Albany Carousel, Albany, Oregon

Located at 503 1st Avenue on the Western edge of downtown historic Albany, Oregon is the Historic Carousel & Museum—a building scheduled to be demolished in about three years. And when this happens, the Albany community will celebrate like the circus moved to town!

albany carousel building exteriorOpen daily from Monday through Saturday (10AM-4PM), visitors to the museum are welcome to come and see how giant blocks of basswood are meticulously hand carved and painted into the animals and chariots that will one day sit proudly in the city’s brand new Albany Carousel—assembled and built in a new, modern, facility housed at the same address.

carousel modelA project that began in 2002, production of the carousel is overseen by a The Albany Historic Carousel and Museum, a 501(c)(3) organization that has been raising money through grants, fundraising, donations, and sales from the on-site gift shop. Each animal has been sponsored by someone in the Albany community and has its own back story.

bearyConsider Grizzly Berry,sponsored by Dr. Merle and Carol Ann Berry. Dr. Berry is now-retired from his career at Albany Eyecare Associates; his two sons are currently practicing at the clinic with other optometrists from the area. Naturally, Grizzly Berry is wearing glasses and if you look closely you can see the names of the Berry grandkids etched into the tan-colored fur.

block of woodOverseen by head-carver Jack Giles and lead-painter Gwenn Marchese, the carving process can take over 2000 hours, with an additional 400 hours spent painting, coating, drying, and clear-coating the finished product.

dolphin

As you walk around the studio, animals sit in their carving stations in various stages of completion. Color paintings line the walls and various reference materials are scattered on the shelves and tables. The conceptual artwork was created by Terryl Whitlatch, who has worked for Disney and George Lucas in the past. Kurt Christensen, is the projects’ current artist. Christensen was an illustrator for the PBS cartoon, Dragon Tales.

animal figurines

All of the carving is completed by volunteers who receive training, starting on smaller projects and graduating to the animal carvings. Carvers and painters are typically found working on their projects during open hours and are happy to answer questions and talk about the carousel project with museum patrons.

unicorn

Meanwhile, the carousel mechanism has been undergoing its own restoration in a private location. Donated to the city of Albany by the Dentzel family (The Dentzels were the first manufacturer of carousels in America, opening their business in Philadelphia, PA back in 1870.), a team of engineers and builders have updated the original donation with new (quieter) wooden teeth on the turning mechanism and an electric push-button control system.

model close up

Visit Albany wrote a nice blog post about mechanism restoration here: http://albanyvisitors.com/2013/11/22/lights-music-action-albanys-1909-carousel-mechanism-restoration/

While four of the completed animals have already been installed on the carousel, the remaining others are scattered around town to raise project awareness and collect monetary donations for the completion of the carousel and construction of the new facility. As you can see on the fundraising giraffe, the project is up to it’s neck in donations, but can’t quite wrap it’s brain around the completion of the entire project (pun intended). Museum docents will be happy to give you a sheet listing the current locations of all the completed animals.

fundraising giraffe

Look for the “Coins for the Carousel” plexiglass donation containers at local businesses.

donation container

Or, you could also come in and make a purchase at the museum gift shop. My personal favorites were the carousel pencil sharpeners and the refrigerator magnets for each of the carousel animals (both are $1).

magnetsFor more information on the project, including updated details on the construction of the new building and grand opening ceremony, follow the museum website: http://albanycarousel.com/

And for more ideas on “what to do” in Albany, check out this story: Kid-Friendly Venues in Albany, Oregon

About the Author

Julie Henning
Julie Henning is a freelance writer and journalist based out of Eugene, Oregon. She is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and owner of the family-travel website RoadTripsForFamilies.com. She is a recent past member of the Midwest Travel Writers Association and the Association for Great Lakes Outdoor Writers. In March 2018 Julie Henning published the book "100 Things to Do in Eugene Before You Die" (Reedy Press). She is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and recent past member of the Midwest Travel Writers Association and the Association for Great Lakes Outdoor Writers. She has been published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Wisconsin State Journal, Travel Wisconsin, Travel Oregon, Hometown News Group, The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Illinois), the Rochester Post Bulletin, Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine (DNR publication), Experience Michigan Magazine, the Official Oregon Wine Touring Guide, Metro Parent Milwaukee Magazine, Eugene Cascades & Coast Official Visitors Guide, Trivago, Intercom Magazine, Roadtrippers.com, Amtrak.com, Eugene Magazine, and FTF Geocacher Magazine. Julie has appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio, Ohio Public Radio, and KCBX FM Central Coast Radio. She has produced episodes for Journey of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, a National Public Radio travel podcast. Julie has also produced travel apps with Sutro Media and Bindu Media. She works full time in marketing. Julie has appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio, Ohio Public Radio, and KCBX FM Central Coast Radio and is an affiliate producer with the Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, a National Public Radio travel podcast. She has blogged for TravelWisconsin.com, Travel Oregon, and VISIT Milwaukee. Julie travels with her three kids and black lab as much as possible and lives by the motto, "Not all who wander are lost." Check out some of her best work at www.juliehenning.com.