La Ronde 2007: Six Flags is into preservation??!!

One of the most impressive carousels that I've ever seen is at Toshimaen, in Tokyo. It had 3 seperate levels, each independent of the other, and the bottom level had horses that rocked, and they faced outward.

I tried to find a good pic of it quickly, but nothing just yet. Will try again later, unless someone else would happen to put one up beforehand.

If I recall properly the German rolling gondola carousel from Opryland is in a ware house in Indiana. Gaylord donated it to a group that is/was trying to build a living museum of antique amusement rides. They had accumulated a wide assortment of classic flats, but for the life of me I can't recall the name of the group.

Think hard Dutchman. I'd love to know its current status. Maybe someone else here knows?

^Are you thinking of the petting zoo place that's supposed to be getting involved in some ride(s) restoration?

I vaguely recall seeing something a few days back...NO idea where I saw it, but I thought it was somewhere in the Midwest...

The organization's name is the Historic Amusement Foundation, of Indianapolis, Indiana.(This predates NAPHA) I don't know if it still a viable concern. I know that the had several carousels that they leased out on various locations at one time, with the rest of the inventory in warehouses around town.

^ I'll have to Google that and see what comes up in relation to OL's carousel. Thanks!

http://www.coneyisland.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=histy;action=display;num=1128075722

The three tier carousel in Japan used to be the El Dorado carousel at Coney Island in NYC. Click on the link above for some pictures and links for video footage.

I was in contact with the Historic Amusement Foundation a couple of years ago. I found them through a website for classic car restorations (or something like that). Unfortunately, I've since lost their contact info and I haven't been able to find the car site again.

I was mainly interested if the rumor that they had the Bertrand Island Boomerang was true (it wasn't, the ride was scrapped). They do have several carousels that they rent out for events.

Edit: I think I found it, http://www.tpr-inc.com/ *** Edited 3/28/2007 11:36:33 AM UTC by millrace***

Yep, that's them. I recognize the name of the owner of TPR.

Nice.

I've been pretty critical of Six Flags lately but I will give credit where credit is due. Regardless of the reasons why and all the b.s., let's not overlook the fact that a really old carousel is getting restored and returned to operation at a theme park that originally gave up on it. Once people can ride the restored ride, I don't think it will matter much what did happen, what could have happened, etc.

As for Cedar Fair, that company does very little to honor the past of its parks. While Dorney was going downhill before it was sold and CF did a lot to improve the park and keep it from closing, they also did a lot to remove the traditional feel of the place. Cedar Point has very little left in relation to its rich history, Knott's has lost many classic attractions and time will tell what will happen with Geauga Lake. I'm not anti-CF but I refuse to say that they really give a crap about the history of the parks they own. And as far as the whole business aspect goes, there are ways to honor tradition and nostalgia while still looking to the future. Look at parks like Kennywood, Lake Compounce, Knoebels, Hersheypark and Indiana Beach- they move forward while looking back at the same time, and no one can debate whether or not those parks are success stories.

Are we forgetting about my local park? Caonbie Lake? They have a few classic rides AND a wonderful old woodie (Yankee Cannonball, operating there since 1932)