Sweet Chariots!

Though the carousel is currently closed, when it is able to spin again, riders will be welcomed to fully restored chariot seats. Thanks to a grant from the Burlington Rotary and funds from Kit Carson County and numerous donations to the Carousel Association, the worn out and most uncomfortable seats (as well as their padded backs and sides) on the four chariots are now reupholstered in leather. Some twenty years ago, the Kit Carson County Carousel Association undertook the final restoration project for the carousel itself. The four chariots were carefully dismantled and taken to Denver for restorer Will Morton to repair the chariot sides, clean and restore the paintings on the back of each seat and re-carve the missing spokes on some of the wheels. Morton also reupholstered the chariot seats and the padded sides and backs. He strived to re-create the type of seats that were originally built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1905 even duplicating the hand tied springs. But, the wear and tear by three or more people sitting on each seat over the past 20 years resulted in springs poking through the seats and much of the gimp trim being frayed or missing. However, the wooden replacement pieces on the chariots and the paintings on the back of each chariot seat are still in excellent condition. The carved and painted chariot sides are carefully cleaned each year with oil soap and every few years the paint is touched up and the chariots re-varnished.