The Fairfax County Park Authority says January’s winter storm left the antique carousel at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon severely damaged.
A 108-year-old carousel enjoyed by generations of families in Northern Virginia has gone forever silent and still.
The Fairfax County Park Authority said January’s winter storm left the antique carousel at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon severely damaged.
A message on the park’s website reads: “After detailed inspections by staff and specialists, the ride was found to be unsafe to repair or operate. For the safety of visitors and staff, the carousel will be permanently closed and removed from the park.”
The portable Allan Herschell carousel was built in 1918, and purchased by the park authority in 1975.
It was initially placed in Lee District, and was moved to its current location in 2011.
“A lot of the damage was in the canopy part,” the park authority’s marketing and communications division director Daidria Grayson told WTOP.
But just like the movement of horses on a carousel, after that “downer” news, things are starting to look up.
Efforts are getting underway to bring a new carousel to the park, hopefully in the spring of next year.
“We’re just in the beginning phases of planning for that replacement, but a new carousel is definitely in the works,” Grayson said.
How much that will cost isn’t known yet, but Grayson invites anyone who wants to donate toward the cause to do so through the Fairfax County Park Foundation, which supports the park authority.
In the meantime, several other Fairfax County parks have carousels in operation, and Frying Pan Farm Park still has plenty going on.
The park’s annual Horse Expo is coming up on April 18, followed by its Spring Farm Day on May 2.
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