June 22, 2024 Chris and Lisa Kist ride the carousel with their grandchildren Carter and Blakley. The giraffe, with a scarf around its neck, was dedicated to founding member Joan Bozer. 'Breathtaking': Canalside carousel turns 100, yet has only operated 24 years If there were Guinness World Records entries for the most years a carousel sat in storage, or the amount of time elapsed between someone riding on one, they almost would surely say "Solar-Powered Buffalo Heritage Carousel.
" The wooden menagerie park-style carousel, which began its fourth season at Canalside this month, turns 100 this year – an even century since Italian immigrant Domenick DeAngelis purchased the attraction in 1924 from a company in North Tonawanda, 13 miles from its current home. The carousel didn't operate for 67 consecutive years, 63 of them spent in storage. The inactivity began in 1954 when President Dwight D.
Eisenhower was in his first term of office, and ended 12 presidents later with Joe Biden in the White House. That's when the meticulously restored carousel, powered by Tesla solar roof panels and not electricity, reopened as a waterfront attraction in 2021. "Carousels have a universal appeal, and, remarkably, something popular in 1954 is just as popular in 2024," said State Sen.
Sean Ryan, who played a leading role in bringing the carousel to the waterfront. – Mark Sommer READ MORE [ RELATED : Check out News Chief Photographer Derek Gee's before and after gallery of the carousel animals h.
