Story by Lacey Jarrell
Photos by Branden Andersen
The sweet smell of wood chips and the sound of pleasant chatter softly emanates from a close-knit group of volunteers in the downtown community workshop. Side-by-side they work, each slowly coaxing a personal story out of what began as a rough-hewn block of wood. Some of the stories will be majestic and grand while others will be more subtle and layered. To the volunteers each memory is special; every story is unique. Together, the band of painters and woodworkers breathe life into the past and create a story for the future at the Brass Ring Historic Carousel and Museum.
Founded in 2003, the Brass Ring Historic Carousel and Museum in Albany, Oregon, has grown from a small grassroots community enterprise to an established nonprofit with an estimated value of more than $2 million. According to founder Wendy Kirbey, it’s a feat that seemed almost improbable in the beginning. Inspired by a visit to a carousel in Missoula, Montana, Kirbey, a small-business owner in Albany, presented the idea of building the city’s own carousel to Central Albany Revitalization Area (CARA) board members who were shopping around for an urban renewal project. “We were looking for something that would be a draw for visitors in the downtown area,” says Kate Porsche, Albany urban renewal manager. The first time Kirbey approached the CARA board in 2002, the proposal was rejected because the association didn’t want to mirror a similar project already done in the neighboring city of Salem. Unshaken, Kirbey and a small team of supporters canvassed the downtown area and collected 2,000 signatures in favor of the project. She presented her idea to CARA again in 2003. This time it was accepted.
“Once the ball got rolling, things started happening really fast,” Kirbey says. Now, eight years and three locations later, what initially began as a local project to draw interest to a faltering downtown has become the largest and longest running community project the city of Albany has ever seen.
Menagerie Animals Come to Life
Known as “Off the Hook” on the greyhound racetrack, Neal was five years old when he was adopted by Ted and Rita Powell of Dallas, Oregon. A shy but tenacious greyhound recuperating from a two-year racing career, Neal was young but slightly worse for wear. He was the seventh and the last retired racing greyhound the Powells would adopt. Shortly before Neal passed away in 2008, the Powells sponsored a greyhound for the carousel. At the time, they had no idea they would be commemorating Neal; that is, until they saw carousel artist Kurt Christensen’s depiction of their animal.
“It was him. It was a match,” says Rita of Christensen’s proposed drawing. At the time Christensen had never seen any of the Powells’ dogs. The seemingly random coincidence gave the couple’s sponsorship extra meaning.
Now working to immortalize Neal, volunteers took great care to accurately represent the beloved greyhound. They carefully match his brindle coat and even detail his right front paw with only three toes to reflect the one Neal lost after an infection. The dog’s lean figure is also dressed in green racing silks and he is accompanied by three blue cliff swallows to symbolize his speed. While Neal’s dashing figure is eye-catching, it’s what’s inside that sets him apart from the other menagerie animals. Within a small cavity in the life-size wooden body is a collar with an embroidered name: Neal.
In their own way, each of the custom-made animals has a unique story to tell. Hope the Giraffe is a tall graceful Masai giraffe sponsored by Sam and Carolyn Darby, a couple who fell in love with giraffes while visiting Africa. Hope is joined by Harriette the Frog, a whimsical amphibian wearing a lavender sundress and carrying a jar full of fireflies with the words “Fly catchen [sic] is fun” engraved on the side. Harriette was sponsored by the 12 children of Anna Harriet Murphy, who passed away in 2002. The playful motto on the jar is in remembrance of Murphy’s love of catching fireflies as a child in Minnesota.
Fredrick the Hare also shares a special story. He’s sponsored by Kirbey’s family in honor of Donald Fredrick Wagner, Kirbey’s son who died as a child. A playful brown rabbit with large attentive ears, Fredrick wears a purple saddle decorated with daisies and daffodils. A red strap attaches The Chronicles of Narnia, a favorite book series of Donald’s, to the colorful saddle. Kirbey believes that all animals have a role to play on a carousel. She says Fredrick is the peacemaker.
A Home for Brass Ring 
Once restoration of the mechanism and the construction of most of the animals are complete, the building that currently houses the project will be torn down and the 19-ton carousel will be erected in a new indoor structure. A custom-made replica of an original carousel Wurlitzer 105 band organ, hand-crafted by volunteer Steve Alderman, will also be installed. Alderman has been working on the one-of-a-kind instrument for over three years. The organ will play 41 notes and flood the carousel promenade with a melodic symphony of pipes and percussion.
Initial blueprints for the building show a space of about 10,000 square feet, not including the basement. The main floor will include an indoor carousel room and a museum alongside carving and painting rooms where volunteers can finish the animals and train others in their crafts.
“In my vision the carousel is going to be the anchor for the downtown area,” says Kirbey, who hopes to complete the project in 2014.
Although the project is only a little past half finished, each month over 2,000 visitors from around the world meander through the workshop. In the future, Kirbey sees the carousel continuing as an attraction for people of all ages, but also serving as a place where volunteers can keep the art of woodcarving alive. Already through their dedication and commitment volunteers have created a wondrous living memorial for the community. One thing is clear: the Brass Ring Historic Carousel and Museum is not just another one-trick pony.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Reaching for the Brass Ring