When I was a little girl, my parents would take my sister and I to Crescent Park, an amusement park less than five minutes from our house in Riverside. We would ride the many rides and play games and eat clam cakes and clam chowder that was out of this world.
But the highlight of each trip to Crescent Park was riding the Looff Carousel at least 2 times every time. I would ride a elaborately decorated white or black horse with my sister next to me, and Nana or my parents watching us from the benches or next to us. It was quite an adventure for a little kid.
The Looff Carousel was designed by German immigrant C. Looff in 1895. There is another Looff Carousel in Spokane, Washington and some others around the USA. Crescent Park was famous for its amusement park, Shore Dinner Hall for dances, and its great seafood. People from all over New England would come to Crescent Park during the summer and enjoy what it had to offer.
In 1978, Crescent Park went out of business, and in July 1984, the Shore Dinner Hall was burned down in what was declared arson. I remember my grandfather''s funeral was the day of the Shore Dinner Hall Fire and could see the smoke from Nana''s house and heard the firetrucks rushing to save the historic hall. I felt like my childhood had ended that day with saying good-bye to Grandpa and the Shore Dinner Hall being destroyed.
In 1984, 2 natives of Riverside, Rose Larisa and Gail Durfee began a campaign to save the Looff Carousel from destruction. It was a year-long fight and restoration, and the Looff Carousel re-opened for the public in August 1984.
I returned to the Looff Carousel in June 2003. My mother''s sister had sent us a newspaper clipping about the carosel being closed for repairs for the 2003 season, but my trip would not have been complete not seeing the old carousel that had so many fond childhood and adult memories for me. So I went over there after lunch and took photos of the exterior. Then, I went even closer to the carousel and noticed that the door was open and a construction worker''s truck was there. So I went to the door and looked inside and many happy memories came flooding back to me. I quickly snapped some photos and left before the workers might have yelled at me to get out.
The Looff Carousel will re-open for business in the Spring of 2004. It only costs 50 cents a ride and there is a concession stand on the grounds that sells chowder and other goodies. To get there from Route 195, Take Exit 4 (the Riverside Exit) and bear right. Drive all the way down Route 103 into Riverside. The Carousel is located on the corner of Bullocks Point and Crescent View Avenues.