Berkshire Carousel Spins Again
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PITTSFIELD, Mass.—Community members of all ages rode Berkshire Carousel on Saturday for the first time in years.
Founders James and Jackie Shulman aimed to counter negativity around Pittsfield after General Electric left the area, while bringing people together for a common cause. Around 170 carousels are operating in the United States today, and Pittsfield's is estimated to be one of six that were carved by communities.
"I grew up in Pittsfield in the 1950s and early 60s, and I love this city. We had 21 playgrounds. We had parades all the time. We never locked our door. We had seven movie theaters and three drive-in theaters," James "Jim" Shulman said, pointing to the negative things he would hear about PCB pollution, unemployment, and rising addiction rates when visiting his hometown.
He then looked to his wife and said, "I'd like to do something to give back to the community, and I'd like to do something that brings people together to create a legacy, something positive that will help them and that they can be proud of."
The carousel re-opened with a new patio and volunteer effort behind it. Efforts originally began in the late 2000s, and the ride hadn't operated since 2018.
"It's been closed for quite a while, and a great team of volunteers decided to organize and reopen," Carousel Coordinator Janet Crawford explained.
It was offered to the city through a conveyance and donation of property and met with some hesitance before the offer was withdrawn early this year. Now, a group of more than 50 volunteers learned everything from running the ride to detailing the horses, and it is run by nonprofit Berkshire Carousel Inc., with the Shulmans supporting operating costs.
"We're very lucky. The community has worked with us, they've been very supportive," Crawford said, explaining that they hope to create fun memories for a "very long time."
The revamped carousel includes an outdoor patio donated by Bartlett Landscaping with sponsorship bricks laid by Cantarella Masonry. At just $2 per ride, it is open from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Horse carver Philip O'Rourke explained that things were "just great" for a year or so, but things collapsed for a number of reasons.
"We are absolutely thrilled. We started working to get it operating about a year ago, and we've had some help from some unexpected sources that helped us to get things moving to where they are now, and along the way, we've collected a nice number of volunteers," he said.
"People really want to see the carousel operating again, and we've done a lot to make it more attractive here. We're hoping the food trucks do well so they will want to come back."
O'Rourke, a retired woodworking teacher, has been involved with the project since its infancy in 2008, which was also the year that he retired.
"The timing was just perfect," he said.
"I wanted to learn how to carve. I had done a lot of woodworking, but I'd never learned how to carve, so it was a wonderful experience for me, but because of the need for somebody to build all the original blocks, I wound up doing almost all of that, and I'm very proud of that. That was a very nice accomplishment."
He reported that it took about ten years to carve the horses and paint the murals depicting Berkshire County families and locations on the ride. One of the artists, Teri Davis, even painted O'Rourke and his grandchildren on the ride.
Shulman explained that the ride's location in the downtown was intentional, as it was designated as an art district by former mayor James Ruberto in 2005. It is now a part of the Downtown Creative District, established in 2021.
He wanted to make it more than a project but an educational experience, first carving a horse himself and then getting others keen on the art.
"This carousel is the only one in the United States that has carvings modeled after the most famous carvers that were here in 1880 to 1930, the golden age of carousels. So whereas most carousels have two or three carvers of the same style, we have 18 carvers of three different styles," he explained.
From 1880 to 1930, the "Golden Age of Carousels," there were 3,000 made in the United States. Today, there are about 17,0 and a majority are made of metal or fiberglass.
"We're probably one of maybe six carousels in the United States that have been carved by communities," Shulman reported.
An experienced carousel horse carver was hired to train the volunteers, and it resulted in a ride that everyone is proud of.
"I never paid much attention to carousels before I got involved with this, but traveling around, anytime I see a carousel, I've got to ride on it, and without bragging, our carousel horses are better than any of the carousel horses I've ever ridden on," O'Rourke said.
"The workmanship is better, the quality of the finish is better, and every one of our horses is unique. Other carousels, they'll repeat maybe a half a dozen designs several times throughout the carousel."
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