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A merry ride: DelGrosso’s park-goers can celebrate carousel’s centennial with free spins

By Holly Claycomb 5 min read

TIPTON -- If there is one ride in DelGrosso's Park that brings generations together, it would be the carousel. From wide-eyed infants and eager youngsters to selfie-taking teenagers and laughing parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, the carousel becomes a world unto itself as a relaxing respite from the hustle and bustle, according to Erika Rodgers, 14, of Altoona.

Rodgers and Haleigh Martyak, 14, also of Altoona, took a spin on the antique ride at the park on Sunday, with the two stating they enjoy riding the carousel multiple times throughout the season. It's not necessarily a quiet retreat, but they like the music. They may also "fight" over who gets to ride the white horse, the duo admitted goodnaturedly.

Today, National Carousel Day,

DelGrosso's Park is celebrating the 100th birthday of its Herschell-Spillman

Carouselle by offering free carousel rides all day. At noon, there will be giveaways and chances to win carousel-themed raffle baskets.

"Our antique carouselle ride has been a treasured centerpiece of our park," Amy Mearkle, director of marketing, said in an email. "We're excited to mark its centennial with a day of fun and nostalgia."

The park has tied the 2024 season to the carousel's 100th birthday by featuring the lead horse, Ferdinand, on limited-edition jars of Centennial Marinara sauce.

In addition, the 2024 season pass ID cards feature the carousel, as do the refillable cups. Even the Summer Thunder fireworks show was a nod to the carousel, under the theme "A Ride Through History."

The carousel is the last of the original rides that was on site when Fred and Murf DelGrosso bought the park in 1946, Mearkle said in an email, and it holds a special place in the hearts of the DelGrosso family.

"Many of them have special photos taken at the carousel," she said, noting there are over 120 members in the family. "For instance Joey DelGrosso, who is the youngest of the 23 grandchildren, was married in May and he had photos taken at the carousel with his family and wedding party," she said.

Not only does the carousel hold a special place in the DelGrosso family, it holds a special place in the hearts of park visitors.

Weston Smith, 4, waved to his mom, Anna, and other family members as dad James steadied him on one of the ride's larger horses.

The Smiths, from Shippensburg, said the carousel is a "favorite ride," but couldn't pinpoint why Weston chose the horse he rode. "Because," was the answer the youngster gave when asked.

"That's a 4-year-old's answer to everything," Anna said with a laugh.

The carousel is also a favorite of Amelia Bittner, 6. She always picks a white horse, said her mom Lili Bittner.

"Whenever we walk in the gate, (the carousel) is the first thing she heads to," the Cumberland, Maryland resident said.

Bittner said she doesn't ride the horses anymore, but the carousel ride has been a family tradition for years.

The park, and the carousel, are also a tradition for Williamsport resident Judy Emel, who said she's brought children, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren to the park, with multiple rides on the carousel always a must.

On Sunday, she was with several family members and showed her great-grandson how great the ride is by climbing atop a horse herself.

After the ride stopped, with her horse in the "up" position, the 79-year-old great-grandmother said that might have been her last ride -- on a horse. "It was a little high," she said with a laugh. On subsequent rides she stood, supporting her grandson as he enjoyed the spinning ride.

"When my grandkids were young, we'd bring them all here," Emel said, explaining she and her husband enjoyed the trip. She has "great memories" of the park, she said, adding one daughter loved the horses so much that she ended up taking riding lessons, becoming an equestrian.

Many selfies were taken as best friends Cassidy Harris of Tyrone and Heather Barton of Philipsburg, both 11, hopped aboard for a few spins on the carousel.

"Personally, it's one of my favorites," Harris said. "I come here a lot."

"It's really fun," Barton added.

If you go

What: National Carousel Day celebration

Where: DelGrosso's Park

When: Today (July 25)

Cost: Free rides on the antique carousel all day; noon, giveaways, while supplies last, in tent by the carousel

Carousel curiosities

-- Crafted in the 1920s by the artisans at the

Herschell-Spillman Company of North Tonawanda, N.Y.

-- Features the original 36 jumping, hand-carved, hand-painted carousel horses and two chariots.

-- One of only 30 carousels left in Pennsylvania and one of less than 70 remaining in the United States.

-- Lead Horse features a red sash, nicknamed "Ferdinand"

-- Larger-sized horses line the exterior row, medium in the middle and smaller horses line the inner row.

-- Each Horse features metal horseshoes and a real horse hair tail.

-- Entire ride restored in 1988.

-- Carousel Horses and Chariots restored in 2016-17.

-- 15th oldest carousel operating in Pennsylvania, out of 29.

-- Tied for 7th oldest operating Spillman Engineering Carousel in the country, out of 18. Four Spillman Engineering Carousel's in operation date to 1924, which includes DelGrosso's ride.

--Ride was featured in the spring issue of Merry-Go-Roundup, the journal of the National Carousel Association.

-- Features Wurlitzer Band Organ, often referred to as a military band organ, that is also 100 years old. The organ was refurbished for the 1977, 1988 and 2016 seasons.

-- Herschell-Spillman once marketed rides as Carouselle.

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