Childhood Memories Come Alive
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By ANNIE ZELM
zelm@sanduskyregister.com
SANDUSKY
Few people can forget the triumphant band organ melodies, the smell of saltwater taffy or the feeling of gliding upward and around atop a painted horse.
The newest exhibit at the Merry-Go-Round Museum pays tribute to those memories with a collection of 18 new animals and personal memoirs submitted by carousel enthusiasts throughout the country.
"We wanted to focus on the personal connections people have with carousels and why they touched our hearts," museum director Veronica Vanden Bout said. "We all remember our first ride ... mine was at Crystal Beach in Vermilion, and the carousel had a chicken, a zebra and a dog."
Many of the animals on display were loaned from personal collections or acquired from the manufacturers, including the well-known Dentzel Carousel Co. and Carousel Works in Mansfield.
There is a giraffe dating back to 1905, with original factory paint and lifelike eyes that seem to follow it's gaze.
A tiger cub with a shiny coat of new paint sits perched upon a pole between a whimsical zebra and a rugged greyhound from 1895, the oldest piece.
The early carousels were menagerie-style, featuring a variety of wild animals, but many evolved to horse-only carousels during the turn of the century.
Several theories exist to explain the trend, but Vanden Bout said she believes it was a simple matter of catering to a child's desires.
"The operators were business people, and they kept hearing the kids say, ‘I want to ride the horse' over and over again ... so they started replacing all the non-horse animals with horses," she said.
Many of the first carousels were located at trolley parks or train stations to attract families, who would fill the trains on weekends when factories were closed.
The unmistakable sound of the band organ would lead the families through the park and draw attention to the carousels.One of the few parks surviving today is Euclid Beach in Cleveland - recreated at the museum with a popcorn stand, picnic basket and five horses from the original carousel.
Each horse represents a distinctive theme, from the regal armored stallion to the Native American horse with its buckskin saddle and feather.
The concept of the carousel has changed very little since its inception, Vanden Bout said, although the technology has improved considerably. Today's carousels are powered by electricity, and some are even solar-powered - a contrast to the early steam carousels.
Many carousels of the past were either dismantled with the closing of trolley parks or destroyed in fires when faulty wiring ignited sparks, fueled by the old wooden animals.
The museum recognizes one horse belonging to a California woman who recalled fond memories of a particular carousel before it burned down.
Her favorite horse was in the maintenance shop when the blaze destroyed the rest of the carousel animals.
Other carousel riders remember reaching for the coveted brass ring - a prize that could be pulled from the rotating center and redeemed for a free ride.
Mark Chester, who grew up near a carousel in Whalom Park, Mass., recalls his first ride in a quote mounted on the museum's wall.
"I remember ... I was about 3 ... how it felt being hoisted up onto one of the horses," he said. "When the park closed, I purchased the brass poles, carved rounding board and scenery - one day to be reunited with some of the animals."
The Merry-Go-Round Museum, 301 Jackson St., will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
