Around and around we go… the City Museum crew has been working around the clock to install a “new” ride on the 3rd Floor — an Antique Children’s Carousel!

This (new to us) 1920s-era Herschell “Children’s Delight” was originally refurbished and restored in 1988 by the late Master Carver Carlos Sardina, who spent decades reanimating these joyful creatures, and the machines that move them, from his workshop just outside St. Louis.

Sardina was well-known for bringing damaged or destroyed carousels back to life, including the antique rides at Six Flags Over Mid-America, Highlands Park (now in Faust Park), and a steam-powered relic that spun at Union Station before their current “newer” model from 1915 took its place. The original aluminum figures for our Antique Children’s Carousel were mostly lost or damaged by the 1980s, so Sardina meticulously hand-carved all 20 of the unique wooden animals you’ll find circling it now. He meticulously recreated the Illions and Heyn-style horses, Bayol-replica rabbits and donkeys, Heyn replica zebras, and a Devos-style cow that children loved as it toured around the Midwest for decades.

And so after a brief retirement, and a little TLC from our crew, the Antique Children’s Carousel is back in business! Join us as we celebrate its Grand Re-Re-Opening with two full weekends of 1920s-era entertainment, reminiscent of the golden age of amusement parks and mechanical marvels.

Friday, March 13 – Sunday, March 15

Entertainment from 12pm–4pm:

• Stilt Walker
• Balloon Twister
• Ragtime Jazz Duo in Beatnik Bob’s

Friday, March 20 – Sunday, March 22

Entertainment from 12pm–4pm:

• Stilt Walker
• Balloon Twister
• Gaslight Squares Duo (Fri 3/20 and Sun 3/22)
• Ragtime Jazz Duo (Sat 3/21)

Carousel, Beatnik Bob’s, and roaming entertainers are all on 3rd Floor. Included with General Admission or Member Pass.