LITTLE ROCK — The famed Over the Jumps carousel, which delighted children at Little Rock's War Memorial Midway from 1942 to 1991, twirled for the first time in its restored condition at its new home at the Little Rock Zoo on Monday night.
During a dedication gala, the Friends of the Carousel nonprofit group presented the one-of-a-kind historic carousel to Gov. Mike Beebe and Mayor Mark Stodola. Though subject to yearly oversight by the Friends of the Carousel, the city is now responsible for the maintenance and operation of the structure, whose value is estimated at $2 million.
"I couldn't be happier for the city of Little Rock not only to be a participant in making contributions, putting this on the [2003] bond issue [for $200,000, which funded the pavilion housing the carousel] and coming up with this wonderful canopy that's going to protect it, but also for all of the hard work that the citizens recognize in terms of allowing money for this to be contributed toward the zoo and specifically, for what's going to be a great attraction for our zoo," Stodola said as he accepted the carousel on behalf of the city.
"It is certainly something that is a very proud part of the history of Little Rock. And from generation to generation, for those who visited it when it was at the amusement park, it's really great that we don't let anything as beautiful and as wondrous as this get away from us. So we are very proud to continue the tradition,thanks to the efforts of so many people who have worked so very, very hard and contributed their long hours and their contributions," he continued. "We've got a home here, very safe for it, for the future."
A ceremonial first ride honored the "pony parents," contributors of at least $5,000 to what became a $1 million project since the Friends of the Carousel purchased the dilapidated ride in 1991. Last week, the Little Rock Civitan Club donated $50,000, which, combined with a $75,000 contribution from Little Rock, paid off the remainder of the Friends of the Carousel's debt.
One pony and two chariots are still available to adopt and name. All adopted ponies will showcase their names and their contributors' names on a brass plaque at their base.
Financial problems and the meticulous work involved in peeling off more than 30 coats of paint and restoring by hand the 40 ponies, four chariots and 24 wooden wheels on the ride caused the restoration and repair process to drag on for 16 years, much longer than former state Sen. Mike Kinard, founding co-chairman of the Friends of the Carousel, anticipated.
"Joan Gould thought it was a historic treasure that Arkansas did not need to let go," Kinard said of his initial meetings with his fellow board co-chairman. "For me, it was an interesting project. I lived in Magnolia, I didn't even live in Little Rock, but it was just a project - a project that was beginning to get more time-consuming."
The only surviving example of an undulating-track carousel made by Spillman Engineering Corp. of North Tonawanda, N.Y., Over the Jumps first arrived in Little Rock during the 1924 Arkansas State Fair as a touring mobile carousel.In 1942, it was placed under a permanent structure created from a State Fair building.
On Monday night, as donors rode the ponies their contributions paid for, each wore a smile reminiscent of a child enchanted by an amusement park ride.
"I am so thrilled that I lived this long for this very special occasion," said 87-year-old Rose Bethell of Fort Smith, as she exitedthe platform after her first ride. She bought her pony, Cookie, almost a decade ago and admitted to doubting whether the carousel would ever run again. Bethell's three children had enjoyed the ride as children in the 1950s, so she contributed in honor of her mother, who "loved to bake cookies for my children and her grandchildren."
Earlier Monday, Mike Watson, chief amusement ride inspector for the state, completed an inspection of the carousel. He has been working as a consultant to Friends of the Carousel for the past few years, monitoring the reconstruction and installation in a new zoo pavilion, he said. Because the ride is both owned and operated by a municipal government agency, it is exempt from state inspection. The zoo requested an inspection anyway, in order to ensure that it is safe, said Susan Altrui, a zoo spokesman.
"The inspection was just a little bit premature in that we inspected things that had been done and consulted about things that are going to be done before it operates for the public," Watson said. "Those things are being tended to today. There were some loose nuts, the ground wire wasn't completely run, normal things. There's nothing wrong with it. It was perfectly operational. I believe the ride to be safe at this point. The carousel passed the inspection."
Once complete, the refurbished carousel will be accessible to the handicapped, an addition that could cost $5,000, Kinard said. The goal was "to put it back together and make it accessible to everyone," he told guests.
Watson recommended a 42-inch height minimum for riders. Rides will probably last two minutes, zoo Director Mike Blakely said, but his staff is still judging the carousel's performance. The carousel has two speeds; it can either make three or five revolutions per minute.
The date of the carousel's opening to the public has yet to be determined but has tentatively been set for Saturday, Altrui said. A "soft" opening Wednesday will feature limited rides during the Boo at the Zoo Halloween festival. Once open, the carousel will operate during normal zoo hours, Blakely said.
Arkansas, Pages 9, 13 on 10/23/2007