Since Amber Hamel's appointment as youth coordinator at the Boone Area Library in January, she has taken the biweekly story time program on the road, hosting the event at the Birdsboro Community Memorial Center and at Main Bird Park.
Most recently, she hosted Story Time with Miss Amber at the Carousel at Pottstown, where children enjoyed stories, including "Up and Down on the Merry-Go-Round," and a coloring activity followed by a ride on the historic indoor carousel.
Hamel provided a history of the carousel, which is the second-oldest wooden carousel in the country, and recounted interesting facts about the carousel, including the fact that the center pole and wood on the carousel came from an 1934 naval ship.
Hamel and her mother, Brenda Supplee, are volunteers with the nonprofit Carousel at Pottstown organization. Hamel said that she wanted to share her love of the carousel with the youngsters from Birdsboro. "We have been (volunteering) for six or seven years," said Hamel. "It is kid-oriented. Why not bring kids here?"
According to http://www.carouselatpottstown.org, the carousel was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1905. Its first home was at Euclid Beach Park in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1909, the carousel was moved to Laurel Springs Amusement Park in Hartford, Conn., and it remained there until 1925. In 1935, the carousel found a new home at Twin Grove Park in Pine Grove. Sometime in the early 1980s, it was dismantled, with its original animals and decorations sold at auction.
Years later, the carousel was rebuilt and restored. New animals were commissioned from Ed Roth, a master sculptor, who previously did work for Disney parks and restored the carousel figures from the Smithsonian Institute. "The same man who carved Disney's figures carved ours," said Deborah Byerly-McFarlin, event and marketing coordinator for the Carousel at Pottstown. "We had six local artists donate their time to paint them, and it took anywhere from 250 to 350 hours per figure."
The carousel mechanism was updated and restored by local machinists and mechanics, and the completed carousel was placed inside a refurbished building. The Carousel at Pottstown opened to the public in December of 2016.
"It took 22 years to restore her and $1.8 million, which was all raised through private (donations)," Byerly-McFarlin explained. "Some fun facts: The reindeer antlers are real and the original dog on this carousel got the 13th-highest amount at auction, $662,000.
"There were five people who started this 27 years ago, and they still volunteer here today," she added.
The Carousel at Pottstown is located at 30 W. King St., Pottstown. The carousel is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. To learn more, visit the aforementioned website or http://www.facebook.com/spinningsmiles.
Miss Amber's Story Time is held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. In addition to story time, Hamel oversees Helping Hands Bingo, which is open to youngsters and senior citizens. Helping Hands Bingo takes place on Fridays from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Also offered for youths is Lego Club on Tuesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and Family Game Night on the third Thursdays of the month from 5 to 7 p.m.
The Boone Area Library is located at 129 N. Mill St., Birdsboro. For more information about library programming, visit www.facebook.com/boonearealibrary or www.berkslibraries.org/branch/boone.
Leave a Review