The "My Die-Cast Birthday Present" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just arrived at my brother's house in nearby Ephrata, Pennsylvania to share a bowl of the chicken corn soup he recently made.  A few minutes after arriving he called me into his first-floor office and handed me a long, skinny, white cardboard box which had PenJoy Company printed on the box in red letters.

Logo of the Company who made my present.

"Happy Birthday!" he proclaimed with a big smile on his face. "But, my birthday isn't for a couple of weeks yet," I told him. "I couldn't wait that long. I just got this and thought I'd give it to you now," he replied. Steve has given be some pretty neat birthday presents in the past couple of years and I was excited to open it. No wrapping paper, but still exciting as I removed the lid and found a neat 1:64 scale die-cast metal truck. He knows I have several die-cast corvettes in my office and thought I would enjoy the truck.

My birthday present from my brother Steve. The PenJoy
Company is a leader of 1:64 scale die-cast metal trucks in
the world.  The trucks are made in the USA, with their
facility in Lancaster, PA.  Some parts of the trucks are cast
in Decorah, Iowa while others are made in nearby York, PA,
but the main factory is in my hometown of Lancaster.

What made it so neat was the logo scrawled across the trailer; Rocky Springs Carousel - Lancaster, PA. Rocky Springs had always been my favorite amusement park while growing up. Loved riding the carousel as well as all the other rides as a child and graduated to the big wooden rollercoaster, The Wildcat, as a teenager.  The antique carousel was handcrafted by the Dentzel company in 1923 and had 48 animals and two chariots.  The carousel was 55 feet in diameter, 26 feet high and weighed about 100,000 pounds. The music on the carousel was recorded in France from a Gavioli band organ. Over 150 original selections entertained the guests who rode the carousel. It operated at the Rocky Springs Park from 1924 until the park closed in 1987, then moved to Lake Lansing Park in Lansing, MI, and then on to Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, TN in 1990. Then in 1999 the carousel left Dollywood and currently is in storage, waiting to see if it will be returned to Lancaster once again. Lancaster had raised a large amount of money for it's return, but the location where it will be located is still in doubt.  Anyway, I now have a neat birthday gift with one of my childhood favorites on it to help me remember my youth. Thanks once again Steve. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.