Central Park, NY, Stein and Goldstein, original to Coney Island;
Six Flags over Atlanta, Georgia, PTC# 17, original to Chicago’s
Riverside Park; Gage Park Herschell-Spillman, Topeka, Kansas;
Lakeside Park, Denver, Colorado, Parker/mixed menagerie; and
Windmill Island’s DeBoer Brothers, Holland, Michigan.
Each and every antique carousel has an operating team which
works hard at their continued operation and preservation. It
may be a large staff, a small staff or no staff at all but committed
volunteers that keep the gears greased, the popcorn popped, and
the big smiles greeting you at the gate. People young and old
alike clamor aboard for that merry go round experience which is
just the same as it was when the wood smelled new and the
paint looked fresh.
And there are new carousels and newly-restored carousels
opening every summer as well. Yes, those who have done the
hard work in their creation or restoration or put in the hours to
operate them now know they won’t be traded in for a new model
after a few miles, thrown in the trash like yesterday’s news or
swapped out for something brighter and better. The century
carousels are sending a message loud and clear, this ride is art
and this art is here for the long haul. There may be years of
tough going and years that are better than others, but for the last
35 years there has been a group out there who cares enough to
help them try to make this year the best it can be. That group is
the NCA and we can also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the
birth of Fred Fried, one of our founders, this year as well.
The NCA has met the challenge of helping carousels repair,
restore, market, celebrate, raise funds, and find volunteers. We
Christina, daughter of NCA members, Gary and Kerri Grasso, on
the c.l914 Illions Heckscher Carousel, West Hempstead, New York.
Gary, who worked on the restoration project took his daughter for
her first ride on the carousel on Memorial Day making them a 3
generation carousel family as his father works at the carousel.
1952 Grand reopening of the 100-year-old Central Park Carousel.
Photo from the New York City Parks and Recreation Archives.
have recommended the installation of fire protection, security,
safety, displays and material that educate. We continue to save
and catalog their history and help you hum to their magical
tunes. We also hope we can assist them all in meeting their new
demands, for both old and new, with recommendations on
climate control, new materials, and new technology in
preserving them for the future.
Give all our century carousels three cheers –
(Roundabout Style)
…hip, hip, hurray!
hip, hip, hurray ! hip, hip, hurray!
And finish it off with “and many more!”
Chariot from the century old Gage Park Herschell-Spillman
carousel in Topeka, Kansas. Photo by Dennis Towndrow
Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
3
Carousel News from Around the World!
Updates and Current Events
From Our Good Friends in Germany
[Last April we were] in Hanau again, having a speech about
carousel History, cause there are some museum days in Hanau
with all kind of presentations and events between the 18th
March and the 18th May.
[Below is a photo from a Fair that was held last March]. It was
an old Steel Mill Factory building, which is now used for cultural
events. The Fair was organized by our "Historic Showmen
Society" and it was a great success, it was cold and wet outside
and warm and comfortable inside. Events like that will help
[show] that it is wise to save the carousels to make such things
possible.
On Friday evening we organized a banquet where many
representatives were invited and many did follow the invitation
like the Economy Minister and Minister of Interior from our
State North-Rhine Westfalia. They committed to support the
event again next year!
Many many thanks for all your support and many greetings.
Love, Susanne and Alex ( and Raphael ! )
Carousel at Six Flags Over Georgia Celebrates Its 100th
Six Flags Over Georgia invited members of the National
Carousel Association, as well as Atlanta-area residents, to
submit writings of their experiences and memories of the
Riverview Carousel, whether from its current location or its
former in Chicago. The top fifty (50) stories received a special
VIP invitation for two to join them at the 100th anniversary
celebration at Six Flags Over Georgia on May 30, 2008. Winners
were able to stay the rest of the day and enjoy everything Six
Flags Over Georgia has to offer. For more on this story, visit
www.nca-usa.org/journal. Photo below by Jean Bennett
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Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
Vanity Fair Features Santa Barbara Carousel
Check out the April issue of Vanity Fair magazine! The
beautifully restored 1917 Allan Herschell carousel in Santa
Barbara is featured on page 153.
Carousel featured in Woman's Day ad
The May issue of Woman's Day magazine showcases the Kit
Carson Carousel, Burlington, Colorado, in a Colorado tourism
ad. The PTC #6, made in 1905, is found at the Kit Carson
Fairgrounds which also houses a newly opened museum, both
which are easily found by taking Exit 437 off of I-70.
Marvin Sylvor passes April 9, 2008
Services for Marvin Sylvor, age 74, were held in New York City
on April 14, 2008. Founder of the Fabricon Carousel Company,
he placed newly created carousels throughout the world while
perhaps being best known for the French-inspired carousel in
Bryant Park, New York. From the South Bronx, he was an avid
supporter of antique carousels and the New York carousels in
particular.
He once commented that the Rye Playland carousel was his
favorite but had recently worked to save the last carousel of
Coney Island, the B&B. He is survived by his wife Julia, of Miami,
Florida, one brother, Robert, and son, Chis, of New York City, a
daughter, Aimee, of Miami and two grandchildren. He was a
supporter and member of the NCA for over 30 years.
Trimpers to twirl in 2008
Announced in the Washington Post, Trimpers Amusement
Park, Ocean City, MD will be open and in full operation for the
2008 season.
Efforts are continuing with the city, county and state
governments to create a historic amusement zone that would
change the way the park is taxed. It is now in the heart of rising
property values. The historic park is considered essential in the
Ocean City tourist market, employs around 300 people with
annual payroll of 2.5 million, and is considered essential to the
family traditions of Ocean City.
Colorado Carousel Society visits 100-year-old Lakeside
The Colorado Carousel Society held their annual Lakeside
Amusement Park picnic on June 14, 2008. This year brought
even more members than usual, as the park celebrated its 100th
Anniversary! Photo below by Grandpa Dennis (Towndrow)
Qualitative Research Paper #C8979E
Or .... An Arkansas Carousel Story -- by Karen Endel
The evening was damp and dismal, misting rain falling and a
chill in the air. Three large white tents provided refuge from the
rain, harboring white linen-covered round tables. Buffet style
food was placed strategically between the rows of tables. Guests
were arriving and greeting each other, moving to take pictures.
Their anticipation of this long-awaited event was not to be
hindered by the weather. The Arkansas Friends of the Carousel,
a non-profit organization, in partnership with the Little Rock Zoo
had finally made this night possible, with the help of many
donors. For sixteen long years, these people had tirelessly faced
multiple challenges to restore the historic carousel that had once
been part of the War Memorial amusement park, previously
located across the street from the zoo. Nothing was going to ruin
this event.
The ponies shone with vibrant colors, each one restored to
their original form. Organizations and individuals, who had
generously paid for the painstaking restoration process,
including removing over forty coats of paint, had adopted the
ponies and chariots. With the removal of all the paint, the
original colors were replicated. The carousel dates back to 1924,
with each pony hand-carved from wood. It originally came to
Arkansas as part of the State Fair, later being bought and housed
at War Memorial Park. It is one of only 150 surviving carousels
left from the originals built between 1887 and 1935. The
Arkansas carousel is unique because it is on an undulating track.
The track goes up and down instead of the horses, much like a
mini-roller coaster. This carousel is the only one of this type
remaining in the United States.
I was in attendance at the gala event, in part because my
mother had worked tirelessly for the past sixteen years to help
with the restoration. She is extremely active in several civic and
non-profit organizations, including the Friends of the Carousel.
The Little Rock Questers, another group she helps lead, are
involved in the restoration and study of historic projects. The
Questers had adopted and raised money to restore one of the
ponies, appropriately named Quester. I wasn’t sure what to
expect, but to honor my mother and her years of persistence in
the restoration process, I decided to donate toward the dinner,
make time to attend, and witness the first rides taken on the
newly refurbished carousel.
Most people in attendance were older; very few children were
present. These were the “pony parents” and others who had
donated to make this evening a reality. Many were laughing and
sharing stories of when they had ridden the carousel as a child.
They not only remembered the ride and the music, but a
character in the amusement park called “Laughing Sally” that
used to laugh loud and uncontrollably, being heard throughout
War Memorial Park. The dismal weather was not going to
interfere with this moment in time. In fact, one lady commented
that the rain was appropriate as it was God’s way of christening
the carousel.
The carousel is housed under a covered pavilion built
especially for this historic treasure. After opening comments by
the president of the organization and Arkansas governor, Mike
Beebe, the long awaited moment arrived. Everyone took their
places on the ponies and in the chariots for the very first ride in
sixteen years. My mother was appropriately seated on Quester.
The music began and the carousel began to turn, moving up and
down on the track. Describing that moment is extremely
difficult. Grown adults became children again, their faces
glowing with excitement and thrill as they once again
experienced riding the carousel. Among the adults was a
beautiful little girl with blond hair, dressed in pink. Her
grandparents had restored one of the ponies and named it for
her, their first grandchild; Divine Celeste. As I watched,
generations were blurred as the older adults and one small child
became one, sharing the wonderment and awe of this moment; a
treasured memory for all. At the end of the first ride, everyone
cheered and clapped. I’m sure I saw the horses smile and prance
in just as much excitement as the people they carried.
I was privileged to ride the carousel that evening. I don’t
remember when I’ve had such fun, watching my mother and the
others, but also in the sheer pleasure of knowing that these
people had persevered and made the carousel come alive again
as a living treasure for future generations, children and adults
alike. I was living part of their story, and what had begun as a
favor to my mother became a wonderful gift for me. I will never
regret making the time to be part of this memorable evening ....
As I reflect on the magic of the night in which I was part of
the grand reopening of the Arkansas Carousel – I wonder about
our future – and the magic we provide for future generations.
Are we working diligently to restore the importance of living a
life full of joy and excitement? It is so easy to get caught up in
accountability issues that I think we are in danger of losing our
core purpose, moving from the “what” to the “why.” Our children
deserve their own carousel memories to restore and cherish as
they live in their future.
My mother riding Quester (10-22-07)
[NCA member, Mary Copeland]
Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
5
The 2008 NCA Technical Conference - Story City, Iowa
A
By Bette Largent
s this story was written, we all were watching and
checking on the flooding of Iowa. After spending a
weekend in Story City in May, they were family to the
NCA as this was how we had been treated on our visit
there the first weekend in May. As the news rolled in, we were
all concerned. From the first welcome upon our arrival to the
last goodbye on Sunday morning, we knew we hadn’t been
visiting an ordinary community. Story City is empowered with a
caring volunteerism filled with a sense of community and
heritage. The flooding began on the scheduled weekend of their
43rd year of Scandinavian Days Celebration, June 7 and 8, and a
quick check of their web site found that in spite of the rain and
rising waters, the volunteer crew had kicked into gear,
postponed what they had to, moved what could be moved, and
had brought in the sandbags around the carousel, just in case.
They moved the motor, put the band organ on palettes, crossed
their fingers and went on with the show!
The town started out as Fairview, but had changed its name in
1857 to Story City after a famous U.S. Supreme Court Judge who
was a hometown boy. The Honorable Joseph Story had served
the court for 50 years. His namesake town has gone through
some other transformations. It was soon apparent that in the
nucleus of the recent changes was the carousel. During the
conference, by both their actions and their presentations, the
organizational skills would be shared that had enabled their
accomplishments by a small population.
Our first day began with a tour of the miniature train layouts in
the private home of David and Susan Amensen. This step back
in time appealed for many who had experienced finding the
Lionel trains under their own Christmas tree as children. Old,
metal and rusty was certainly the theme of the next stop as well.
Precision Restoration & Paint had moved its entire operation,
lock, stock and fender, to Story City from Long Lake, Minnesota
in 2007. They guarantee that they can fully restore anything you
can drive or drag into their shop and had projects in various
stages available to prove it. A vintage Ford mustang caught the
eye of more than one in the group.
Then it was on to the Barlett Museum, a restored Queen Anne
style home built in 1903 and next door a new Carriage History
House Museum. The Story City Historical Society began in 1982
for the restoration of the Carousel. The society now also owns a
brick waterworks that houses the Story City Museum and the
Sheldall School as well as other rotating exhibits and displays.
The new carriage house just completed in 2008 is in early 1900’s
style and houses a 2500 glass negative library in its
environmentally controlled structure.
After coffee and kringla, a desert honoring the Scandinavian
roots of the community, we went on to RVP-Woodworking
Museum. Met with the smell of wood and walls jammed with
early woodworking tools, an apprentice to the master
woodworker and owner, Robby Petersen, gave us a hands-on
tour. Surrounded by handmade dovetailed furniture created from
native Iowa woods and that were sealed with a secret recipe of
hand rubbed stains and finishes we stood in an old department
store whose walls were covered with hand wood-working tools.
Stanley, the resident yellow feline, was eager to make friends as
we tried out treadle powered lathes and table saws. As many in
our group worked with wood in carousel restoration or had
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Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
The group visiting the woodworking shop.
studied the old photos of carousel workshops we all felt right at
home among the sawdust and wood chips. (Stanley has his own
page on the their website and his own personal email – no
ordinary cat indeed!)
Next door we stepped into an art gallery cooperative for local
artists and visited with artist, Larry Pearson who worked with
steel and metals. Again, an affinity was formed.
The next stop was the Story Theater - Opera house, the oldest
continuously operating theater in Iowa and a tour by Todd
Thorson, owner and publisher of the local paper. The theatre
opened in l913, the same age as the Story City HerschellSpillman carousel, and Todd is only the third owner in the last 95
years. He continues to ensure that it will be open for the latest
movies as well as continuing the tradition of the live
performance once a year by the Judge Story Theatre Group
during the Scandinavian Days Celebration. This year, their 25th,
they were to present “Beauty and the Beast.” With the exception
of a new fire resistant curtain, and minor improvements for
acoustics and cosmetics along the way, the theatre retains its
original cast iron seats, stage props and hardwood floors. The
orchestra pit was restored to allow for its opening for the
musicians during the theatre productions.
Larry Pearson, metal artist with Ken Kaszubowski, St. Joseph,
Michigan.
celebrated its 25th anniversary of placing it in the park in 2007 as
well as the other improvements to the historical character of the
community.
By lunch time, we were back on our school bus with Maynard
Olson, a most experienced driver. It seems he was recently
honored to transport the political candidates including their
media and staff for the spring caucus. I imagine we were a mild
group in comparison. Jo Downey and Norma Pankratz began
the afternoon sessions by setting up a gift shop of ideas and tips
on ordering and selling carousel products. From the Kit Carson
Carousel in Burlington, Colorado they had do’s and don’t learned
from experience and many of us made sure they wouldn’t have
to haul the samples shown back home.
The warning sign backstage at the opera house.
A tour backstage enables us to see how the movie screen was
swapped for the painted backdrops, and to view a few
interesting posters and signage that is usually reserved for the
cast and stage hands. They probably remain only to emit more of
a chuckle and a spirit than to give direction.
In our spare time we enjoyed local restaurants, food and the
feel of their main street, which is actually named Broad. During
the next day’s presentation we would learn how this was all
accomplished. Todd also commented that it was his first
conference where attendees also wanted copies of the maps for
the town garage sale planned for the same weekend. Who could
turn down a garage sale? There was also the Carousel Antique
Mall that had to be visited by some of the attendees as well.
By 5:30, we were munching on popcorn and enjoying Iowa
wine, beer and hors d'oeuvres at a reception at the carousel.
We were joined by members of the city government, the
Chamber of Commerce Board members, and carousel
volunteers.
Saturday morning was “continuing the carousel story” and it
was definitely built around organization. After our usual round
table introductions by the attendees we traveled to the carousel.
Ken Kirkpatrick and Sam Senti shared with us their tips and
challenges in maintaining and operating the carousel with
volunteers. Ken, a 25-year field man for John Deere Tractor Co.,
developed a log sheet and maintenance schedule that has proven
to be invaluable. They also came up with a metal-bronze solution
to the original poured babbitt which is oil impregnated. The
lubricant is activated when the material gets warm. There were
other tips and solutions to age-old problems that were shown as
we followed the two men around the platform. Sam had built a
special box which contains the animals during the winter and is
a framework of wood and 4 inch solid insulation sheets. Each
year he unloads the storage box and mounts the figures for their
operating season and repacks them for their winter hibernation.
The solution to winter’s cold and humidity changes is a great
success as all the horses along with two dogs, two pigs, Uncle
Sam bench and the spinning tub appear as if newly painted.
Music is supplied by a 1936 Wurlitzer band organ.
In 1913 P.T. Gifford of Gundy Center, Iowa would bring the
portable carousel to a nearby spring fed lake and picnic area for
operation during special events. By the 1930’s he was unable to
continue to do this and the Chamber of Commerce of Story City
purchased the carousel where it operated downtown until being
placed in storage due to disrepair in 1977. A movement began to
restore the carousel and place it in a building in Story City’s
North Park. The restoration, done at nearby Roland, Iowa by the
Country Shop took 1 and 1/2 years to complete. The community
Gift shop ideas by Jo Downey, left, and Norma Pankratz.
The next session led by Karen Hermanson, Story City Carousel
and Susan Kuher, Heritage Carousel, Des Moines was on how to
plan, organize and implement events and celebrations. Karen
provided tip sheets on the keys to successful event planning
from having a clearly defined theme or goal to tying into other
local events in the area, region or state. The outstanding quote of
the presentation was that a successful event is one part
inspiration, one part organization and two parts promotion. She
was joined by Susan Kuher of the Heritage Carousel, Des
Moines, Iowa. The Des Moines carousel is a dream spawned by a
brief visit to the S&G Carousel in downtown Hartford,
Connecticut 30 years earlier by Buz Brenton, a business man and
community supporter of Des Moines. Finished in 1998 by
Carousel Works, it is overseen by the Des Moines Carousel
Foundation and is an example of a successful relationship
between a public municipality and a private foundation. It is
operated by seasonal employees and volunteers and is located in
Union Park surrounded by a community of historic homes as
well as working class neighborhoods.
Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
7
Des Moines Heritage Carousel, Union Park on a sunny Sunday
after the conference. (Probably their last sun before the rains
came. It is high on a knoll so don’t imagine it had any flooding.)
Karen presented a long list of collaborations, grants and fun
events that have been undertaken by the carousel as well as
planned events for their 10th anniversary celebration. Examples
given were grants from the Iowa Arts Council matched by a
private donor and his employer. A current proposed program
teams local mural artist’s talent with children’s organizations.
There is also a balance of free events that require simple
promotions tied into holidays. The carousel also has a
maintenance program and is looking to convert their band organ
to midi files due to the humidity’s effect on the paper rolls in the
open air styled pavilion. We were personally invited to a special
running of the carousel Sunday after the conference.
Presenting next with aid of the Internet and modern
technology was Bette Largent on carousel maintenance and
repair. By placing the step-by-steps procedures on the Internet it
can be downloaded or viewed for use in any carousel
maintenance program. The NCA has begun placing many of the
files of the cumbersome but helpful NCA manuals on the web
site which will make them all readily available for owners and
operators of carousels for reference. It also allows for easily
adding updates as well.
The last session of the day was a bell ringer, literally. Carolyn
Honeycutt of the Story City Greater Chamber Connection began
by placing bells in front of each conference participant.
Requesting audience participation was part of the plan on the
topic of Iowa Main Street Program and we were urged to ring
our bell on any statement that we could relate to as she
described the Main Street program developed by the National
Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980. Story City Main Street
was established in 2000 and had followed the program’s four
point approach – organization, promotion, and design and
business improvement. This is implemented with eight guiding
principles: comprehensive, incremental, self-help, partnerships,
identify and capitalize on existing assets, quality, change, and
implementation. Story City has brought the individual and
unique look back to their downtown, emphasizing the originality
as well as history of their community, returned businesses to the
business district or new business into vacant buildings. They
have developed festivals and events as well as community
service for the area as well. It is one of 37 main street
communities in Iowa and Carolyn showed other states that were
participating in the program including neighborhoods and
districts such as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma. Story City has experienced 22,088 volunteer hours,
22 net gain of new or expanded businesses, 65 gained jobs and
over five million in private investments since beginning the
program in 2000. The last quote of her presentation is one that
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Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
many carousel people can relate to by Margaret Mead: “Never
doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
With bells still ringing in her ears, Leah Farnsworth began her
presentation with great photos and display boards on
researching and tracing the history of your carousel as well as
the carousels in your area. The key is to use notes, photographs
and chasing down the elusive contact and not giving up. Leah
and husband Pete have been photographing carousels for many
years with emphasis on those that operated in the mid-west. She
is known for her detailed notes carried about in spiral note
books. Every thing is written down and referenced, including
names, addresses, and phone numbers of people she has
interviewed. A lead will pop up out of no where that may answer
a question on a machine from years before or even in the future
and all reference material is saved, from newspapers to auction
catalogs.
The Saturday dinner was held at Cottageon Broad, the former
home of two sisters whose portraits greeted us in the lobby.
Dinner music was providing by local talent and we were treated
to midwestern tales by two award winning story tellers, Paul
Wierson and Mike King. We were treated to a delicious
barbeque beef and pork in the Iowa style.
Mike King, champion story teller, entertains us after dinner with
story and punch line : “... you must be Joe King!”
Sunday morning’s breakfast was a wrap up facilitated by Karen
Hermanson, the Volunteer Coordinator for the Carousel and cochair of the conference. The community of approximately 3000
people showed true hospitality indicative of their Scandinavian
roots. Karen relayed to us all, “We thoroughly enjoyed hosting
the conference and especially appreciate all the contacts made
with fellow carousel owners and enthusiasts. We now feel part
of a network which we can call upon as a valuable resource if
needed.”
The volunteers for Friday evening reception at the Story City
Carousel. Carolyn Honeycutt and Sarah Thompson of the SCCC,
Lynn Henricks and Cheryl Semler, all sporting the official shirt
complete with rooster! Photo by Karen Hermanson.
An animated discussion on mechanics: Ron Cathey, Carousel in
the Park, Topeka, Kansas, Sam Senti, Story City, Iowa and Steve
Alderson, Burnaby Village Museum, Burnaby British Columbia,
Canada.
Presentation of the NCA plaque to: Carolyn Honeycutt, Story City
Greater Chamber of Commerce; , Karen Hermanson, Carousel
Director; and Sam Senti and Ken Kirkpatrick, carousel volunteers. Photo by Pete Farnsworth.
Visitors can put their hometown on the map in Story City.
Ken Kirkpatrick doing a mechanical presentation on Friday.
Charles Walker had visited the carousel and felt that the canvas
scenery panels with hand stitched top holes were probably original
to a track machine and were significant to preserve as well as the
carousel that featured many menagerie figures.
Merry-Go-Roundup, Spring 2008
9
Perhaps it was riding the rides, seeing Hal Holbrook
introduce "Mark Twain Tonight" or dancing the polka to
Larry Chesky's band. For almost a century, Mountain Park
in Holyoke inspired memories.
“From the first welcome upon our arrival
to the last goodby on Sunday morning,
we knew we hadn’t been visiting
an ordinary community.”
And those memories are reflected in the new book
"Mountain
Park"
(Arcadia
Publishing
www.arcadiapublishing.com) by Holyoke Community
College Professor Jay Ducharme.
Ducharme worked at the park for 13 years and wrote his
book because "one of the things that always amazed me is
there are more good memories about Mountain Park than
another park in New England."
With the knowledge of an insider and hundreds of photos,
Ducharme tells the story of the park in his book.
Photo of PTC #80 Holyoke, Massachusetts from Jay’s Book
10
Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
The Kit Carson Carousel
&
New Carousel Museum
in Burlington, Colorado
The Kit Carson County carousel building with matching ticket booth to the right, and fairground buildings in the background. The
side facing the camera has windows so visitors may look inside when the building is closed. During operation, the other 11 sides of
the building swing open
by Art Reblitz
A
delightful new carousel museum in Burlington,
Colorado—about 150 miles east of Denver on
Interstate 70—had its grand opening on June
16, 2007. One section of the museum is devoted to a display
illustrating Wurlitzer band organs, with a mixture of history,
music, mechanics and artifacts.
The museum is adjacent to a beautiful Philadelphia Toboggan
Co. menagerie carousel, considered by many to be America’s
finest, best-preserved example, and accompanied by an original
Wurlitzer Style 155 “Monster” band organ. Along with the
picturesque 12-sided carousel building, the park-like setting
includes an old-fashioned gazebo, popcorn wagon, and the
county fairground building housing the new museum.
The carousel and organ have a particularly important and
interesting history, so this article will describe them first,
followed by a tour of the museum and band organ display in
photos and captions, and concluding with an editorial from the
Burlington newspaper describing the new museum in the words
of a local resident.
History of the Carousel
Made in 1905, PTC #6 is a menagerie carousel with 46 handcarved wooden animals, including a lion, tiger, dog, giraffes,
donkeys, camels, goats, reindeer, armored horses, Indian ponies
and other types of horses, a hippocampus (sea horse), zebras,
four chariots and 45 oil paintings in three tiers. The animals do
not go up and down, but the 45-foot diameter platform turns
faster than normal—12 miles per hour at the perimeter,
compared to the average carousel speed of 8 mph—providing
Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
11
stronger than usual centrifugal force and a nice breeze for
riders on a hot summer afternoon. This is the only antique
carousel known to exist with its original Auchy friction clutch,
which is still starting and stopping the carousel as smoothly as
when it was new, driven by the original 10 hp. 3-phase electric
motor.
Side view of the massive drive pulleys, with the friction
clutch in the background.
A row of zebras, with the Wurlitzer organ in its large wooden case in the
background.
Henry B. Auchy, a founder of Philadelphia Toboggan Co. in 1903,
patented this friction clutch, an ingenious cast iron mechanism with
only a few large moving parts, which both drives the carousel and stops
it with the action of one lever. When the lever is unlatched and slowly
released from the stopped position, it lowers the large horizontal wheel
into contact with two spinning conical drive rollers made of very hard
laminated rawhide. The drive rollers, one on the left side and the other
on the right, are turned in opposite directions by the two large flat belt
pulleys to the right through two shafts, one inside the other. When the
lever is slowly pulled to the stop position at the end of the ride, it
gradually lifts the horizontal wheel against the two brake pads mounted
above and slowly brings the spinning carousel to a stop.
12
Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
The original 10 hp. motor and two drive belts. The belt in the
foreground is crossed and the one closer to the motor is
straight, so they turn the drive pulleys in opposite directions.
PTC #6 and the Monster organ were originally used
in Elitch Gardens amusement park in Denver. In 1928,
Elitch Gardens took delivery of a new larger PTC
carousel and sold #6 to Kit Carson County, where it
entertained another generation of youngsters until the
depression forced its closing. Over the years, layers of
varnish were applied over the original paint on the
animals and paintings, but remarkably, they were
never stripped nor covered with the typical “park
paint,” leaving most of the original paint intact under
the varnish.
The annual county fair was discontinued during
the Great Depression. Beginning in 1931, the
carousel building was used for storing livestock feed,
which was provided to local farmers by a
government assistance program. Rodents infested
the building and the interior of the organ, including
the inside of the 100-channel pipe chest. The
building’s roof leaked and the organ suffered
substantial water damage. Fortunately, the animals
remained intact under the old varnish, which
eventually turned dark brown, obscuring but not
ruining the beautiful original paint. In 1937 the fair
resumed but the Wurlitzer remained silent.
A few of the upper row paintings after restoration.
found the process exciting and the end result very satisfying.
Some pictures were mostly just dirty, some had tears and
punctures, some were water-damaged and flaking—a variety
of challenges. Each one was removed from its stretcher,
relined on fiberboard, returned to its stretcher, cleaned,
repaired and painted as needed. Then each one was coated
with picture varnish. So, I remember the excitement of
bringing these dull old paintings into the light again and
restoring them to almost original condition and brilliance
once more.” 1
Before much of the restoration had been completed,
John became ill, and Will took over the project. Restoration
of the animals involved removing many layers of old varnish,
touching up worn paint, and recoating with new protective
clear varnish. Continuing in Will’s words “An early highlight
experience was that of discovery. Each day as the first
cleaning was taking place, I proceeded with great
anticipation, eager to see what I would uncover this day.
Most of the decorative details on the saddle blankets had
been covered over in the 1920s or earlier, as those areas
started to wear. And all the world seemed to be watching
too, waiting to see this detailing that had long since
disappeared from most carousels but was still known by
rumor.”
As Will removed the old varnish and meticulously
uncovered the beautiful original paint a little at a time, one
animal after another came back to life. As the years went by
and further funding became available, he removed the gray
paint from the floor and replaced it with the original type of
clear finish. Finally, a picture surfaced of the carousel when
The Hippocampus, or sea horse, covered with many layers of old dark
it was installed at Elitch Gardens, which showed the
brown varnish. Only a hint of the original paint shows through. Will
original ornate sweep valences. This enabled Will and his
Morton removed the varnish without disturbing the original paint with
wife Marlene to recreate and install these important
special solvents and many thousands of cotton balls and Q-Tips.
decorations, which had been removed decades earlier. Will
has continued to touch up and maintain the carousel for
over 30 years, keeping it in magnificent condition so successive
generations of children of all ages may continue to ride it and
enjoy the music.
Restoration of the Carousel
In 1976, Kit Carson County officials decided to begin a
multi-year restoration project. John Pogzeba and his associate
Will Morton, artists from Denver, began their work on the
carousel by restoring several of the paintings. In Will’s words “I
1 Will Morton, “Restoring PTC #6 — A Memoir by Will Morton,” pp.
157-158 of “Magic Memories,” a cookbook and photo album
published by the Kit Carson County Carousel Assn., Burlington,
Colorado in 2005.
Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
13
Artist Will Morton of Lakewood, Colorado, preparing his
palette for touching up a giraffe in 1986.
The film crew from WQED in Pittsburgh filming the carousel and
organ for the National Geographic special “Treasures from the
Past.”
Through the years, other projects included pouring a
concrete floor inside the carousel building, grading the
exterior and improving the drainage, adding a sprinkler
system, alarm system, sidewalks, railings, sod, replacing
the old aluminum siding on the carousel building with the
correct type of wood siding, and adding a separate ticket
booth.
A Few Milestones
In 1976, the organ was restored and restoration of the
carousel began.
In 1979 the carousel was designated a National
Historic Site.
In May 1981, members of a Midwestern theft ring
specializing in antiques broke into the carousel building
and stole four animals. Yellow ribbons were tied to the
empty brass poles. Five months later, the animals were
found in a Salina, Kansas warehouse and returned to the
carousel after a “welcome home” parade through
Burlington in October, 1981.
In August 1986, a film crew from Pittsburgh public
television station WQED came to Burlington to film for a
National Geographic special, Treasures from the Past, which
first aired in 1987. This program featured a 10-minute segment
on the carousel, with other segments on the restoration of a
1920 Dusenberg, one of four existing “Jenny” biplanes, an 1877
tall ship, and Catherine’s Palace in St. Petersburg (Leningrad),
Russia. It appeared on educational television stations
nationwide for years.
In 1987, PTC #6 was designated a National Historic
Landmark and became known as the carousel that was “The
Jewel of the Nation.”
Left to right: Ken Scheierman (county commissioner), Bob
McClelland (local resident who played an important role in the
restoration and operation of the carousel), Ted Wickham
(commissioner) and Art Reblitz at a reception and preview
showing of “Treasures from the Past” held in May 1987.
History of the Monster Organ
The style 155 or “Monster” was one of Wurlitzer’s largest
early skating rink organs, different from most military band
14
Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
Will Morton (left) and Art Reblitz with the National Park Service
plaque commemorating National Historic Landmark Status,
unveiled at a ceremony during the Kit Carson County fair in
1988.
The Hippocampus
after restoration.
Compare this
photo to the “as
found” animal.
Before and after pictures of the lead animal – the ferocious lion.
The magnificent armored
horse.
The dodecagonal carousel building with the sides
open, ready to entertain another group of children
of all ages.
A few of the restored paintings.
Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
15
organs because everything is
enclosed in a rectangular wooden
cabinet, with three large leaded
glass panels on the front.
Containing 255 pipes, bass drum,
snare drum and cymbal, it sold for
$3,250 in 1906 when average wages
were 18 cents per hour.
This Monster was made in 1909
and sold by Denver’s KnightCampbell Music Company to Elitch
Gardens. In 1928, Elitch Gardens
sold the organ to Kit Carson County
with the carousel.
Having restored and serviced
automatic musical instruments
since 1965, I had heard rumors of a
Wurlitzer Monster somewhere in
Colorado, but had never found it. In
1975 the Kit Carson County
commissioners found me and
inquired about having it restored.2
My wife Jeannie and I drove to
Burlington, where we first saw it in
storage in a garage. The oncesparkling treasure had deteriorated
into a rusty, cracked, waterdamaged and rodent-infested hulk.
A former county commissioner
thought his prior experience
repairing a pump organ would
enable him to restore the Monster,
but the 1975 commissioners decided to
have it restored professionally. They didn’t
make this decision, however, until the
volunteer had disassembled it and put
hundreds of parts, including many of the
small organ pipes that had fallen apart, in
unmarked boxes.
Although still in my twenties at the time,
I had restored, serviced and tuned many
other band organs and orchestrions during
the previous 10 years, so the organ’s decrepit
condition didn’t bother me. However, sitting
with the county commissioners at the long
table in the courthouse meeting room with a
large oil painting of Kit Carson staring down
on me was certainly intimidating!
Nonetheless, I was hired.
2
I later learned that members of the Kit Carson
County Carousel Association were referred to
me by Durward Center, an employee of the
Smithsonian Institution at the time, and by the
late Don McElhinney, music machine dealer and
owner of the CeMar Acres amusement park
between Cedar Rapids and Marion, Iowa.
According to Don, his father had been involved
in cattle drives through Colorado and his family
had established contacts with many pioneer
families in the area. I had known him while
working on automatic instruments when I still
lived in the Chicago area in the 1960s.
16
Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
Illus. 15. Wurlitzer
catalog illustration
of the Style 155
“Monster” Military
Band Organ.
Glass work in the restored“Monster” Military
Band Organ.
Illus. 16. The unrestored organ, without its cabinet, in the garage of a former county
commissioner. The missing brass trumpet and trombone resonators evidently had been
damaged and removed when someone fell through the top of the cabinet while
lubricating the drive gear of the carousel. At the time this photo was taken, the cabinet
had been disassembled and was being refinished by Merle Worden, a local resident.
1976 Organ Restoration
The chassis and boxes of parts were delivered to my shop
in a horse trailer in February, 1976. Always fond of detective
work, I enjoyed the process of matching up the parts, looking
for clues like water stains, chips of glue, and screw holes that
aligned one part with another. This was followed by months of
cleaning, regluing, woodworking, releathering, refinishing the
wood with the authentic shellac finish, polishing and
lacquering the brass instruments, repairing worn-out metal
parts, and reassembling everything. The final step was to
complete the delicate musical finishing touches: tuning and
voicing each pipe so the Monster would sound its best.
We had contracted to finish the job by June 1, 1976, well in
advance of the Bicentennial county fair, but hadn’t yet learned
Wurlitzer’s reputed original method of bidding on jobs: make
your best time estimate, double it, and still risk grossly
underestimating the completion date. Consequently, we
continued working day and night until it was finally done just
as the fair was starting. County Commissioner Ted Wickham
and a crew of very strong county workers showed up with a
pickup truck on July 31, 1976, the day of the Big Thompson
Canyon flood. 3 I convinced Ted that the valuable organ
shouldn’t be moved in an open truck during one of the
heaviest rainstorms in Colorado history; he rented a larger
enclosed truck. With an assortment of bridge timbers and pry
levers, but without a fork lift or even a winch, we slowly and
gently hoisted the plastic-wrapped behemoth into the truck in
the raging downpour. The Monster arrived safely in Burlington
later that afternoon.
The author next
to the organ
after its 1976
restoration. The
day after the Big
Thompson
Canyon flood,
the bright
Colorado blue
sky returned for
the organ’s
debut at the
Bicentennial
County Fair.
The original main wind chest had sustained so much
water damage that we had to replace it, using
materials as close to the original as possible.
1998 Organ Restoration
Before and after views of the brass piccolo pipes.
A small sample of
the hundreds of
loose parts that
had to be sorted
and fit back
together during
restoration.
Sometime in the organ’s life—
probably in the 1920s—it had been
converted to play smaller-than-original
Wurlitzer 165 rolls when the original style
155 rolls were no longer made. The 1976
restoration brought the organ back to
good playing condition, but the 165 rolls
played only about two thirds of the pipes.
Also, someone had evidently fallen
through a thin panel in the top of the
cabinet when lubricating the carousel
many years earlier, damaging some of the
brass pipes, which subsequently had been
removed.
3 This violent rainstorm inundated a large part of
Colorado and sent a wall of water through the
Big Thompson Canyon along U.S. Highway 34,
east of Rocky Mountain National Park, killing
144 residents and visitors.
Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
17
The Monster just before its conversion back to style 155
rolls and replacement of missing trumpets & trombones.
In 1996, the decision was made to restore the Monster
back to its original format. This involved our making and
installing an accurate copy of the original wider 155 music roll
mechanism, with reproduction metal castings and machined
parts supplied by Mike Kitner and Bob Ryesky of
Pennsylvania, and a new tracker bar from Don Scheetz. Bob
Grunow, my employee of over 20 years, reproduced the
missing wooden pipes and the wooden parts for the missing
trumpets and trombones. Doyle Lane sold me the original
Wurlitzer spinning mandrels for making brass trumpet and
trombone bells, and I loaned the appropriate ones to Johnny
Verbeeck in Belgium, who oversaw having the missing
resonators reproduced.
Bill Black in Pennsylvania loaned his only known original
Monster music rolls to Tim Westman in New Hampshire, who
scanned them into MIDI files. After I edited the digital files
and arranged a few additional tunes, Thomas Jansen in
Germany used the files to create the first new Monster music
rolls made in over 75 years. Russell Doering of California
supplied reproduction music spool parts.
Bob Grunow and I also replaced the wooden back for the
cabinet, which had been replaced with acrylic plastic many
years before, and installed antique-looking drum heads
decorated with the correct lettering by Will Morton. I also
arranged several new tunes. Before Bob and I reassembled the
organ, we also made a small notch in one of the carousel’s
large wooden timbers to provide room for the organ to stand
up straight for the first time in 70 years! This work was
completed in November 1998, and we finally heard the
Monster play as it did originally.
The carousel and organ continue to entertain visitors daily
in the summer, who experience the same sights and sounds
that their grandparents and great-grandparents enjoyed 100
years ago! Riding the beautifully-preserved carousel while the
organ plays is almost like entering a time machine that makes
it easy to imagine being in 1910, if only for a few minutes.
To be continued in the next Merry-Go-Roundup ....
18
Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
Close-up of the ten-tune 165 roll mechanism in
September 1998, just before conversion back to 155 rolls.
The reproduction 155 roll mechanism, copied in every
detail from the original mechanism in Bill Black’s
Monster.
Jo Downey and Art Reblitz with the completed Monster, with the
leaded glass windows removed for the photo, in November
1998.
Memorial Donations
2007-2008
In Memory of Charles N. Walker
Jean Bennett, Charles A. Blake, Mark S. Chester, Chatty Collier, Richard Concepcion,
Art Curtze, Dannielle Dimeglio, Peter & Leah Farnsworth, Todd Goings, Gail H. Hall,
Noel Hinde, Charles & Betty Jacques Jr., Louis Klemp, Don & Bette Largent,
Art & Nancy Morris, Jerry & Marilyn Reinhardt, Paul J. Senger, Bill & Rita Sharkey,
Barbara A. Tousignant, Karen Van Sant, Tom & Kay Van Sant,
Richard & Kathy Wickens Jr.
In Memory of Monica Angster
Edward Angster, Melba R. Clapp
In Memory of William F. Mangels IV
William & Dorothea Mangels, Don & BetteLargent
In Memory of Marilyn Blake
Charles A. Blake
In Memory of Wallace W. Elton
Judy Elton
In Memory of Darwin D. Stombaugh
Maureen A. Stombaugh
Those Gone Glimmering
Marvin Sylvor, passed on April 9, 2008. Marvin was founder of the Fabricon Carousel
Company, which was famous for placing newly created carousels throughout the world. He
is survived by his wife Julia, of Miami, one brother, Robert and son, Chris of New York
City, a daughter, Aimee of Miami and two grandchildren. Marvin was also a supporter
and member of the NCA for over 30 years.
Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2008
19