The painted and hand-carved wooden horses and chariots at the oldest operating platform carousel in the country galloped into the 150th year of operation on Saturday, July 25, which also celebrates National Carousel Day, to fanfare and crowds.
Colorful balloons and paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, and vibrant carousel music filled the iconic red building of the Flying Horses in celebration of one of the Island’s historical sites.
Non-profit Vineyard Preservation Trust (VPT), an entity responsible for restoring and managing over 20 historical landmarks on Martha’s Vineyard like the Flying Horses, hosted the event. The idea of celebrating the carousel’s 150th year with a “birthday party” was spearheaded by Jaime Hiltz, general manager of the carousel, and Nevette Previd, who is executive director.
“It was a milestone that we wanted to make sure that we had a family-friendly event that brought the community together, and I think we did what we said we set out to do.” Julie Hatt, event and program manager for VPT, said, “We wanted a big party, and it definitely was a big party.”
Beyond the thrill of collecting golden brass rings and riding the carefully crafted antique horses, families were also able to participate in activities that took place at the Flying Horses building, Union Chapel, and other places all across the town of Oak Bluffs. This included a dance party, a cornhole challenge, and singing happy birthday.
The main attraction of the day was the scavenger hunt, which spanned across 23 local Oak Bluffs businesses. For the price of $5 each, families set out across town, searching for the prizes: 20 stuffed animal horses.
“All the money that we raise and all these fundraising events that we do, all the money goes right back into the buildings to make sure that they can keep standing,” Hatt said.
Crafted by Charles Dare of the New York Carousel Manufacturing Company, the Flying Horses stands today as one of only two surviving Dare carousels. It arrived in Oak Bluffs in 1884 after operating for eight years in Coney Island, New York. Since then, the Flying Horses is regarded as a timeless summer attraction for generations of locals and seasonal visitors on the Vineyard.
Elizabeth Mohan, a longtime summer resident who attended the event, said she appreciates the carousel for its ability to bring people from all ages together. “I remember my grandparents bringing me here 30 years ago, and the fact that I get to bring my kids, with their grandparents — I think it’s just really exciting,” she said.
Mohan, who currently lives in Jordan, also finds the unchanging nature of the carousel comforting. “For us, because we live overseas — we’re travelling and we move a lot — it’s nice to have a place and memories that are grounded in where you’re from,” she said.
Hatt echoed a similar sentiment. “So when you stand in there, so many people will say, ‘I rode this when I was a baby,’ and so many families bring in their grandmother, their mother, and their child. So there’s three generations all riding on the horses, and everybody has a story,” she said.
And while the Flying Horses is a familiar landmark for those who live here, the reaction from new visitors was also on display on Saturday. Lila Taylor is eight and visited the Flying Horses for the first time during the event. She rode a gray horse, which she kindly named “Boat Snacks.”
“My favorite part was going fast. And I got three rings,” Taylor said.
Collecting rings is a Flying Horses’ tradition, and though it used to be a standard feature of carousels around the country, it is now more rare. There’s a local legend about collecting the rings that comes from the first owner of the carousel, Hatt said. Back in the 1800s, an Islander taught his children how to ride a horse with only one hand, using the other to fight. Allegedly, visitors from off-Island started to line up to attempt the challenge. Eventually, this Islander bought the barn down Circuit Avenue where the Flying Horses is now located. Now, passengers on the carousel hold on with one hand to their seat of choice and reach out with the other to an arm that dispenses steel and a singular brass ring; a brass ring means a free ride.
A local teen, Gianni Navarrete, has worked at the Flying Horses for the past four summers. He explained that his favorite part of the job is the iconic music played at the carousel. “I’m a musician, so for me, the music is kind of a big part of it because it’s amazing seeing this 150-year-old piece of music technology still running to this day and making such beautiful music,” Navarrete said. “The popcorn isn’t half bad either.”
The Flying Horses’ 150th celebration will continue at the Carnegie Heritage Center in Edgartown through an exhibit called The Flying Horses Carousel: An American Treasure that closes on Oct. 18.
