The work never stops!!!

Tom Burhyte, Tom Erle, Carmen Zito and others continue to fine tune the carousel mechanism. They are working closely with a team of engineers from Hilliard to rebuild parts of the jumper and drive mechanisms which were slightly worn. My dad, Garnet R. Lyon always says, If you are going to do a job, do it right - or don’t do it at all. Thanks to Tom Burhyte and the Hilliard team, this machine will last for generations to come.

Blaine Overracker and Mark Embree are back at it. They are making the final electrical hook ups of our new 3-phase electric service to the huge original motor that was rebuilt last year by I & D Electric. They plan to begin work on rewiring the cupola also.

We extend our sympathy to Dr. Peter May and Dr. Marcelle Lawas on the loss of their beloved pet, Bosco. Bosco, the dog, whom the tiger was named after, had quite the life! Bosco was frequently seen (or not) in the arm bag of Marcelle or at Peter’s office. Such a spectacular little dog will be missed by many…

I met this month with Richard Polhamus and Keith Miller of Elmira Pattern and Foundry Inc. They took me on a tour of their amazing facility located in Elmira Heights, NY. The company was founded in 1929 as a pattern shop under the name Elmira Pattern Works. In 1938, the foundry division was added. They have made casting patterns for all types of industry. In making aluminum molds, they have a tremendous advantage as their foundry is able to produce precision castings which lower mold costs due to the elimination of many machining and polishing costs. They will be designing the belly clamp/step assemblies which will be mounted to, and under, all of the Eldridge Park animals. Almag, a supreme aluminum alloy, will be used to create these very important castings. We appreciate Elmira Pattern and Foundry and all they are doing for the Eldridge Park Carousel Preservation Society.

Larry Pefferly continues to create the outer row masterpieces. Pegasus sponsored by Ann and Gillette Welles, is his latest project. This horse is the only other outer row horse with a peek-a-boo mane, like the lead horse, Silver. Remember that Silver was sponsored by Tim and Paddy Welles; son and daughter-in-law of Ann and Gillette. What a generous, dedicated family they are!

The foundation for the American Girl poured recently by Edger Enterprises and Dalrymple’s (as mentioned in last month’s update) awaits the beautiful 128 year old granite base which the future restored American Girl will once again stand on. Bruce McMail will be assisting us with cleaning and installing the granite monument. We must also thank Archie Keifer, Chemung County historian for providing us with all of the history of the American Girl which I will share with everyone in a future update.

Andy Avery, Sue Hamlin, and I gave our PowerPoint presentation in May to the Elmira Rotary Club and the Elmira Lion’s Club. We were warmly received at both clubs and are scheduled to speak at many other groups in the area. I was excited to learn that Elmira Rotary and Chemung A.M. Rotary are planning to rebuild the east entrance to Eldridge Park. This will include the famous cast iron arch and the stone lions on the original stone abutments which are still standing.

The Parker style horse named after my father (carved by the late Dave Albrecht and painted by our own vice-president of Artistic Interpretation, Frank Messina) is being proudly displayed by his new “foster family.”Garnet I is quite at home at the Elmira Wegmans. They have been helping this project since day 1… as one can see by reviewing all of the previous monthly updates in the Archives Page of this wonderful website.

For information about how you can get involved in the early phase of fundraising, naming rights etc….please contact us or read Be Part Of The Story by clicking here.

The future of Eldridge Park is in all of our hands and the possibilities are endless!!! Let’s keep up the momentum!!!