VIDEO: Detroit Zoo Unveils $1 Million Carousel
Handcrafted carousel will provide entertainment and help generate revenue, director says.
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Detroit Zoological Park Director Ron Kagan talks about the zoo's new carousel.
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Students from Kingsbury Country Day School in Oxford on Wednesday were the first Detroit Zoo visitors to ride around on 33 hand-carved and hand-painted animals adorning the zoo's new carousel.
Students got to choose between riding a reptile, twirling on a triceratops or spinning on a sea otter, as the 36-foot wood and brass carousel made its debut adjacent to the Arctic Café.
Carousel facts
- The ride was custom designed and manufactured for the zoo by The Carousel Works in Mansfield, OH.
- The carousel has more than 300 LED lights.
- The ride will be open daily April through October, weather permitting. The two-minute ride costs $2 per person.
- Children under the age of 3 or 42 inches tall ride free when accompanied by a paying adult.
- The $1 million carousel was funded by donations and corporate support. The carousel can be rented for private parties, weddings and corporate functions.
Deborah Canto
10:20 pm on Wednesday, September 28, 2011
I thought my donations were going to the care and maintenance of animals. My bad.
m
9:17 am on Friday, September 30, 2011
A million dollars seems like an awful lot. Sure, I'll let my kids ride it every so often, but I also need to buy them way other overpriced drinks and food. I expect the high prices at the ball games, not the zoo. Sorry, got off subject...
I'd be very surprised if this carousel generates money as Kagan says. It MIGHT be able to pay for it's own upkeep and overhead, but that's about it. If they run it like they run the train, it definitely won't make money, because people won't want to ride it. The incompetent lackadaisical workers in charge of taking tickets and loading the train are a joke - expect more of the same. But, that probably falls under the "you get what you pay for" category.
mike smith
10:17 pm on Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Maybe we still have time for a ball park. Call Romano and tites maybe
they can help
mike smith
10:25 pm on Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Hey gang great. News romano. Retires from 12/31/2011. Mj will have no one to love