Mystery Tour – Final Stop

After lunch at the Brookside Restaurant we had one more stop to make on our mystery tour.  If our previous stop at the car museum didn’t bring out the  little kid in me this one surely did.

As a kid when you went to an amusement park what was your favorite ride?  Was it the scooters?  the roller coaster?  the carousel (flying horses)?  I liked them all but I would head for the coaster first.  I liked the thrill you get riding a coaster.

When I wanted to relax I would head for the carousel.  Staying in Pottstown, this was our last stop.

To say my eyes lit up would not be an understatement.  I didn’t know this place existed.

We walked into the building.

The carousel here is the second oldest operating Philadelphia Toboggan Company wooden carousel in the United States. It was built in 1905.  It took 20 years to renovate it.  The work was done by volunteers.

This carousel traveled around the country.  I was surprised that in 1935 it found a home in Twin Grove Park in Pine Grove.  This campsite is about 25 minutes from our home.  We have friends who camp there during the summer and we usually visit them there.

The guide told us that each of the animals on the carousel was carved by a man who works for Disney and each animal was sponsored by a local resident.  The animals were carved and shipped to Pottstown.  When they arrived they needed to be sanded before they could be painted.  All work was done by locals.

You may have noticed the pictures around the center post.  Each of these is a person who donated to have their picture painted and placed there. One picture is especially interesting.

This is the man who sanded all of the animals when they arrived from California.  It was his job to get them ready for painting.  By the way, he is blind.

Here is the latest addition to the menagerie.

Since I am a Leo I had to get a lion picture.

Kathy wanted a picture with the giraffes.

Some interesting facts about the organ.

How about this tasty tidbit?

This brought our Mystery Tour to a close.  We left here and headed back to Harrisburg where the bus picked us up that morning. It was a fun filled day.  Would I sign up for another Mystery Trip with the school retirees?  You bet.