By:Jason Scheer
Joel has taken up the cause on behalf of the Oyster Bay Main Street Association. The group is hoping to move the carousel from the confines of a hangar at Mitchel Field to the heart of Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park.
Before the carousel can be moved, however, the civic group needs approval from Nassau County. A spokesperson for Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi said that the county is currently considering the proposal. "The Nunley's carousel has sat in a warehouse, neglected and mismanaged, for many, many years," the spokesperson said. "The Nassau County executive is committed to restoring it to its former glory as it is a part of Nassau's history."
The spokesperson would not say whether this proposal was any more or less likely to be approved than any previous plans to restore the carousel. The county previously planned to hire a private company to restore the carousel and operate it at Mitchel Field, but those plans fell through.
Former Nunley's faithful have mixed feelings about the plan. They are happy to see a piece of their childhood resurrected, but are sad to see it moving farther away. Barbara Fullerton, owner of the Fullerton Funeral Home in Baldwin, believes that the carousel belongs in Baldwin. "This was ours for so many years," she said. "It's a part of us -- it's a part of our history."
Fullerton would have liked the carousel to be part of Baldwin's future, too. She feels that riding on the carousel was a Baldwin tradition, an experience that bridged generations. "I would have preferred to have it closer, so that my grandchildren could have the chance to enjoy it as I did and my husband did and my children did," she said. "I'm happy that it will be up and running, but I would like to see it closer."
Diane Dresnack, 22, is an Oceanside resident who has fond memories of Nunley's and the carousel. She says she loved the carousel, and that it should be placed closer to its former Baldwin locale. "I don't want to have to drive out to Oyster Bay," she said.
The carousel was constructed in 1910 by master carvers Stein & Goldstein of Brooklyn. The ride was originally part of a traveling carnival, but was later moved to Canarsie. In 1940, after the construction of the Belt Parkway forced the Canarsie location to close, the carousel found a home in Nunley's, where it produced countless smiles and fond memories for nearly 50 years.
