Did you know the Conway Community Days carousel was built in 1929? Ahead of the stormy weather this weekend, community members gathered to make some improvements to the beloved merry-go-round.
“Our community has loved this carousel for years and it needed our love back,” said Connie Frost, Community Days organizer.
“We needed to fix up a few things and thought while we had the panels down, we would paint them.”
The carousel is inspected every year to ensure the safety of its riders. While the state inspector was on his routine visit last year, it was revealed that the carnival ride is nearing a century in age.
This marveled the community considering the ride still passes inspection year to year.
To ensure upkeep of the ride, event organizers and volunteers removed the carousel from the Alexander garage and dismantled wooden panels from the ride. The 95 year old wooden panels were taken off, sanded down, and painted. The old hardware was replaced with brand new latches and they will be put back together prior to the annual event.
“There were clowns and other beautiful paintings that people have painted over the years and unfortunately, they’re just not in good shape,” Frost added.
“We’re not sure what we’re going to put in it’s place but right now, a new coat of paint will be good.”
It’s estimated that Conway has been in possession of the carousel for 35-40 years and looks forward to sharing the tradition of riding a classic carnival ride at the community fall festival for years to come.
The 45th annual Conway Community Days celebration will take place on Sept. 13 and 14. Vendor applications are now being accepted and more information can be found by visiting https://conwaycommunityday.wixsite.com.
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