SUMMERVILLE – Lots of memories from school days were recalled Saturday afternoon in Summerville when the old merry-go-round was unveiled at its new home — the Gathering Garden.
Earlier this year, The Visionaries received permission from the borough council to move the merry-go-round to the Gathering Garden.
Colleen Kiehl said The Visionaries wanted to “bring the merry-go-round to the Gathering Garden to bring the community together. It’s all about getting Summerville back to Summerville.”
Kiehl said she remembers riding on the merry-go-round as a child.
“I talked to several people here in the community who had ridden it as a kid, and they remember their bumps and bruises.”
Residents of Summerville believe the merry-go-round, which has become a part of the community’s history, is almost 70 years old, Kiehl said. It was first located at the old school. When the school was closed the merry-go-round was moved to the firemen’s park, then some years later “to the far side of town.”
The old merry-go-round was restored by Jim McPhillips of Summerville.
“He took it to his house and had it back to us in less than a week,” Kiehl said. “All it needed was some new boards and fittings. He donated all his time and work. The only thing The Visionaries did was to pay for the materials. We owe him a debt of gratitude; without him, we could not have done this.”
She said, “My husband, Brent, Jim and Blake Kiehl dug the hole, poured the concrete and got everything ready, then Jim came down and with the help of a few people in the community, we set it up.”
The refurbished merry-go-round was unveiled Saturday during the fall festival at the Gathering Garden.
Kiehl also thanked others who have shown their support.
“Without people who continue to support us, I don’t know where we would be,” she said. “Charlie Simpson is always here. No matter what we need, whether it is a tent, a generator or a tractor for tractor rides, he supports us 100 percent.”
She said there are families who “don’t even live in this town that drive here every time we have an event to support us.”
Saturday’s festival included homemade soups and haluski, face painting, hayrides and prizes. Homemade apple butter was donated by Autumn and Matt Berfield of Sweets ‘n’ Eats.
Plans are now being finalized for a drive-through soup sale. Kiehl said, “In the summer we are bringing an old-fashioned metal swing set. That will be the 30th anniversary of when the flood came through Summerville, so we are planning a big event to celebrate how far Summerville has come back. It’s all about bringing Summerville back to where it was.”
Comments are closed.