Family restores vintage carousel

The Union Thresherman’s Club is looking to put Symco on the map with the purchase and renovation of a vintage, steam-powered carousel.

Andy Moravec is a member of the Union Thresherman Club and decided to make one of his bucket list dreams come true with the purchase of a carousel circa June 1948. He had been watching out for a carousel for the last couple years.

Moravec said the carousel renovation was on his bucket list because of the draw he noticed when steam-powered carousels were at various tractor shows he attended.

Another reason he wanted to go after this endeavor was because there are no steam-powered carousels in Wisconsin, Moravec said, he wanted to be able to bring one to the club in order to be the first in the state.

Moravec found the carousel and purchased it from a former carnival worker in central Iowa who had owned the carousel and many other eclectic carnival rides to entertain his grandkids.

The carousel itself was purchased by the club and money was raised to pay for it through a sponsorship program where people could sponsor a horse or seat on the carousel.

As of right now, the carousel operates with an electric motor, however it is Moravec’s plan to restore the ride’s steam power.

To be able to run off of steam power he will need to add a steam engine and boiler to the ride that is separate from the carousel.
Carousels were steam powered due to electricity not being readily available in fields were carnivals were traditionally held.

Moravec said that to get the carousel running he had to fix almost everything. The carousel had been under a roof, however there were no sides, so it had been exposed to the elements.

Starting with the horses, which are aluminum, he sand blasted to get numerous coats of paint off of them.

Moravec said once the paint was taken off he picked four different colors for the horses to be painted. His mother, Tammy, did the intricate painting of the saddle and adding details.

Moravec did the bulk of the work. However in order to be a certified amusement ride, the welding had to be done by someone who was certified.

The main skeleton stays up year-round, however the rest of the ride is stored inside during the winter. Moravec said they intend to build a structure over the carousel, something he calls phase two.

“Once we get a building over it, then it’ll be able to stay erected year round because it’ll be closed in and hidden from the elements,” Moravec said. “That would open it up to more possibilities of running it for other events.”

The intentions are for the carousel to be housed in a building that is reminiscent of the older style buildings already on the grounds. There would also be a bit of history on carousels in the building as well.

Phase three is restoring the carousel to steam power, which Moravec said will not happen until they have a building over the ride.

The Threshree Club will charge for the ride solely to pay for insurance. They are not looking to make a profit on the ride so they can keep the cost low.

“We just want to keep it cheap and affordable for everyone to enjoy,” Moravec said.

Moravec said they are going to start raising funds for phase two of the project, and hope to be able to get a structure built over the carousel in the near future.

The fundraising is currently in the planning stages. The purchase of the carousel was financed, however they were able to sell sponsorships for the horses and seats on the carousel.

“The really cool thing about that carousel was it was a club driven project because everyone donated money to make this thing a reality, you know, they had a lot vested in it,” Moravec said.