Dear Friends,

I was always a fan of the carousel. When we were little my sister and I would excitedly wait in line, and when it was our turn we would rush onto the platform, praying that the horse we had eyed from the line was empty. I always picked a horse that looked like it was mid-jump. My mom usually rode in the carriage near where we were, reminding us to hold onto the pole tightly when the ride started.

The music would begin to play, the platform began to move and the horse we were sitting on would begin to move up and down. My mom would yell a final “hold on girls” as the ride began to move faster and faster and the music would quicken. I felt like I was flying! The wind whipped through my hair and my sister, and I would shriek in laughter and delight until finally (always much too soon), the ride would begin to slow down, and we had to get off. We would wait until the last possible minute to hop off, of course. Sometimes we would run around to get back on for another ride if the line wasn’t too long, and if we could convince our mom to let us.

Since the concept of the carousel made an appearance, it has been called many different names. The carousel actually dates back to the 12th century and was used among Arabian and Turkish warriors as part of their war training, and in fact they were called “little war”.

Here, in the United States, the first know carousel was called a “wooden horse circus ride” and popped up in Salem, Massachusetts in 1899. Carousel, merry-go-round, hurdy-gurdy and dobbie are some of the names this ride has been called throughout history. Most carousels are fitted with horses and chariots, but other non-traditional rides can feature animals, unicorns, dragons and even vehicles. Many of them feature unique paintings and mirrors across the top, usually signifying something from the place they were built or to recognize something significant in that time.

I was fascinated by how the horses of a carousel are made! Most carousels, the truly historic ones anyway, are made out of wood. It takes a carver over 35 hours to carve the intricate detail you see on each horse. The part of the horse you can see from the outside (called the romance side) takes the most time and usually looks a little nicer than the inward facing side. In many place the romance side features jewels, detailed painting and in parts of the world actual gems that are worth a lot of money.

In the early days of the carousel ride, the ride would be moved by people or animals and the up and down motion of the horse was done by pedal power from the rider. Over time steam power, and eventually electricity, moves the carousels of today. The rotator at the top of the carousel is the most basic thing you could see, basically a huge wheel with a gear that moves the structure around and around. The horses work with a pulley that goes up and down as the carousel moves around.

Did you know that only 150 traditional carousels exist in the world today? And six of them are in Broome County, New York. That’s right! You can find these carousels in Recreation Park, Ross Park Zoo, C. Fred Johnson Park, Highland Park, George W. Johnson Park and at West Endicott Park.

This past weekend, along with my friends Jessica and Faith, we visited each of the six carousels to ride them and earn our jeweled button that says, “I rode the carousel circuit”. At each of the carousels you get a ticket (each one has a different color) and at the end, you show the tickets to receive your button. It took us about two hours to travel around Endicott, Endwell, Johnson City and Binghamton to ride all six. Unfortunately, due to staff shortages, one of the carousels was not running, but we were able to get a photo with it and the staffer at the park took pity on us and gave us our ticket anyway.

I can’t tell you what a joy it was to visit each of these historic carousels and ride them. I haven’t done that since I was a child and the moment, I stepped back on the platform I could have been ten years old again. Yes, those horses are sturdy and held me up, which says something about how well they were made!


The most unique carousel we rode was in Recreation Park. The carousel itself was in impeccable condition, and it was in a park that Rod Serling had grown up around and even did a ‘Twilight Zone’ episode from (Season 1, Episode 5: Walking Distance). Remember I said that sometimes the top of the carousel recognized something significant? Well, the top of this one featured hand painted stills of famous ‘Twilight Zone’ episodes!

If you have not been on the Carousel Circuit, I urge you to go! It was a fun day full of laughter, a little bit of magic and a good time for all. You are never too old to enjoy a carousel ride, and I am so happy that we did it.

Truth be told, I am also really excited about my “I did it” new button!

“And the season, they go round and round,

And the painted ponies go up and down.

We’re captive on the carousel of time,

We can’t return, we can only look

Behind, from where we came

And go round and round and round, in the circle game”

~ Joni Mitchell

Be well,

Kerri

The views and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views and positions of any entity that this author represents.