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| Athena (white outside row) alongside Stella (white middle row) |
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| Geri the Giraffe |
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| Daisy the Wishing Horse |
The most beautiful carousel I've ever ridden or seen resides in Riverfront Park, Spokane, WA. There are many versions about what's occurred during the life of this moving work of art. I'll share the story I'm most familiar with.
The carousel was designed by Charles I.D. Looff and was a wedding gift for his daughter, Emma Vogel, and her husband, Louis Vogel. The Vogels owned Natatorium Park in Spokane, Washington, where the carousel began operating in July 1909. It remained there until the park closed in 1967 at which time the park's rides were dismantled and sold with the exception of the carousel. It was placed into storage.
The carousel was later sold to the City of Spokane with thoughts of placing it in World Expo '74. However, this idea was scratched when it was believed the high volume of fair goers would cause undue wear and tear on the equipment and wooden animals. During Expo '74 a Bavarian restaurant was built. The Expo ended, the restaurant closed and the building became home to the carousel. On May 8, 1975 the music played once again as the wooden menagerie came back to life in Riverfront Park where it operates to this day. This antique carousel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
There are 54 horses, 1 giraffe, 1 tiger and two chariots. It still contains the original 1900 Ruth & Sohn Band Organ. The organ was manufactured in Waldkirch, Germany and imported by Looff around 1900. A digitized recording plays now when the carousel operates because the original players rolls for the organ are deteriorating.
This Looff operates year round. On a summer afternoon it's fun to ride as the wind blows through your hair and music plays. Little kids laugh as their parents hold them on their horse or stand off to the side taking pictures of their little cherub faces. Oddly enough my favorite part of the ride comes when the music stops and the carousel continues spinning silently, slowly coming to a gentle stop. Something about the soft whir of the machinery and silent glide of the horses allows for a moment of reminiscing of days gone by. The most beautiful of times, however, comes after the sun has set. Dozens of clear light bulbs shine down like stars and give a brilliant luster to the polished wood and painted horses. Each brass pole rising up from the base of the ride sparkles, shines. Each horse, tiger, giraffe and dragon chariot takes on a magical appearance as if you've stepped into a child's fairy tale. And at the center of it all are mirrors reflecting back all the joy and magic of this simple non-adrenalin evoking ride.
Perhaps my affinity for this carousel stems from knowing that it all sprang from the hands of a man expressing his love for his daughter. It seems so few things are made from the heart for the pure joy of giving any more. Or maybe it's because I've only been on a couple carousels in my lifetime and certainly none compare to the beauty of this one. Whatever the reason, it always draws me back for a ride or a photo or just a look at the craftsmanship whenever I'm in Spokane.
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| Billy Bob -- He's the stand-in when a horse is out for refurbishing. |
