Second (merry) go-round
Carousel set to spin again at Myriad Gardens
The Myriad Botanical Gardens, which for several years attracted hundreds of families each winter with a temporary carousel, is set to add a permanent ride in August between the park’s children’s garden and the Thunder Fountain.
“This was destined for it,” said Maureen Heffernan, executive director of Myriad Gardens. “It has a cover so it will help protect the carousel and it is near our children’s garden and the Thunder Fountain so it can’t be in a better position.”
Everything but the blue and white canopy will be reassembled under the pavilion and will reopen fully lit and with its mirrors and array of animal figures intact. The ride also includes a bench for riders with disabilities. The carousel seats about 30 people.
The ride itself is well known among south Oklahoma City residents who might have enjoyed the carousel during visits to Crossroads Mall. The rides ended when the attempted rebranding of the mall as a Hispanic marketplace failed to meet expectations and was closed by owners Michael Dillard and Roddy Bates.
“We felt bad, it’s just sitting there,” Bates said. “We could have sold it to out-of-state interests. We’re Oklahomans, we were born here, and most of our investments are in Oklahoma. It’s a great addition to downtown.”
This was destined for it. It has a cover so it will help protect the carousel and it is near our children’s garden and the Thunder Fountain so it can’t be in a better position.” Maureen Heffernan, executive director, Myriad Gardens
No decision on the fate of the ride had been made when Bates was introduced to Maureen Heffernan earlier this year after the closure of Plaza Mayor at the Crossroads mall last fall. Heffernan had looked at buying a carousel for the gardens after the popularity of a relatively small, carnival-style carousel was added to the winter holiday celebrations.
Why not in summer?
“After all those cold days, we’d ask ‘Why are we renting this during the
winter? Why can’t we rent it during the summer?’ ” After asking that question several times, Heffernan said she looked into buying a carousel and discovered it would cost at least $350,000, a relatively prohibitive cost for a nonprofit.
Both Heffernan and Mayor David Holt also encountered frequent inquiries from the public on generating support for adding a carousel to the downtown mix.
“As someone who has been around the mayor’s office for a dozen years, people come in every year with some scheme to get a carousel downtown,” Holt said. “And here it is finally happening.”
Dillard and Bates are longtime Oklahoma City investors and businessmen whose interests include the Waterford in northwest Oklahoma City and Century Martial Arts, the world’s largest supplier of martial arts equipment.
“We need to keep the carousel as part of Oklahoma City’s history,” Bates said. “Anyone who has been to Crossroads Mall in the past 20 years will remember the carousel.”
An estimated 500,000 people visit the Myriad Gardens annually with attractions including the children’s garden, the fountains, an amphitheater that host concerts and free outdoor movies.
Heffernan said the carousel charge will likely total $2 with proceeds going toward programming at the gardens.
“We’re really appreciative to Michael Dillard and Roddy Bates,” Heffernan said. “They could have sold the carousel to another mall or buyer. But that they wanted to keep it in Oklahoma City and have it available in a public space. It will be lovely to have it operating on summer evenings. So many urban parks like Washington Mall and Bryant Park have something like this. It will add interest in the Myriad Gardens in a way that helps us keep it fun and different.”