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A Carousel for Missoula is one of the first fully hand-carved carousels to be built in the United States since the Great Depression. From little more than dreams, hard work and love, a carousel was created by hundreds of volunteers. The Carousel has 38 horses and two chariots. The chariots allow easy access for wheelchairs; people with disabilities are always welcome to ride free on the Carousel.
Between August of 1991, when the Carousel project went from being one man's dream to become a community project, until its grand opening on May 27, 1995, over 100,000 hours of volunteer time were dedicated to carving, sanding, painting, creating stainglass windows, restoring an antique carousel frame, organizing and fund raising.
The Carousel sits in a circular enclosure surrounded by roll up door. In fine weather, the doors are open so riders can enjoy all Caras Park has to offer. In inclement weather the doors are down and the Carousel is heated. The Carousel is open daily, year-round.
The Gift Shop at the Carousel is a primary source of income for the Carousel, and all proceeds help feed the ponies. The gift shop features Carousel wearables and souvenirs, local and Montana-made items, as well as toys, games and candy with lots of 'kid appeal.'
The Carousel's restoration shop is used to restore or repair the Carousel's own ponies and ponies for other carousels, and to build new ponies for carousels-in-the-making and other not-for-profits.
The Carousel's band organ is the largest band organ in continuous use in the United States. Its' 400 square wooden pipes make the music of 23 instruments and 45 musicians.
In the spring of 2001 over 4,000 volunteers gathered to build a play area next to the Carousel. In just nine days a magical play land was created, complete with a three-headed dragon, numerous slides (one over 25 feet tall), musical instruments, an obstacle course and a variety of kid-created artwork.
The Carousel and Dragon Hollow are terrific venues for birthday parties and the Carousel can be rented before or after operating hours for private use.
SOURCE:
Montana Official State Travel Information Site,
10-26-2007 1:12 AM M MST
http://travel.state.mt.us/categories/moreinfo.asp?IDRRecordId=10844&SiteId=1
A Carousel for Missoula
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Outside A Carousel for Missoula
Inside A Carousel for Missoula
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- A Carousel for Missoula
- A Carousel for Missoula Magic is made by volunteers If you will give it a home, and promise no one will ever take it apart, I will build A Carousel for Missoula. That was the promise Missoula cabinet-maker Chuck Kaparich made to the Missoula City Council in 1991. Kaparich, who had spent many chi
- National Carousel Associaion - A Carousel for Missoula
- Carousel Pictures presented by the National Carousel Association
- MOntana Official State Travel Information Site
- A Carousel for Missoula is one of the first fully hand-carved carousels to be built in the United States since the Great Depression. From little more than dreams, hard work and love, a carousel was created by hundreds of volunteers. The Carousel has 38 horses and two chariots. The chariots allow easy access for wheelchairs; people with disabilities are always welcome to ride free on the Carousel.
About A Carousel for Missoula
Chariots are designed to allow easy access for wheelchairs. The wheelchairs and the ponies in their rows on the Carousel are stationary, but the other 36 ponies are on poles which move up and down into a pit beneath the platform.
The Carousel's frame was built in 1918 by the Hershell-Spillman Company of North Tonawanda, New York. It was last operated at the Ponderosa Ranch where "Bonanza" was filmed.
The frame weighs approximately 10-1/2 tons fully loaded with the platform, ponies and chariots. Over 16,066 parts (not including screws and other fasteners) were painstakingly sandblasted, cleaned and repainted by a volunteer mechanical crew, and every bolt was replaced. A new ten-horse power motor with fluid clutch replaced the steam powered, leather belt-driven motor which originally drove the mechanical works.
Adorning the canopy of the Carousel are 966 light bulbs requiring 90 amps of power, along with 14 hand-carved gargoyles in frames and 14 handcarved frames holding etched mirrors.
Just short of $70,000 was spent on the ponies, frame, gearing and platform of the Carousel.
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The Building
J. Kirby and Associates of Missoula are the architects responsible for the creative design of the building; construction was done by Structural Systems, Inc., also of Missoula. Total cost of the building is over $381,000, and an additional $58,000 worth of materials and labor were donated.
The largest beams overhead are three feet by eight-and-one-quarter inches with a clear span of 123 feet. The ceiling panels are made of Kalwall, a translucent material which is three inches thick and strong enough to support a man's weight. The building is heated by vents under the Carousel platform so it can be used year-round. The building, the restrooms and the Carousel itself are all fully accessible to people with disabilities.
During public hours, horsehead stantions holding chains keep crowds safely away from the spinning platform. During non-public hours, the building can be rented for a variety of events and celebrations. The building can accommodate around 90 guests for a sit-down dinner, or up to 200 for a stand-up reception. If the weather is fair, additional seating can be arranged on the plaza. Birthday parties and small gatherings can be scheduled during public hours to take place in our birthday party alcove near the restoration shop.
The Carousel building sits in Missoula's Caras Park along the banks of the Clark Fork River.
Directions
Following US 12 from the west/US 93 from the south, go straight on US 12 when the highways split. US 12 turns into Brooks Avenue and then into Higgins Avenue. After crossing the river, turn left on Main and left again on Ryman.
Ryman leads directly into the Carousel parking lot.
Contact Info
PO Box 3345
Missoula, MT 59802
Street Address:
101 Carousel Drive
Missoula, MT 59802
Phone: 406-549-8382
Fax: 406-549-0314
http://www.carrousel.com
Email: mslacarous@aol.com
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Reply
- KatieKintner KatieKintner Jan 24, 2009 @ 10:07 am
- Beautiful! It brings tears to my eyes. Thank you.
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