Lincoln County

Beginning Memorial Day weekend and going through Labor Day, folks can once again plunk down a quar ter and ride one of the oldest carousels in the United States. Cost of admission for the accompanying Carousel Museum is just $1.

“It was so sad to have it closed. The hardest part was not doing Carousel Christmas,” stated Jo Downey, who handles public relations for the carousel committee. “The last time it closed was in the 1930s (1931-38) because of the Depression.”

The KCC Carousel is the sixth of 74 carousels manufactured by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC) between 1904 and 1933 (this one was built in 1905). It is a three-row, stationary (the animals do not move up and down) machine. It is also the only antique carousel in America that still has original paint on both the scener y panels and the animals.

And, it is the only sur viving menagerie from that group, meaning it has other animals in addition to horses, 46 hand-car ved animals in all. Intricate car vings range from cupids to a wooden medallion with a sculpture of an Arab sheik. Four chariots are also among the rides on the carousel.

“It’s a memory machine,” Downey commented. “You walk in there and it’s like it was when it was first built. It’s as much an adult ride as it is a kid’s ride.”

The drive machinery and the center of the carousel are enclosed by 45 oil paintings representing subject matter ranging from fulllength por traits to landscapes. The styles range from post-impressionalist to realist, depicting lifestyles of the Victorian middle class.

From 1905-1928 the carousel was at Elitch Gardens amusement park in Denver. Then, when the park closed, the carousel and a band organ was sold to Kit Carson County for $1,200, including delivery. While the county commissioners at the time were criticized for making such an elaborate purchase, even to the point where it eventually cost all three their jobs, suf fice to say their decision was one that has greatly benefited the area for many years.

The band organ provides music that helps elicit smiles. It includes marches, polkas, and even plays “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” which people often sing along with.

“A carousel without music has no soul,” Downey said.

While historic itself — it is, in fact, a National Historic Site, designated as such in 1979, later becoming a National Landmark in 1987 — the carousel has seen so much history on its own. It was a par t of the nation’s bicentennial celebration in 1976 when the Wurlitzer Monster Militar y band organ was restored as the county’s bicentennial project. It contains 255 pipes, bass and snare drums, and a cymbal, played by Style 155 music rolls. The leaded glass windows on the front may be opened or closed to control the volume.

Only three Monster organs are known to exist today, of which Kit Carson County’s is the most complete. Wurlitzer built this Monster organ in 1909, and the organ plays today just as it did then.

In 1981 a midwestern theft ring specializing in antiques entered the carousel building during a heavy rainstorm and removed three small horses and a donkey. However, the stolen animals were recovered a few months later in a warehouse in Salina, Kansas. Upon their return, a “welcome home” parade was held in Burlington on Oct. 31, 1981.

And yes, the carousel’s alarm system was substantially upgraded.

The Carousel Museum opened in 2007 and houses exhibits interpreting the carousel. It is designed to educate, enter tain and take the visitor back to a time at the turn of the 20th Century when carousels were king.

The accompanying gift shop is unique in itself as every item is custom to the carousel, including a new T-shirt every year with a design unique to that season. There are also custom cof fee mugs, cof fee table books, Christmas ornaments, jewelry, and even miniature animals replicating those on the carousel.

While the carousel’s operation dates and times (11 a.m.-6 p.m., expanded to 8 p.m. during fair and rodeo week in late July) are seasonal, Carousel Christmas is something special every year. Sure, the temperature can drop to single digits, but there’s nonetheless a feeling of warmth in the air as Santa enter tains kids and their families riding on a frigid winter night.

And sure, Downey said the cost to ride could be raised, but that’s part of the nostalgia.

“We had a lady give us a $500 donation just because she was so impressed with the 25 cents fare,” Downey exclaimed. “It’s like stepping back in time, it’s so original, and we want to keep ever ything, including the price to ride, just like that (though it was originally a nickel).

“Kids we give rides to now, we gave rides to their grandparents.”

CHURCHES

Non-denominational

Burlington Evangelical

Free Church 287 6th St., Burlington 719-346-7474

Free Life Church 111 14th St , Burlington, CO 719-346-5115 Church of God

The Kit Carson County Carousel Museum educates visitors about the history behind the attraction. (Courtesy photo)

Conservative Congregational

Hope Congregation Church 40981 Co Rd GG,Bethune, Co 719-346-8007 Lutheran

First St Paul’s Church. 2660 Senter Ave., Burlington, CO 719-346-8966 Lutheran (Missouri Synod)

Trinity Lutheran 338 7th St., Burlington, CO 719-346-7401 United Methodist

Burlington United Methodist 290 13th St., Burlington, CO 719-346-8713