Newly-restored carousel at Symco Thresheree, July 25, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
WAUPACA COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Restoration is nearly complete on a vintage carnival carousel.
The old amusement park ride has a new look, and the project is part of a salute to old farm machinery in Waupaca County.
Behind the wall of big blue tarps sits a piece of history. Andy Moravec says he’s ready to reveal.
“Late October, I found a carousel that was for sale. It’s a 1948 Parker Carousel. It was made down in Kansas. It was in a shape that was really tough. Severe disrepair. When we had purchased it, it was down in Iowa, just privately owned. So the owner had his fun, and wanted to pass it along to a different organization that could take care of it,” said Moravec, the carousel restoration project manager.
Moravec is with the Union Thresherman’s Club. The group took on the project.
“It involved lots of people, getting together and cleaning horses, and painting and working, just around the clock since October, to be able to pull this off for this year’s show,” said Moravec.
The carousel will officially be unveiled at the 57th Annual Antique Tractor Show on the Thresheree grounds in Symco. Club Secretary Jacob Elsner says there will be steam-powered demonstrations, a working flour, feed, and seed mill, and this year’s theme features tractors and equipment from International Harvester.
“We get into restoring tractors to their original glory. So, it’s mostly a hobby for everyone, and then they just put on that passion of showing the young generation of how farming used to be done in the 1900s,” said Elsner.
Meanwhile the newly named “Forever Young Carousel” is showing signs of life, with 18 freshly-painted horses leading the charge. Moravec says the 75-year-old ride has found its home.
“It kind of takes your breath away. When you put that much time and work and love into a project. And then to finally see it come together, it’s pretty remarkable. I’m very happy with it,” he said.
Moravec says in the coming years, club members are expected to put a building around the carousel, and eventually convert the ride to run on steam.
The event runs Friday through Sunday.
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