THUNDER BAY — The historic Chippewa Park carousel once again has protection from the elements.
Last year the City of Thunder Bay shut down the 108-year-old amusement ride in early August after deterioration was noticed on the recently-restored hand-carved wooden horses.
The merry-go-round began last season without a canvas canopy because the mechanism that connects it to the decorative panels at the top of the carousel could not easily be attached without damaging the new panels.
"Then we ended up finding some damage to some of the horses, so Parks shut down the operation for the remainder of the summer...because we wanted to protect the asset," said Iain Angus, manager of the carousel restoration project for the Friends of Chippewa Park.
In the ensuing months, new connectors were fabricated to facilitate the installation of the canvas roof in time for this season.
The carousel, a designated heritage structure, was handcrafted by American "amusement king" C.W. Parker in 1915, and has been in operation at Chippewa since 1934.
Angus estimated about $600,000 worth of volunteer labour has gone into the restoration of the carousel, including contributions from local carvers and students at Superior Collegiate.
Actual capital outlays so far total $1.2 million to $1.3 million, and there are more expenditures to come.
According to Angus about $2 million is needed to build an addition to the Chippewa pavilion that will house the carousel and provide permanent protection against damage from the sun and rain.
He said about 80 per cent of those funds are already in hand, and if the final grant comes through in time, there's potential to have the new structure completed next year.
"The carousel will be able to be operated during the winter, the off-season, Halloween, Christmas, Family Day weekend, Easter, special occasions, and also be available for rentals. It will also contain an interpretive area, a small gift shop, an artisans' workshop, and year-round washrooms."
The carousel is currently open on weekends from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., weather permitting, but starting in July it will operate Wednesday to Sunday.
