MANSFIELD — Smiles were in abundance at the Richland County Carrousel Park Thursday afternoon.
The National Carousel Association Convention came to Mansfield to enjoy the town’s rich history of carousels.
“I don’t know, I just love them,” said Rich Wickens of Sandusky. “I grew up in Cleveland, and Cleveland Beach Park Carousel No. 19 I fell in love with that one. This one in Mansfield is new, I think it was the first hand-carved one since the 1930’s.”
Wickens added he and his fellow convention-goers were in awe of the beauty of the attraction.
“I like mechanism and the platform which is all original, he said. “The horses were carved 25 years ago.”
The convention is in its 44th year after being started when Bette Largent, president of the convention, said the group realized the rides were in jeopardy.
Mansfield was a key member of the carousel industry, according to the president. It once had three wood-carving shops, which carved the bodies of carousel animals.
“Our efforts are in education and preservation. We recognize the industry as an industry, so we honor carrousels that are newly carved and as I said, Mansfield is very important to our industry.”
The 155 carrousel buffs started their tour of Mansfield at Carrousel works.
Willie Hunn, director of the Richland Carrousel Park said she was thrilled to entertain this many fans of carousels and she was happy with what they would be able to do from a business stand point.
“We are so very, very thankful they came to Mansfield. This is really, really big. This convention — wherever they go — these folks are taking photos,” Hunn said. “Some of them will go in Carousel magazine some of them will hopefully go toward advertising and bring more folks back to the carrousel. It’s just really big for them to be here.”
Part of the NCAC being in Mansfield this year was to recognize the Richland Carrousel Park for its 25 years of business. Largent said the attraction helped shape the community into the town it is today.
“I think (the Richland Park Carrousel) being open for 25 years is amazing. That’s almost as long as I have been a part of the industry. I remember going to an opening for a carousel in Missoula, (Montanta) and hearing about the story of Mansfield and what it was going through,” Largent said. “Through the years, I’ve worked on a lot of community projects and I have seen (carousels) transform the community. The first one I tell them about is Mansfield and the Richland Carrousel. There’s something about a community carousel. It awakens the community.”
The members of the NCAC were able to ride the carousel as many times as they wanted and took photographs of the ride between lunches and announcements by Hunn and her staff.
“If you see the faces of all these folks getting to ride,” Largent said. “They are like the children riding when we got here. It’s magic.”
