Carousel Horses To Buy

Teen Rides Boardwalk's Carousel 100 Times Straight

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk's Looff carousel turned 100-years-old on Wednesday and one Aptos teenager wanted to make sure it got a proper birthday.

Nicholas Laschkewitsch, 17, of Aptos, is riding the Looff carousel 100 times straight Wednesday. He began riding at 11 a.m. and his endeavor is expected to take him 10 hours.

"What kind of crazy thing can I do?" Laschkewitsch said he asked himself last month. His 100-ride ride was the answer, he said.

In August of 1911, Danish carousel woodcarver Charles I.D. Looff delivered the merry-go-round he hand carved to Santa Cruz. At the time, Charles Looff had already gained fame with his first carousel at New York City's Coney Island in 1875.

Riding the Boardwalk's carousel in 1911 cost five cents. Today, it's $3.

PHOTOS: Cool recent Boardwalk events

The carousel is a stable for 73 horses and two Roman chariots decorated with the heads of rams and cherubs. All of Charles Looff's carousel horses are unique, with colorful details of swords at their sides and garlands of flowers around their necks, Boardwalk spokeswoman Brigid Fuller said. Real horse hair tails, muscular bodies, and decorative, jeweled trappings add to the charm.

The Boardwalk's oldest ride is one of the few carousels left in the world that still has a working ring dispenser, Fuller said.

Brass rings were once hand loaded by "ring boys," as the young employees were called, Fuller said. The process was mechanized in 1950 and steel rings are used today. Riders on outside horses grab rings and toss them into a large clown's gaping mouth, rewarded by bells and flashing lights.

Music for the carousel is provided by a 342-pipe Ruth und Sohn band organ that has played alongside the carousel since 1911, Fuller said.

With the passing of Charles Looff and his carving peers, the art of carving carousel horses has almost disappeared. Due to scarcity, they have become collectible and increasingly valuable. The Boardwalk’s entire carousel cost $18,000 in 1911. In 2011, that amount of cash is not enough to buy even a pair of Looff horses, Fuller said.

Charles Looff's son, Arthur Looff, later built the Boardwalk's wooden Giant Dipper in 1924.

iso Tea Scene and Carousel Horses. in TW Trading Post Forum

I am halfway through Tea Scene but my pattern has disappeared into thin air. As I was looking after my grandchildren at the time I suspect there is a connection. Ordered another one from ebay two weeks ago and that too appears to have gone missing. I am determined to finish this off no matter how much fate tries to stop me.

Also looking to buy  Carousel Horses as my next project - should I ever finish Tea Scene.

Problem is I live in Western Australia. Lucky if our ebay even has Wentzler patterns!

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