THUNDER BAY - The Carousel at Chippewa Park is closed until further notice due to an incident that occurred on Friday Night.
The city of Thunder Bay said that the popular attraction was damaged overnight after being struck by a motor vehicle.
“A vehicle came through the parking lot and bounced off the tree behind me and then hit the fence of the carousel,” said Tom Forsythe, supervisor, parks and operations for the south side of the city.
“Fortunately, he hit one of the support posts, so it slowed down and minimized the damage to the ride, we're lucky, I guess.”
Damage is currently being assessed but Forsythe said that it appears to be limited.
“The only piece of the carousel that looks to be damaged is a piece that was going to be replaced anyway,” he said. “So, all of the hours of hard work that our volunteers have put in were not impacted by this, so that's good news.”
Despite the small size of the damage, finding out about the incident was “like a kick to the stomach” for the Carousel Restoration Committee according to Donna Gilhooly, co-chair.
“I was really, really worried about all the work that had been put into it by volunteers, all the money that people have donated,” she said. “And just, you know, I was worried about the extent of the damage to this rare carousel.”
As the part of the ride that was damaged was already planned to be replaced, this doesn’t set the committee too far back on trying to reach their fundraising goal of $20,000, according to Gilhooly who said that this incident just demonstrates the need for securing the ride to protect it for generations to come.
City police have attended the scene and the vehicle has been removed and Forsythe said that the city will keep the public updated on plans to reopen the ride.
