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Cambridge Carousel
Getting New Life
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Tuesday, April 21 CAMBRIDGE, N.Y. — The Battenkill Carousel Resurrection Project will start Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Lovejoy Foundry Freight Barn with an informational meeting on how the project came about and its overall goal. Using grant money and donations, the Cambridge Valley Community Development and Preservation Partnership has purchased an Allan Herchell Kiddie Ride carousel for $2,500, said Naomi Marsh, a member of the partnership's board of directors and a Cambridge Village Trustee. Marsh said the carousel was purchased a year and a half ago by the partnership as a community works project. "One of my requirements for taking on this project is that it extend beyond the resurrection of the carousel and be something that would bring the community together as a whole," Marsh said. The carousel was built in 1947 and last operated in a Long Island amusement park before being retired to a warehouse. At 20 feet in diameter, it is a child-sized model, with 19 aluminum horses, which ride two-abreast. Marsh said it is missing one horse, which will be replaced with a cow. She said the carousel is operational, but needs extensive cosmetic repairs. Cosmetics are where volunteers and artist come in, Marsh said. The carousel project is similar to the Bennington Moosefest, where volunteers and artists will adopt a horse and decorate it. The benches and other parts of the carousel also need aesthetic attention. She said the Cambridge project will be slightly more restrictive, with designs limited to aspects of the Battenkill Valley's history and culture. "The plan is to refurbish the carousel's horses, benches and other components with scenes and themes that reflect the Battenkill Valley," Marsh said. "For example, some of the components may be painted with images of historic buildings, event, and activities of the region. These could include Cambridge's original hotels, and local Revolutionary War battles, as well as themes that reflect the current life of the area, such as fly-fishing on the Battenkill, the Battenkill Bike Race, and local agriculture." She said the partnership has secured $12,500 for restoration work. The idea, Marsh said, was brought to the partnership by Gerry and Arlene Holzman. Gerry Holzman was the creator of the Empire State Carousel on exhibition at the Farmers Museum in Cooperstown. The carousel's designs depict facets of New York state's history, and is the model for the Cambridge project. A second meeting will be held April 29 at 7 p.m. in the Lovejoy building for artists intending to work on the carousel, Marsh said. So far, volunteers are ranging anywhere from 2 years old to 92, and have an array of jobs from community outreach to education. Marsh said the focus of the project is community togetherness. Where the carousel will be set up once it is complete, she said, is an afterthought. The community partnership group is a non-profit based in Cambridge that seeks to secure funding for the revitalization of buildings, making them commercially viable.
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