Store's All Done
Back in the 90's I was in the Air Force and living in DC. I found this tiny former trolley park called Glen Echo Park and for at least two years I went there once a week 'cause I was a carousel nut, particularly about their 1921 Dentzel carousel. I was such a fixture at the park the carousel staff called me their 'number one fan' and one day let me in the building during the off season to take pictures of all the animals. I had them up on a website for a long time that was linked to from the National Park Service website (they also ganked a couple for their own use without giving me credit).
When I was there it hadn't been fully restored. Animals and panels were restored as they got the money for it from the season's ticket sales, but most of the animals were still in brown park paint that had been rather garishly applied back in the 60's. A couple years after I moved someone donated a million or so and the machine is now in its full glory. I haven't been able to go back and see it, tho. :(
It was a rare machine in several ways. It was still in its original operating location, operating every year since 1921. It had a large Wurlitzer band organ (a 500, I think) meant for permanent park carousels, of which only 5 were made, and, up until 1994, only two were still with carousels (the carousel in Seabreeze Park burned in 1994 leaving the Glen Echo Wurlitzer as the only one left of its kind still operating with a carousel. The only other still in existence is in a private collection). Several of the animals were rares or one of a kind, such as the king horse, four rare jumpers of a particular Muller style (the only other one is on the Disney carousel in CA), and a couple that appear to be early prototypes for later Dentzel standard horses. One of the possible prototypes is Jumper 2C (the number is what row he's in, the letter is what ring position he is on on the platform - the outer ring being A and usually composed of the fanciest horses).
I liked the picture I took of his head so much, I've put it on CafePress items, and will do so with other members of the carousel, like the king horse. I haven't worked up a nice heading for the store yet, tho, like I did for my other ones.
Actually the most unusual thing about the machine was the staff. They'd all grown up with the machine and loved it very much, and it showed. And you could feel it in the place, too. Unlike a lot of other machines who's operators could really give a damn, they kept it and the animals in good repair, and when something happened they would get upset, such as the time an idiot was swinging his legs and ripped the entire haunch off one of the ponies that was in good repair - causing the one horse that badly needed restoration because of split legs to have to wait another entire year. They were despondent the rest of that day, the last operating day for that year. One of them had even taught himself to punch new music for the band organ, and had stuff like 'Rainbow Connection' from 'the Muppet Movie' on it. That was my favorite roll. :)
I wish I could afford to fly back and see it as it is now...and take pictures of my favorite, the stander with the harness of bells. :)
--Moony
When I was there it hadn't been fully restored. Animals and panels were restored as they got the money for it from the season's ticket sales, but most of the animals were still in brown park paint that had been rather garishly applied back in the 60's. A couple years after I moved someone donated a million or so and the machine is now in its full glory. I haven't been able to go back and see it, tho. :(
It was a rare machine in several ways. It was still in its original operating location, operating every year since 1921. It had a large Wurlitzer band organ (a 500, I think) meant for permanent park carousels, of which only 5 were made, and, up until 1994, only two were still with carousels (the carousel in Seabreeze Park burned in 1994 leaving the Glen Echo Wurlitzer as the only one left of its kind still operating with a carousel. The only other still in existence is in a private collection). Several of the animals were rares or one of a kind, such as the king horse, four rare jumpers of a particular Muller style (the only other one is on the Disney carousel in CA), and a couple that appear to be early prototypes for later Dentzel standard horses. One of the possible prototypes is Jumper 2C (the number is what row he's in, the letter is what ring position he is on on the platform - the outer ring being A and usually composed of the fanciest horses).
I liked the picture I took of his head so much, I've put it on CafePress items, and will do so with other members of the carousel, like the king horse. I haven't worked up a nice heading for the store yet, tho, like I did for my other ones.
Actually the most unusual thing about the machine was the staff. They'd all grown up with the machine and loved it very much, and it showed. And you could feel it in the place, too. Unlike a lot of other machines who's operators could really give a damn, they kept it and the animals in good repair, and when something happened they would get upset, such as the time an idiot was swinging his legs and ripped the entire haunch off one of the ponies that was in good repair - causing the one horse that badly needed restoration because of split legs to have to wait another entire year. They were despondent the rest of that day, the last operating day for that year. One of them had even taught himself to punch new music for the band organ, and had stuff like 'Rainbow Connection' from 'the Muppet Movie' on it. That was my favorite roll. :)
I wish I could afford to fly back and see it as it is now...and take pictures of my favorite, the stander with the harness of bells. :)
--Moony