NEW YORK: Binghamton is carousel capital of America

BY MARSHALL S. BERDAN | Special to Newsday

July 30, 2006

Most people would consider it foolish to drive three hours only to go round and round in circles once they arrive at their destination.

Not so for my twin 6-year-old daughters. That's because the place we drove to - Binghamton, N.Y. - just happens to be the unofficial carousel capital of America, home to six of the 150 surviving antique carousels in North America. Going around in circles was exactly what they came to do, and thanks to the generosity of a local shoe manufacturing family, they were able to do so to their hearts' content - all absolutely free of charge.

TAKING A SHINE TO KIDS

The six antique carousels located in the "Triple Cities" of Binghamton, Johnson City and Endicott are the gifts of George F. Johnson, co-founder of the Endicott-Johnson Shoe Co., and his heirs. During its heyday in the first half of the 20th century, Endicott-Johnson employed about 24,000 workers and produced some 175,000 pairs of shoes each day, enough to make benevolent industrialist George F. - as he is still affectionately known - a very wealthy man. But Johnson grew up poor - so poor, in fact, that he couldn't even scrounge together the nickel necessary to ride the carousel in his hometown of Milford, Mass.

So traumatic was the deprivation that when he had the wherewithal to do so, he donated carousels to various city parks, endowing them in perpetuity so that no child would have to experience the disappointment he had decades before.

JUMPERS AND CHARIOTS

Manufactured by the Allan Herschell Co. of North Tonawanda, N.Y., between 1920 and 1934, all six carousels are of the "country fair" variety, featuring elaborately carved and painted wooden horses, galloping either three or four abreast.

In addition, all the horses - as well as the odd pig and dog - are "jumpers," meaning they also move up and down, though there are also fixed "chariots" for smaller children and their less adventurous escorts.

Decorated with hand-painted Gay '90s scenes on their rounding boards and crown centers, each carousel is enclosed in a circular wooden pavilion, several of them original, and accompanied by organ music, two of them from the original Wurlitzers.

Over the years, the carousels have been painstakingly restored, but not modernized, meaning that the rides enjoyed by the children (and their parents) of today, are the very same as those enjoyed by their great-grandparents.

SADDLING UP

Naturally, my daughters insisted upon riding all six carousels, a feat that required almost as much time in the backseat as in the saddle since they are spread out over eight miles. Allowing for the inevitable wrong turn or two (distinctive directional signs point the way to each carousel, but many of the signs are faded or poorly positioned), the circuit can be completed in 3 to 4 hours, provided you have planned your itinerary carefully to accommodate the nonstandardized hours of operation, including meal times for the staff. After you've ridden each carousel, secure its color-coded "I Rode the Carousel" card and continue on your merry-go-round way. At your sixth carousel, turn in your cards to receive your "I Rode the Carousel Circuit" button. (Note: All the carousels do not have to be ridden on the same day.)

RIDING THE CIRCUIT

Learn more about Binghamton's claim to amusement fame at the carousel exhibit at the Binghamton Visitor Center, inside the Roberson Museum at 30 Front St. In addition to their marquee attractions, all six carousel parks also have playgrounds and cookout areas, and four feature swimming pools. The Ross Park carousel abuts the Binghamton Zoo, the nation's fifth oldest. For some post roundup entertainment, secure a steadier seat at NYSEG Stadium, home of the Double-A Binghamton Mets.

The carousels are open Memorial Day to Labor Day (weather permitting). Opening hours vary from 10:00 a.m. to noon, with all but the Ross Park carousel spinning well into the evening.

For additional information about riding the carousels and other things to do in the Triple Cities, contact the Greater Binghamton Convention & Visitors Bureau, 800-836- 6740; binghamtoncvb.com.