TOPEKA (KSNT) – Shawnee County is set to temporarily close its historic carousel at Gage Park this summer for renovations. County leaders hope the improvements they have planned will be worth the wait.
At its meeting on Thursday, Jan. 22, the Shawnee County Commission approved a contract with KBS Constructors Inc. to renovate the Gage Park Carousel building. While considering the issue, discussion turned to how the project will affect the public’s access to the carousel itself.
Shawnee County Parks and Recreation Director Tim Laurent told commissioners he anticipated the carousel will close in June of 2026 until sometime in 2027. But he said that temporary closure is an opportunity for improvement because it allow the county do some restoration work on the carousel itself.
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Laurent said his office is actively talking with vendors nationwide, including Chance Rides in Wichita, which replaced the Gage Park mini-train in 2023. He said the plan is to make improvements that will keep the carousel up and running for the next 50 to 60 years.
The grand carousel in Gage Park has been in operation since 1908 and has been restored multiple times. Commissioner Bill Riphahn the tough part is finding someone who can properly restore the ride’s horses.
“They’re valuable in the in the way they’re painted. I know at one time somebody put a car body finish on one of them and it just ruined the value of the horse. And so they need to be careful with how they’re finished,” Riphahn said. “There’s not a lot of people that restore carousel horses.”
Laurent said the carousel’s mechanical system is also in need of an overhaul.
“Everything that turns that carousel, you can’t buy those parts, so a lot of those had to be machined in the past. And I think the thought process is we’d like to find a way to, without changing the appearance of the carousel in any way, replace all of those mechanisms with newer things that can be maintained and, you know, easily repaired.”
Once the entire project is complete, the Laurent said the public will have more access to a much nicer facility. He said the carousel operates on very limited hours now, once work is complete the carousel will be open year round.
“I just think that’s the biggest takeaway is that we’re improving the carousel,” said Commissioner Kevin Cook. “So while it may not be accessible for a period of time, it’s so that it can be accessible year round.”
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