It has been a long time coming. Some thought it would never really get off the ground. Yet the vision, dedication and perseverance shared by of our corps of volunteers will soon be able to be shared with everyone. The Carousel at Pottstown is almost ready to ride!

For the past 10 months, we have really accelerated the pace of the project. After we put the new roof on in the Spring of 2011, it was as if a dam had burst and a flood of activity came rushing through the building. With the construction on the roof complete, we were able to safely begin the long awaited construction of our restored 1905 Philadelphia Toboggan Co. carousel. Since that time there have been volunteers of all ages working at the building almost every Saturday morning and Monday night, painting, building cleaning...whatever needed to be done.

In the pictures above you can see the success of our volunteer's efforts. The photo on the left was taken June 26, 2011 as we prepared for our open house. The photo on the right was taken November 5, 2011, hours before a private party was slated to begin.

Our first Open House was held over the Fourth of July weekend. It was a chance to meet the artists responsible for painting the animals and portrait panels. Each of our 50 animals and two chariots is sanded and hand painted to create a unique character for the carousel. On average, each animal takes 250 hours to complete and the artists are able to work on them only about one night a week. Learning that, many people came away from the event with a greater appreciation of what a vast undertaking this project is, as well as how fortunate the Carousel at Pottstown is to have such talented individuals dedicated to the project's successful completion.

You can be a part of The Carousel at Pottstown too. Spread the word and join us at our upcoming events, take advantage of a variety of sponsorship opportunities, or learn more about the many ways to volunteer.