Thursday is National Carousel Day. DelGrosso’s Amusement Park in Tipton, near Altoona, is celebrating the day and the 100th anniversary of its own carousel.
The Herschell-Spillman Carousel is one of the first sights guests see entering DelGrosso’s Park. The “Wurlitzer Band Organ” plays big band music from paper scrolls as 36 hand-carved and hand-painted horses rise and fall.
Park officials say it’s the only ride remaining from Bland Park, which Fred DelGrosso bought in 1946 and renamed DelGrosso’s Park in 2000.
“There’s not too many things in the country anymore that when they get to 100 are still working properly and still bringing so much joy to so many families," said Amy Mearkle, DelGrosso's marketing director.
The Herschell-Spillman Carousel is one of only 30 carousels left in Pennsylvania, and one of fewer than 400 in the United States.
The park is recognizing the carousel’s 100th anniversary with a “happy birthday” sign outside the ride, and jars of commemorative pasta sauce only sold at the park. Guests can also ride the carousel for free all day Thursday.
