Many Rhode Islanders remember the carousel with its calliope and hand-carved wooden horses which was the focus of the midway at Oakland Beach. It survived until the 1970s when it was dismantled and sold. Its passing left a void that saddened the members of the Oakland Beach Foundation. They resolved to do something about it. When Rocky Point Park closed in 1996 they tried to purchased the antique carousel but, failing that, decided to build one of their own - a project that would take many years to accomplish.
Today hand-carved horses are being built in the workshop of the Friends of Oakland Beach, located at 2438 West Shore Road in Warwick. Thirty-nine horses are planned, nine are completed, each one unique. In the near future they will be mounted on a carousel turntable and housed in an enclosed building built on concrete piles to withstand hurricanes. The city has allocated the Foundation a piece of land behind Cherrystones Restaurant. While not on the midway it will reside in a less congested area-in the ball field near a stand of willow trees several hundred feet from the water.
Al Martin, our speaker for the evening, a volunteer with the Oakland Beach Carousel Workshop, brought one of the horses so that we could have a first-hand look at the scope of this project. He explained the amazing process preformed by volunteers with only a little training from the several ‘professionals' who have passed on their knowledge. Each horse, consisting of 36 to 40 different pieces, takes up 100 board feet of wood and 120 hours of assembly time. Mr. Martin, a former physical education teacher, said that he started out as a novice but in four years has graduated to working on his own pony - a replica of the Pony Express.
The Oakland Beach Foundation is dedicated to seeing this project to completion. Volunteers are always needed particularly wood carvers. The workshop is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6:30PM to 9:00 PM. If you can give them even just a few hours call 401-732-2727 or e-mail: info@abcarousel.org
Taken from the Pawtuxet Valley Historian, Volume 18, Issue 6
