San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
BALBOA PARK CAROUSEL REOPENS AFTER COVID CLOSURE
Iconic ride, more than a century old, closed last March
Early Saturday morning, 4-year-old Iris Andresen burst into her parents’ bedroom with an announcement.
“The carousel is open!” Hours later, she was sitting on a wooden giraffe, clad in pink Crocs, a pink tutu, a tiara and a mask with a picture of Elsa from Disney’s “Frozen.” She spun round and round beneath the Balboa Park Carousel’s bright lights while military band music blared.
To call Iris a carousel lover might be an understatement. Her parents keep a stack of tickets in the car because, well, you never know when you’ll need to stop for a quick spin.
“As a parent, my heart melts every time I watch them smile and go on these rides,” said Lance Andresen, Iris’ father, who lives in Point Loma. “It’s just the coolest.”
There were plenty of smiles and melted hearts on Saturday, with the Balboa Park Carousel reopening after closing last March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To kick it off, children were sent on a scavenger hunt in search of free tickets hidden around the ride. Later, San Diegans of all ages lined up for their chance to ride any of the carousel’s 52 animal-themed wooden figures, from camels to dragons to lions to roosters and zebras — and much, much more.
It wasn’t quite a return to pre-pandemic times. Some of the figures were taped off to limit the carousel’s capacity. Guests had to keep their masks on while riding, and there were several hand sanitizer pumps by the ride’s entrance.
Still, Paul Roesler of Clairemont, who came to opening day with his wife, Nicole, and his daughter, Isla, felt it was yet another sign that life is returning to normal after the worst pandemic in a century.
“It’s another one of those things that are all starting to add up to the great big reentry and reawakening,” Roesler said. “Looking forward to more.”
By June 15, when the state fully reopens, the carousel should be back to 100 percent capacity. That’ll also mark the return of the brass ring game, in which riders win a free ticket by skillfully snagging a small metal ring while whizzing by at up to 13 mph.
The iconic carousel has been a crowd pleaser for more than a century. It was first built in 1910 in upstate New York by the Herschellspillman Co. and, after a few years in Los Angeles, arrived in San Diego, where it was kept at the Tent City summer resort in Coronado.
The carousel was later moved to Balboa Park in 1922, near the Natural History Museum, and relocated again in 1968 to its current site, by the San Diego Zoo and the miniature railroad.
Saturday’s guests included first-timers as well as those who’d first ridden the carousel in the 1940s. And for those who’ve returned throughout the years, the reopening took on special significance.
“I used to come here with my grandpa,” said Nicole Roesler. “I have a picture of myself on this carousel. And all I can think about is I’m now here with my daughter. So that’s really exciting.”
Guests weren’t the only ones with fond memories. Bill Brown has been the carousel’s operator since 1972, when he was hired at the age of 16. Ever since, Brown has looked after the carousel’s original 10-horsepower General Electric motor and kept the paint on the ride’s wooden figures fresh, among other upkeep tasks.
“It’s an honor to be able to take care of,” Brown said. “It’s a work of art. All the paintings are original, all the animals are hand carved. You’re working on a piece of history.”
The carousel is owned by the nonprofit Friends of Balboa Park, which purchased it in 2017. The organization raised $3 million for the effort, about half of which went toward the purchase and the rest to repairs. During the closure, they made sure that the carousel’s electrical system, paint and fencing were all upgraded.
And with all that work done, guests can rest assured that the historic ride will continue making memories for generations to come, said John Bolthouse, the organization’s CEO.
“People just keep coming back and then they bring their friends and they bring their children and their grandchildren and greatgrandchildren,” Bolthouse said. “We see all walks of life, all classes, all races, all ethnicities. It’s just very gratifying. It’s what Balboa Park is all about.”
The carousel will be open from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays until June 15, at which point it will be open those same hours every day until Sept. 6. A single ride costs $3 and a pack of four rides costs $10. For more information, visit Friendsofbalboapark.org.