Ohio Residents Visit Jane's Carousel

Youngstown Residents arrive

Youngstown Residents arrive

Youngstown Residents arrive

Youngstown Residents

A group of 100 or so residents from Youngstown, Ohio came to Dumbo on Friday morning to visit Jane’s Carousel. Joan Yanchick organized the visit after seeing Jane’s Carousel on CBS News Sunday Morning (video) in July. Jane Walentas, the wife of Dumbo real estate developer David Walentas, purchased the carousel for $384,000 in 1984 and spent 22 years rehabbing each piece. She wants to donate the carousel to the city and hopes to get it placed in the Brooklyn Bridge Park.

The current building doesn’t allow for regular rides due to space restrictions. But the Youngstown residents were given a ride on the carousel and were overcome with pure joy and nostalgia back in time when the carousel was in their ‘backyard’. That’s something we don’t see too often in NYC. Jane’s hope is to give the kids in NYC the carousel in their own ‘backyard’, the Brooklyn Bridge Park, with the same look of pure joy someday. Unrelated to the visit, The Jane’s Carousel’s new website was just launched at janescarousel.com.

Previously:
{YouTube: Jane Walentas’ Carousel, 21Jul2008}
{Jane’s Carousel Open For Season, 22May2007}
{The Carousel News Article, 19Jan2007}
{Experience Jane’s Carousel 12/8, 8Dec2006}
{A Chat With Jane At The Carousel Opening, 16Oct2006}

22 Comment

  • What an emotional and joyous event for all of us loyal followers of Jane’s Carousel! We were overwhelmed with tears and smiles….imagine anything that has that kind of power over human emotion sitting right in your own back yard!! Jane Walentas is giving this Grand Gift to future generations and they , too, will be overwhelmed with the same emotion all of us felt on this Historic Day. The 100 Youngstowners who traveled over 400 miles to meet Jane and ride Jane’s Carousel will never forget this day!

  • What an emotional and joyous event for all of us loyal followers of Jane’s Carousel! We were overwhelmed with tears and smiles….imagine anything that has that kind of power over human emotion sitting right in your own back yard!! Jane Walentas is giving this Grand Gift to future generations and they , too, will be overwhelmed with the same emotion all of us felt on this Historic Day. The 100 Youngstowners who traveled over 400 miles to meet Jane and ride Jane’s Carousel will never forget this day!

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  • has that bus left yet? I need to go outside.

  • has that bus left yet? I need to go outside.

  • What a touching story. I’ve been living in Dumbo now for nearly 3 months and have somehow not bothered to go into that gallery and take a closer look at the carousel, despite being very curious. I will definitely go check it out next weekend. It really will be spectacular when it’s finally in the park.

  • What a touching story. I’ve been living in Dumbo now for nearly 3 months and have somehow not bothered to go into that gallery and take a closer look at the carousel, despite being very curious. I will definitely go check it out next weekend. It really will be spectacular when it’s finally in the park.

  • Looks like the horses are remembering a time when their loads were a little lighter.

  • Looks like the horses are remembering a time when their loads were a little lighter.

  • the word on the street is that the walentas’s need the space the carousel is currently in to construct a new building and they have no place else to house the carousel, that’s why they don’t want to wait for the completion of the park. Also, nothing permanent can go into the park just yet because the infrastructure for the entire area needs to go in first and the carousel will just impede this progress. walentas just don’t want to wait because their next building is going up first, uprooting the carousel. also, Jane wants to see the carousel from her window and that’s where the green space in the park happens to be. they want it where they want it for their own reasons, all of them shortsighted. she did do a terrific job with it and i commend her for a job well done and I think that people do want the carousel in the park but certainly not at the expense of needed infrastructure and not at the expense of greenspace in an already tiny park. correct me if i am wrong but this is what ive heard.

  • the word on the street is that the walentas’s need the space the carousel is currently in to construct a new building and they have no place else to house the carousel, that’s why they don’t want to wait for the completion of the park. Also, nothing permanent can go into the park just yet because the infrastructure for the entire area needs to go in first and the carousel will just impede this progress. walentas just don’t want to wait because their next building is going up first, uprooting the carousel. also, Jane wants to see the carousel from her window and that’s where the green space in the park happens to be. they want it where they want it for their own reasons, all of them shortsighted. she did do a terrific job with it and i commend her for a job well done and I think that people do want the carousel in the park but certainly not at the expense of needed infrastructure and not at the expense of greenspace in an already tiny park. correct me if i am wrong but this is what ive heard.

  • oh good lord, can you slap your own back any harder.

  • oh good lord, can you slap your own back any harder.

  • send it back to Ohio.

    People from Ohio seem to like it.

  • send it back to Ohio.

    People from Ohio seem to like it.

  • hey donate it back here where it belongs !1 we’ll take it, as its an important piece of Youngstown history…hats off to Jane, she did a wonderful job, and if there are no takers in NY, then maybe she could consider donating back here …heck i got enough space on my property for it !!

  • hey donate it back here where it belongs !1 we’ll take it, as its an important piece of Youngstown history…hats off to Jane, she did a wonderful job, and if there are no takers in NY, then maybe she could consider donating back here …heck i got enough space on my property for it !!

  • Couple questions. First: The latest rumor I heard was the carousel is going into the park in front of the tobacco wharehouse and fairly soon, like the next couple of months. True? Anyone have details?
    Second: The skating rink is off, which would be a huge shame. Anyone know anything solid?

  • Couple questions. First: The latest rumor I heard was the carousel is going into the park in front of the tobacco wharehouse and fairly soon, like the next couple of months. True? Anyone have details?
    Second: The skating rink is off, which would be a huge shame. Anyone know anything solid?

  • Couple questions. First: The latest rumor I heard was the carousel is going into the park in front of the tobacco wharehouse and fairly soon, like the next couple of months. True? Anyone have details?

    Second: The skating rink is off, which would be a huge shame. Anyone know anything solid?

  • Couple questions. First: The latest rumor I heard was the carousel is going into the park in front of the tobacco wharehouse and fairly soon, like the next couple of months. True? Anyone have details?

    Second: The skating rink is off, which would be a huge shame. Anyone know anything solid?