- Title
- Our State
-
-
- Date
- April 2006
-
-
- Place
- ["North Carolina, United States"]
-
Our State
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TAR HEEL TOWNS
Shelby
Restored treasures and an abundance of lively special events inspire
Cleveland County to spell fun with a capital “S."
by Alan Hoin;i
When Stacey Kale's three
young unit find out they’re
going to t.ike
л
trip to
Shelby City Park, more often than not,
they put on their railroad overall* in
anticipation of riding the park's
restored miniature train.
“The train is definitely their favorite
thing at the park." Kale says. “They
ride it over and over."
The Shelby Rotary Club purchased
the train in 1952. Made by the
Miniature Tram Company, it has three
coach cars pulled by a scaled-down
replica of a G-1A Diesel Streamliner. In
2000. volunteers poured hundreds of
hours of labor and love into
renovating the train so folks like Kale
and her kids can ride the rails.
“They love that train." Kale vtyv
“They asked me one time where it
stayed at night, and I told them it
went to sleep in the tunnel."
Another fine example of Shelby's
love of keeping good things from the
past alive today is the completely
restored 1919 HerschelbSpilltnan
carousel, also located at the city park.
Twenty-nine original wooden horses
and three hand-carved replacements
are painted in lively colors.
The carousel also has nearly 30
hand-painted scenery panels and a
working band organ that bells out
festive airs. The caned animals ride
three abreast, and the whole thing
measures 40 feet in diameter.
“The first thing a lot of people say
when they see it for the first time is
•**ow',“ says Shelby City Park
Amusement Supervisor Tommy Forney.
The carousel was purchased in
Stuart. Florida, by the City of Shelby
in 1952 for $6.500. It operated at
Shelby Cny Park until 1982. After
that, the carousel fell into disrepair
until a group called City Park
Carousel Friends Inc. set to work
restoring the ride. Volunteers spent
thousands of hours bead blasting,
welding, painting, and doing an>ehing
else ncvdrtl on the project. In 1998.
the carousel reopened for riders.
Forney, one of the first folks to jump
in and stan the restoration work,
reports that the restoration cost
about $250.000.
Approximately 45.000 folks
а
year come to the park to ride
the carousel, w hich is housed
in a special building called
the Anne Dover Rules
Pavilion. A dozen rollup
doors in the pavilion can be
raised in good weather to
let rulers catch the breezes.
“Quite a few- people who
rode the carousel in the
1950s and '60s come back
again with their children or
grandchildren." says Forney. “I
believe the carousel will be here
for future generations to come."
Square deal
Shelby’s interest in historic
preservation has roots in the tow n's
founding, located on U.S. Highway 74.
18 Our Mate
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