Cherished Nunley’s Carousel celebrates century

Nunley’s Carousel, a Nassau County landmark that stood in Baldwin from 1940 until 1995, hit the century mark this year, and a special celebration is planned for this weekend at the Carousel Pavilion, next to the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City.
The carousel was built in Brooklyn by Stein & Goldstein in 1912, and made its first home in the seaside community of Canarsie. The elegant structure rotated in Canarsie’s Golden City Park until the late 1930s, when the venue closed. After the “Golden years,” the carousel moved to Nunley’s Amusement Park in Baldwin in 1940, where it enchanted riders young and old and became a vibrant part of many Long Islanders’ childhoods.
Consisting of 41 horses and one lion, Nunley’s is one of fewer than 150 wooden carousels still in operation. It was purchased as a landmark by Nassau County when Nunley’s Park closed in 1995, and will spin into its second century as part of a 1912 recreation festival weekend. In addition to carousel rides, the festival, to be held in conjunction with the aviation museum, will include midway games similar to those that existed on Coney Island in the early 1900s, music by a barbershop quartet and old-time children’s games such as hoop-rolling, sack races and croquet. Refreshments will be on sale, and re-enactors will stage visits by a variety of historical figures.
Admission to the Nunley’s Carousel 1912 Festival is $5 per person and includes a ride on the carousel. It will be held on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. There will also be a special Centennial Anniversary Ball at the pavilion on Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. This event will include a visit to the midway, re-enactments of visits from historical personalities, a 1912 banjo band, light refreshments and drinks, and rides on the carousel. Tickets are $100. For information, call (516) 572-4111 or log onto www.cradleofaviation.org.