Carousel repair

City council met this morning to discuss topics in Meridian as usual, but one thing on the agenda was the Dentzel Carousel. One of the city’s biggest tourist attractions, it certainly has a long history of rotating the hearts of every generation into a fun time.

“People come all over the world to see the carousel. We rent the carousel for birthday parties. Kids come in and ride the carousel. Elderly people come in and ride the carousel. During the summer months, we’ll probably have one thousand more visitors that’s touring Meridian, that want to come in and view the carousel. It’s because it’s a historical site.” -Kelvin McGruder, Director of Parks & Recreation

However, one of the most essential parts of the ride, has broken. According to McGruder, the famous carousel should be fixed within the next few days.

“The carousel is like a delicate product that we have. Nobody local can do it, as far as the work on it. It takes a specialized person. The pulley broke. So, when the pulley broke, it stopped the carousel horses from rotating like they should. So, we have to call a guy outside of Meridian to come and fix it.”

Now a fun fact that most people might not know, the Dentzel Carousel here in Highland Park is actually one of the oldest, running carousels in the entire world.

The carousel was manufactured in 1896 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, and it arrived in Meridian in 1909, where it has occupied the same location ever since.