By Mike Russo
A small gathering of Nassau County residents and Museum Row staff looked on as County Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin), who committed $420,000 in capital funds to the carousel’s restoration; his two children; and Rachel Obergh, the 11-year-old founder of a fundraiser for the carousel, turned the key to start the ride shortly before taking a spin on it themselves.
Scannell said he rode the carousel many times when he was growing up in Baldwin, and has fond memories of it. He added that its new home on Museum Row is an ideal location because, like the Cradle of Aviation and the Long Island Children’s museum, it will attract visitors from all over Long Island, as it did when it was a Baldwin institution.
“It’s an unbelievable piece of Baldwin history,” Scannell said. “It’s going to be restored and refurbished, and I’m very proud to have played an integral role in keeping a piece of Baldwin history alive.”
Countless Long Islanders have fond memories of Nunley’s, yet one of the biggest advocates for the restoration was Rachel Obergh, who has never ridden it. After seeing the disassembled carousel in a Mitchel Field warehouse two years ago, she said, she became committed to seeing it restored. Though she was only 9, she started the Pennies for Ponies fundraiser, encouraging local schools to adopt the 42 horses and raise money for their refurbishment.
Rachel’s school, the Progressive School of Long Island in Merrick, adopted “Penny,” her favorite horse, and raised $2,000 by collecting change from students and parents. Visitors at the Cradle of Aviation and the Long Island Children’s museums also made generous donations, she explained.
“I love how [the carousel] sounds, and I love my horse,” said Rachel, who never stopped smiling during her first ride on the carousel. “It feels amazing. I’m really happy, and just amazed that it’s now up and running. It deserves to have kids riding it.”
The long road to restoration
When Nunley’s closed in 1995, its owners, the Lercari family, planned to sell or auction off different parts of the carousel, Scannell said. But the county condemned the Nunley’s property to prevent a dismantling. In 1998 the county purchased the carousel, and it was put in storage at Mitchel Field until a plan to restore it could be finalized.
Searching for a new home for the ride, the county considered several options: bringing it back home to the corner of Grand Avenue and Merrick Road in Baldwin; finding a place for it on Museum Row; and even moving it near the Oyster Bay home of Billy Joel, who rode the carousel as a child, wrote “Waltz #1 (Nunley’s Carousel)” in honor of it and devised a restoration plan of his own.
Ultimately, Scannell said, the county Legislature agreed that Museum Row, a main attraction on Long Island, would be the best spot for the carousel. “There was no way that I was going to let this great piece of Baldwin history go to Oyster Bay,” said Scannell. “I always had supported Baldwin or Museum Row.”
In August of 2007, the carousel was shipped off to Ohio, where Carousel Works — one of the largest manufacturers of wooden carousels in the world — began the restoration project. All 42 horses, as well as one lion, which is reported to have been built in 1895, all the chariots, the organ and the motor made the journey.
Scannell said he hoped the newly restored ride would be just as special to people as the amusement park was for so many years in Baldwin. “[Nunley’s] was really just one of those magical places where all kinds of families could just have a great time, and a release from the everyday stress of life,” he said. “Just a beloved family place for generations of people to come, not just from Baldwin, but all throughout Nassau County.”
According to Museum Row officials, residents, schoolchildren and representatives of businesses and other organizations that contributed to Pennies for Ponies will have the chance to take the first rides at noon on May 2. The rides will be free that weekend, during the Museum Row Festival. Operating hours will be 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday. Expecting large crowds, officials said there will likely be some form of reserved time system for riders to accommodate everyone that
weekend.
Comments about this story? MRusso@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
