{"id":2183,"date":"2012-06-03T22:00:34","date_gmt":"2012-06-04T02:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=2183"},"modified":"2024-12-03T16:56:03","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T21:56:03","slug":"elephant-dna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=2183","title":{"rendered":"Elephant DNA"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Linda Burton posting from Salem, Oregon \u2013<\/em> Arturo was chopping on the block in his red official carver\u2019s apron. \u201cDon\u2019t you need goggles?\u201d I asked. \u201cNot with chunks this big,\u201d Arturo laughed. \u201cBut yes, if I\u2019m using the bandsaw.\u201d I\u2019m standing in the Carving Room at the Salem Riverfront Carousel, a room that is crowded at the moment with volunteers, carving tools, chunks of wood, and detailed drawings of elephants and frogs. I\u2019d found the place by accident; Olessya had brought her siblings to ride the carousel; when I asked for directions to the place she told me there was carving going on today. \u201cGo to the second door,\u201d she said. Irene opened the door and let me in. \u201cThe carousel animals are hand-carved,\u201d she explained, \u201call by volunteers. Right now we\u2019re carving new animals, so we can change them out each month. We\u2019ll have special ones throughout the seasons, too. That way there will always be something new.\u201d A would-be elephant took up the center of the room, that\u2019s what Arturo was working on today. \u201cSo this will be an elephant?\u201d I rubbed my hand against the wood. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t smell like an elephant, or look like much of one either, right now. It doesn\u2019t even have a trunk.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cOh, there\u2019s an elephant inside,\u201d John laughed. \u201cHere\u2019s the trunk,\u201d he said, holding up a curving piece of wood, \u201cand that\u2019s what it will look like when we\u2019re done.\u201d He pointed to the wall, where large detailed drawings of an elephant were taped; a side view with saddle, and carousel pole; a front view with a line showing where the curving piece would be attached. A smaller rendering in color was propped on the table, amidst the notes and notebooks, and a basket full of chips, neatly sealed in plastic bags. \u201cThat\u2019s elephant DNA,\u201d Irene explained, and handed me a bag. \u201cPlease take it home, it\u2019s yours to keep. When children come to carve, we let them keep their chips. They love having their own elephant DNA.\u201d Well I\u2019ll be darned, that\u2019s cute as pie! \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Watching the carving is interesting stuff; hearing about the project overall, and how the carousel came to be, is fascinating. It started back in 1996, when Hazel Patton took a trip to visit family in Missoula, Montana. There she rode the first old-world-style carousel built in the US since the Great Depression. She thought it was beautiful; but she was more impressed by how the community in Missoula had come together to create it. \u201cWe can do this in Salem, too\u201d she believed.<\/p>\n

She was right. A Dream Team was formed to organize the effort; $2.1 million was raised; and the carving began. By the 10th<\/sup> anniversary of its June 2001 opening, a group called the \u201cDevoted Dozen\u201d \u2013 seven men and five women \u2013 had given over 27,220 hours of volunteer time; over 145,000 hours were racked up by more than 1,600 volunteers doing everything from carving to wiping saddles.<\/p>\n

This is not a carnival ride, they emphasize. It\u2019s a work of art, and an asset for Salem; an asset with a mission \u2013 to enhance the quality of life in the Willamette Valley by \u201cinvigorating community cohesiveness, fostering cultural and educational opportunities, creating a living history, and increasing tourism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>And it\u2019s magic. If you think riding a carousel is fun (and we know it is!), be assured that making one is even more exciting. \u201cI was hooked after my first carving class,\u201d Dick told me. \u201cAnd I haven\u2019t stopped since.\u201d You can get involved with the creative process in beginner carving classes Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, call to set up. Help to make an elephant, or a frog. The drawing of Mister Hopkins, who is under construction too, shows he\u2019ll be 40\u201d long, 11 5\/8\u201d wide, will have a diploma in his pocket, a dragonfly on his shirt, and love birds in a nest tucked underneath. Adorable! \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Support the Salem Riverfront Carousel by volunteering your time, talent and financial support. Carve, adopt or sponsor a new animal; call 503-540-0374 and earn your own elephant DNA.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/salemcarousel.wix.com\/salemcarousel<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linda Burton posting from Salem, Oregon \u2013 Arturo was chopping on the block in his red official carver\u2019s apron. \u201cDon\u2019t you need goggles?\u201d I asked. \u201cNot with chunks this big,\u201d Arturo laughed. \u201cBut yes, if I\u2019m using the bandsaw.\u201d I\u2019m standing in the Carving Room at the Salem Riverfront Carousel, a room that is crowded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4586,583],"tags":[642,644,649,647,648,650,646,643,651,645,3065],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2183"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2183"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2183\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2188,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2183\/revisions\/2188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}