MANSFIELD — More than 50 wooden horses, rabbits, giraffes and other figurines helped launch a renaissance in downtown Mansfield in 1991 through the Richland Carrousel Park.
Those sturdy beasts of change celebrate their 34th birthday on Saturday.
Joyce Wells is hoping the public will help safeguard their future — and the future of a facility that anchored a rebirth in the downtown — by joining in on the celebration.
The two-hour party sets off Saturday, Aug. 30 at the Richland Carrousel Park. The 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. celebration will include lawn games, food and more. (And rides on the carousel.)
‘We’re iconic’
Selected by the Richland Carrousel Park Board of Trustees as the organization’s first chief executive officer in June, Wells can look around from the 75 N. Main St. site and see what the carousel helped launch.
“I feel like the carousel gave everything to (Main Street),” she said, watching as a $19.3 million Main Street Corridor Improvement project continued outside.
“Now you are all getting that … and we’re kind of sitting here falling apart,” said Wells, a member of the RCP board for 19 years.
“We have never really gone out to the public before and said we needed help,” she said of the non-profit organization.
“None of what’s happening (in the Carrousel District) would be happening without us.
“We’re iconic. We’re in national magazines all the time. Tour buses come here, bringing people just so they can ride on the carousel,” Wells said.
Today, the Carrousel District, with its stores, restaurants, coffee shop and trendy bars and eateries, looks different. The North Main Street area in the 1970s and 1980s, especially between Temple Court and West Fourth Street, resembled a ghost town.
Aging and decaying buildings were boarded up. Some had been closed for so long the utilities had been disconnected. Many, if not most, storefronts were vacant.
Crime thrived in the area, including in both directions along Fourth Street.
That all began to change when local business leaders got together in 1990. They developed the idea for a carousel at the southwest corner of North Main and West Fourth streets, ultimately raising $1.25 million in donations.
At the time, there were some questioned the idea.
One of the business leaders who helped drive the project, John Fernyak, still has copies of the bumper stickers. One of them reads “Will the last person leaving Mansfield please turn off the carrousel?”
(Below are photos taken Wednesday at Richland Carrousel Park in downtown Mansfield. The story continues below the images.)
Fundraising is underway
A special Founder’s Day event is planned Sept. 5 at 4 p.m., including a proclamation from Mansfield Mayor Jodie Perry.
But even as the Richland Carrousel Park celebrates its past, Wells and the current board are working to secure the future.
An official fundraiser, the first formal campaign in RCP’s history, is underway. It includes:
- “Buy A Child A Ride” donation jars are placed around the carousel and the gift shop where donors can drop in spare change and /or extra tickets, allowing all children to experience the thrill of a carousel ride.
- “Adopt a Figure” with a donation of $5,000. That “lifetime donation” will feature your family name, business or organization on a plaque placed on the deck by the figure of your choice with a personalized inscription. Those adopting a figure will also be featured on the park’s website.
Wells said three of the figurines has already been adopted.
“We have some interest and we’ve had some inquiries, so I’m feeling pretty, pretty confident about it,” she said.
- Donations of $250 and up will place family names, businesses or organizations on the Atrium Wall in the carousel pavilion and will also be listed on the park’s website.
The financial assistance is needed to keep the park running, according to Wells, who said employees and volunteers are also needed.
Costly repairs required
The wooden figures need be repainted and spruced up. Spraying sanitizers and cleaners caused some of the damage during COVID, which caused cracking and paint chipping. Wells said those repairs are estimated at $32,000.
The 12 large garage doors around the pavilion are also in need of repair and maintenance. Wells said she expects that project to be expensive.
Those are in addition to issues the RCP has dealt with in recent years, including a sprinkler water main break inside the facility that flooded the site in December 2022 and forced it to close for a few months during repairs. Another less severe water break impacted operations there a few weeks ago.
The COVID-19 pandemic also impacted the ridership and finances of the RCP.
Wells said she hopes the public, local organizations and businesses will welcome the chance to keep the iconic carousel spinning.
“We’ve had over five million riders. We’ve had people from all over the world on this carousel,” she said.
Wells said she also hopes the public comes out Saturday to help RCP celebrate its 34th birthday.
“Grab your friends, bring the kids and come celebrate a piece of Mansfield history that still knows how to have a good time. Here’s to 34 years of spins — and plenty more to come,” she said.