Antique carousel in Pottstown, Pa., will include likeness of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro The committee behind the restoration of a 1905 carousel in Pottstown, Pa., has announced the carousel’s menagerie of animals will include a likeness of beloved 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro.
News-Antique.com - Apr 18,2007 - Pottstown, Pa.’s refurbished antique carousel to include
Barbaro horse
Many of carousel’s carved animals on display May 10-June 29
POTTSTOWN, Pa. – The volunteer committee raising funds for the restoration of a 1905 carousel for the southeastern Pennsylvania city of Pottstown has announced the carousel’s menagerie of carved animals will include a likeness of the beloved racehorse Barbaro. “Barbaro was a Kentucky Derby winner and a hero to many, both before and after his tragic accident in last year’s Preakness,” said committee member George Wausnock. “He had a strong local connection. His owners’ stables are nearby, in Chester County, and after his injury, Barbaro spent many months receiving veterinary care at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, also in Chester County.” A carved-wood carousel horse is presently in the process of being painted to duplicate the late thoroughbred’s colors and characteristics.
From May 10 through June 29, Montgomery County Community College will host Carousel Art & Artistry, an exhibit featuring 15 carved animals (Barbaro will not be included because of restoration) and as many as one dozen examples of rounding-board art from the Derek Scott Saylor Memorial Carousel – The Carousel at Pottstown. A free public reception to launch the exhibit will be held on Thursday, May 10, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the college’s main entrance gallery, at 16 High St. in Pottstown. Carousel artists will be in attendance at the event, which is open to the public. After the opening and through closing day on June 29, the exhibit will be available to view Mondays through Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. College is closed on weekends.
Built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Co., Pottstown’s carousel took its first official spin in 1905 at Euclid Beach in Cleveland. In 1925, it was sent back to the factory in Pennsylvania to be refurbished. At that time, many of the animals were converted to “jumpers” and given a new paint job. The carousel’s next stop was Pine Grove, a now-defunct trolley park in Cumberland County, Pa., where it remained until 1981. The carousel was later purchased by a private party, who subsequently sold off the original animals.
In 1998, the Pottstown Historical Society purchased the carousel mechanism. One year later, the Carousel at Pottstown’s fundraising committee began its efforts to restore the carousel, with the goal being to make it the centerpiece for the city’s revitalization. The nation’s premier carousel animal carver, Ed Roth, was enlisted to recreate the animals in their original style. Roth is perhaps best known for his hand-carved animals on carousels at Disney theme parks around the world. Each of Roth’s distinctively crafted animals requires approximately 120 hours of work.
The finished carousel will be housed in the old Pottstown Metal Weld Building, at 30 W. King St. Animal sponsorships are still available. Also, monetary donations in any amount would be gratefully received and, like the animal sponsorships, would be tax deductible in accordance with IRS
