PICTURES: Progress Update on Idlewild's "Mane" Attraction

By: Mark Frazee | Content Manager

Happy January! While we still have a few months to go until we're back in action, our team is hard at work to make sure our 147th Season is full of good times and happy memories. One item continuing into 2024 is our multi-year Carousel refurbishment project.

Last year, we introduced you to Ed Ostroksi - our park artist with nearly 50 years of Idlewild experience. Ostroski is hard at work to refurbish and preserve our historic Carousel's 48 horses. Now, we've got a few new pictures and updates to share with you as the project enters its next phase.

Before, During and After

Before we get to what's new, let's review: Ostroski has been hard at work on the Carousel's jumping horses. This series of images documents the progress on one of the jumping horses - and it really shows you just how much of a transformation each horse is receiving!

BEFORE: When a horse enters Ostroski's shop, he must first remove the old paint.

DURING: The horse is stripped down to the bare wood.

THEN: The refurbished horse is bright and beautiful!

AFTER: the refurbished horse is placed back onto the Carousel.

The Lead Horse Leads the Way

While Ostroski still has a number of inner-row jumping horses to go, the time has come to start on the Carousel's stationary, outer-row horses. As is the case with any carousel, the outer row of horses are the most ornate, detailed and unique. That also means they're the most challenging to refurbish!

Earlier this month, our maintenance team removed the first outer-row horse from the Carousel - no easy task. Unlike the jumping horses, the stationary horses can only be removed from above and below the ride, while also requiring someone to simultaneously unscrew and detach the horse itself. Our experienced team takes special care with the 94 year-old horses to ensure there's no damage.

Members of Idlewild's maintenance team carefully carry Dolly, the lead horse, out of the ride envelope.

Dolly is loaded up for her journey to the paint shop.

Leading the way of the outer horses is Dolly. Idlewild's Carousel is especially unique in that it has not one but three lead horses. You can identify them by the PTC crest on each's right side (PTC stands for Philadelphia Toboggan Company, the ride's manufacturer). Dolly, the first of the outer row horses to head to Ostroski's shop, has traditionally been considered the true lead horse, though.

Dolly is carried into the paint shop.

Dolly is placed upright for the painting process to begin.

Due to her intricate detail, and need for a good deal of work, Ostroski reckons that Dolly alone will take a week-and-a-half, possibly two weeks to complete. We'll be sure to share an update with you once that time comes!

Restoring a Piece of Art, History and Memories

We're excited to share the progress of this important project with you throughout the offseason. We're even more excited for you to see the latest batch of horses when we open this May! Get ready for a new season of Idlewild memories with a Season Pass, on sale now for only 5 easy payments starting at just $18 each for a limited time. Stay tuned for announcements about Opening Day 2024 soon, too!

For now, we'll leave you with a few more pictures from this project: