California Carousel Spins Again
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | Mar. 11, 2009
1939 carousel in historic Hanford, California
Credit: Hanford Conference & Visitors Center
The 1939 carousel in Hanford, Calif., may look like just another kiddie ride, but it's "the soul of the city," says Dave Jones, executive director of the Hanford Conference and Visitors Agency, which leases the carousel in the historic city of 51,000, located 35 miles southwest of Fresno.
Last month, to the relief of locals, workers re-installed the carousel after a six-week mechanical restoration. During the project, Sun Valley-based Brass Ring Entertainment replaced the Allan Herschell carousel's original bearings. It will officially reopen Mar. 22 for a fundraising event.
"About 14,000 people a year ride on it," Jones says. "Put 14,000 people through your car and see how long it lasts."
Although the city has already paid for the $23,000 mechanical restoration (required by California state code), Jones wants to raise another $8,000 to replace the hooks that hold the carousel horses. Next Saturday night, his group is offering a five-course dinner at $75 a ticket.
Hanford has preserved many historic buildings in its downtown, including a 1905 Carnegie library that is now a museum and an 1896 courthouse, now restaurants and offices. "In the 1970s, city residents decided that they were not going to tear down any more old buildings, and they basically put the local government on notice that they wanted preservation in the downtown," Jones says.
Hanford bought the carousel from the nearby town of Visalia, where it sat idle for years. Since it began operating on Hanford's courthouse square in the 1980s, it has been restored and repaired several times, with the help of grants from Main Street Hanford, Lowe's, and Wal-Mart.
"It runs great. It's probably good for another 35, 40 years," says Jones, who helped transport the carousel's horses to the basement of a bank for storage during the restoration. "My knee still hurts from carrying horses."
Watch a time-release video of the carousel's re-installation in February 2009
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