We went to Kansas...a friends daughter was getting married. I decided not to take my camera to the wedding or reception since it doesn't take good indoor pictures. We were just going to enjoy ourselves. The bride looked like a China doll....she was beautiful! The groom was not half bad either! :-)
After the wedding we headed to the reception which was in Leavenworth, KS. On our way into town I saw a sign that said 'Carousel'. I yelled "Carousel! Turn right here!".....so he did. We were early so had time to look around a bit. The town raised money to bring the carousel to Leavenworth because C.W. Parker used to build carousels and carnival equipment in the town. The carousel took a few years to restore, then they opened for business. We did not have time to tour the museum, but that is on our 'to-do' list.
I like their mailbox...
Who doesn't smile when they see this sign?
We watched the carousel go round and round and I knew instantly what horse I was going to ride! I picked the black 'mustang' with the American flag painted on it. Since Tripp is a black mustang I thought it was very appropriate!
All of the horses have name plates with their number, name and the name of the people or business who sponsored it. I rode Skipper, who I dubbed Tripp's brother. :-)
The little lady says "I can't help but notice you are wearing a skirt. You can't ride side saddle because I am sure you noticed this carousel goes much faster than other carousels (I had noticed and was very excited!). The seats are very slippery and once it starts going you would go flying off."
Yep, she really told me that! Ha ha! Of course Skipper stopped in the 'high' position so we had to get the step stool so I could mount my horse. :-)
I had so much fun and was so happy! This was a bonus to the day!
I gave Skipper a big hug when I was done...he gave me a great ride! It only cost $1.25 to ride, it goes fast, and the ride lasts about 4 minutes.
They also had another smaller carousel next to the big one. Here is what the lady told me. This one is from 1850 and there are only 3 like this left in the world (that they know of). One is in Germany but they put a motor on theirs, so it is no longer on the historical registry. Another one is at the Smithsonian (Wow!) but it does not work. And this one.....that works!
The lady was very excited to show me how it worked. It has a couple gears on it and is hand cranked! I wish we had more time to look around and learn more about this. I have always loved carousel horses. I even had a book about carving them.
This horse has the original leather ears from 1850. They are hard to see in the picture...but are there. All of the mane and tail hair is also original from 1850. I wonder about the horses the hair came from...what kind of stories can they tell?
These horses are made of wood and cast iron.
Here is a view showing both carousels. They don't give rides on the smaller one but that is okay...it is worth it just to see it work.
We had a very nice time and were glad we went. This place was a bonus and I think another trip to Leavenworth would be a lot of fun. There is a lot of history there.
Until later....Karen and Tripp who is secretly warm and fuzzy inside that I would pick a horse that looks like him. :-)
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