In 2020, $26,170 was awarded to the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round for the rehabilitation of four of their twenty-one hand-crafted wooden carousel horses. This project includes their dismount, transport, and restoration, the installation of new brass poles, reins, belts and stirrups, oversight and coordination of the project, and their remounting back at the 90-year-old Merry-Go-Round. This horse restoration process can range from $5,000 to $7,000 per horse.
The Holyoke Merry-Go-Round is a historic carousel dating from 1929 that originally resided in the now-defunct Mountain Park on Mt. Tom. It was purchased and restored following the park's closure in 1987 and re-opened at a new building with its original pavilion in Holyoke Heritage State Park in 1993. The carousel is one of about 30 remaining carousels built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. This project meets the CPA Plan’s stated goal of furthering historic preservation of Holyoke’s unique cultural resources.
Thanks to CPA funding and generous donations from individuals and grant funding, the Merry-Go Round will have successfully restored 31 of the 48 antique, hand-carved horses by the end of 2023. The process is ongoing.
