It was and ordinary day. Reading an article in my local newspaper about the possible move of the old Rocky Springs Carousel to the Strasburg Railroad location. During a Strasburg Township supervisors meeting a few weeks ago, Rocky Springs Carousel Association and the Strasburg Railroad board members proposed rehabilitating and installing the 99-year-old carousel at Strasburg's landmark railroad-themed tourist attraction.
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| Some of the many colorful ornamental horses of the carousel |
What a great place for it! Why they didn't think of it years ago is beyond me! It would be the perfect place for the carousel and would draw more customers to the railroad. The first part of the process of moving it is to decide exactly where the carousel could be placed and to find a partner that can work well with the owners of the railroad. A partner that can match the mission and values of the railroad has to be the first step in the process of moving the carousel. The board members of the carousel committee want the ride to be fully operational inside a carousel house on the Strasburg Rail Road property. The ride originally stood at Rocky Springs Amusement Park for many years, but when the park closed it ended up at Dollywood Amusement Park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Then in 1998 the ride was put up for auction. A group of Lancaster residents brought the carousel back home to Lancaster. Now, the carousel plan needs to get the green light from the township's zoning hearing board before anything can happen. The Strasburg Rail Road has a special zoning designation, a railroad heritage district, so the carousel project will need to fall in line with the historic character of the tourist attraction. As of now, no timeline has been set for the project. The supervisors of the Railroad have spoken favorably of moving the carousel to the railroad property. The railroad supervisors were attracted to the carousel because it will add to the historic character of the railroad operation. The railroad operators said, "From our standpoint, we already have 350,000 people a year come to the railroad. adding a feature of historical significance for this county...that's what we do at the railroad. This is something we feel historically is from the same era as steam. The group is now searching for a 3,000-square-foot warehouse location where the carousel can be assembled over 3 to 5 years. As of now, all of the ride's pieces including it's organ and wooden horses, dogs and reindeer, have been in storage for more than 20 years at an undisclosed location. The condition of the pieces will determine how long it takes to get the ride up and running. Some of the animals were restored in 2005. Kauffman said Rocky Springs Carousel Association will be participating in the county's ExtraGive on Nov. 17 for the first time. The group plans to set up a table in downtown Lancaster with some of the carousel animals on display. Kauffman hopes to raise $50,000 at the event for the carousel. However, it's too soon to tell how much money will be needed to be invested in the project. The Strasburg Railroad has been interested in the project for years. Ideas used to be shared when Lancaster's Mayor was Chrlie Smithgal. Smithgall was a major advocate of the carousel and wanted to bring it to Lancaster Square on North Queen Street, but those plans fell through. The Mayor that followed, Rick Gray, was not interested in the project and current Mayor Danene Sorace took a firm stance against the carousel in the city, citing racist practices at the Rocky Springs pool. In 2018, the Star Barn in Elizabethtown joined the conversation when the barn's caretakers publicly shared interest in making room for the ride on the property. Some former rocky Springs board members and patrons have chided the current carousel association in the past for not doing enough to find a permanent home for the carousel. The board was established in the early 2000s after the carousel came back to Lancaster and was reformed in 2020 after a period of inactivity. So...I guess we will find out soon what is going to happen to the carousel. I hope they can come to some decision before I am too old to ride on it once again!! I'll give them a couple of years, but after that I'm afraid I may not be physically fit to ride the carousel. Therefore, I'm hoping that something can be done sooner rather than later. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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