PSA

[rolanni]

As those of you who have been playing along at home may recall, Rolanni has an Interest in carousels. She is not a card-carrying member of the National Carousel Association, but that's only because they don't issue membership cards.

In the last couple of days, I've received a couple of interesting -- if you're interested in That Kind of Thing -- carousel-related tidbits.

The first is news of the National Carousel Association's Annual Convention, September 20-24, which will be headquartered at the Radisson Hotel-Roseville in St. Paul, MN, and will offer participants the chance to tour (and hopefully ride) six functioning antique carousels -- three in Minnesota (one of those is steam-powered), two in North Dakota and one in South Dakota. More information to be had at the NCA website.

The buy-in for this convention being slightly more, when all the addition is done, than going to the LA Worldcon, I will not be reserving my place. The information is offered for any other carousel freak who happens to have the time, the money and the inclination.

The postman also brought me a solicitation letter from Scott Harrison of Nederland, Colorado, who has spent the last 20 years of his life rebuilding the mechanism and carving new animals for the four-across Looff carousel originally on the pier at Saltair Park in Salt Lake City, Utah. Scott now wants to complete his work, put the carousel under a proper canopy, and get it operating again. To achieve this, however, he needs money. The carousel is under the protection of The Carousel of Happiness, Inc, which is a 501(c)3 non-profit -- that means that all donations are tax deductible.

More information about the carousel, as well as contact information for Scott Harrison, can be found on The Carousel of Happiness website.

Comments

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough, I happen to live in the self-proclaimed Carousel Capital of America. In the 1920s the local industrial magnate donated carousels to local parks on the condition that no admission be charged. All six are still working, and admission is still free.

[jennifer-dunne.livejournal.com]

Yup. I actually earned myself a "Carousel Circuit Rider" award, for hitting all six in a single weekend. (I had out-of-town guests. It seemed like the thing to do.) From which I know, there is actually a carousel museum, too. It used to be located in the zoo, in the cinderblock building next to the antique/collapsing cages. Given all the changes at the zoo, I don't know if it's still there, but it's around here somewhere.

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

There is a carousel in our mall that I am still secretly resolved to ride at least once...

...I only wish it played better music. Alas, it plays the strangest almagam of Top Hits from recent decades that I've ever heard. Ace of Bass one day... "YMCA" the next. o_O

[xinef.livejournal.com]

Have you been to St. Catharines, Ontario, to Port Dalhousie? Great antique carousel there on the beach. You can still ride it for a nickel.

http://www.stcatharines.ca/recreation/rec_af_carousel.asp
http://www.brandijasmine.com/carousel/canada/ontario/pdc/pdc.html

St. Catharines is not all that far from Niagara Falls. It is where the Welland Canal enters Lake Ontario.

[melinda-goodin.livejournal.com]

The conference sounds wonderful. There are sadly very few carousels , comparatively, in Australia, and many of them have fibreglass animals. It's hard to be an enthusiast here.