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Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Playing the Ponies: Nereida Rodriguez, 6, carefully considers her choices at the Children's Carousel.
Life Is a Carousel Ride
Revolving menagerie of fiberglass mounts awaits riders at Arena Green park
By Jessica Lyons
Six-year-old Nereida Rodriguez slowly circles the carousel. It's a deliberate ritual, and not to be taken lightly. Should she pick the emerald hummingbird hiding a straw nest and baby bird under its embroidered saddle? Or the stationary tiger, with wild, bulging eyes?
Neither. Nereida makes her choice: a bejeweled white rabbit regally pawing the air. "Because I like bunnies and dogs," explains the tiny brown-haired girl with impish eyes.
Now I have to choose. I desperately want the dragon, a pearly winged beast with the body of a horse and a forked fishtail. But Nereida suggests I ride the salmon, which is directly in front of her bunny. She wins.
Only four mounts carry riders today, three of whom are from the Willow Glen Resident. Carousel operator Joe Madero says the park at the Arena Green is normally busier, but the record highs on a hot September afternoon have deterred some potential riders. Sweating and squinting from the sunlight, I can't say I blame them.
Then, the organ music hums louder and the Children's Carousel whirls to a start. The 33 fiberglass beasts move up and down in a gentle rocking motion. I temporarily forget the heat.
Six of the animals--a hummingbird, eagle, coyote, salmon and two sharks--were handcrafted expressly for the downtown San Jose carousel. The first four are creatures indigenous to the valley, and the sharks are visitors from the Arena (a.k.a. the Shark Tank) across the street.
My scaly steed starts at the highest point in the swell. But soon I'm looking up at the white horse next to me. Even Nereida's rabbit has ascended higher than me and my fish.
The lights and mirrors flash reflections, the music seems louder and the circular motion a little more dizzying than I remember from my childhood. But I still feel slightly sad when the music winds down and the animals begin to revolve slower and slower.
"You see a lot of adults riding this, too," says carousel supervisor Lisa Correa. "They get on it, they smile and say, 'Oh, I haven't ridden one of these since I was a kid.' They're riding and they look like little kids--their expressions--and you can tell the carousel takes them back."
I remember that expression.
"I never thought I'd work at a carousel, but I love coming to work," Correa says.
She's also developed the helpful talent of completely blocking out the incessant organ melody. It's selective. though. "Sometime, you just start tapping your feet to it," she admits.
Nereida wants another ride. This time she picks a golden eagle with an enormous wingspan, gripping a trout in its talons. She rides alone, her mouth agape, high-fiving bystanders as she completes each rotation.
Operator Joe Madero points to a familiar figure, San Jose Sharks mascot SJ Sharkie, saddled up in turquoise gear and ready to ride. "He's one of the kids' favorites," Madero says. "But so is the dragon. And sometimes the bunny. A lot of kids like the panda. They're all favorites."
Day supervisor Larry Hightower has an unusual favorite--the rooster. He's ridden the rooster once or twice and swears it holds its own next to the more agile animals in the park.
"Nobody likes that rooster," Hightower says. "All the animals will be full except for the rooster. I love that rooster. I grew up in Arkansas and we had a chicken farm. It brings back the memories."
Nereida's eagle slows to a stop. She says it gave a better ride than the rabbit.
"Because the bird jumps higher," the first-grader explains. "The bunny was nice. He had big, fluffy ears."
Nereida already knows what animal she'll ride next time. She says she'll choose the tiger. She's sure her brother Daniel would pick the bird; Mom and Dad would want horses. Next time, I'll choose the dragon.
The Children's Carousel is located on Autumn Street at Arena Green, across the street from the San José Arena. Hours are Tue.-Sun., 11 a.m- 5 p.m. Admission is $1. Children 12 and under ride free on the second Tuesday of each month.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
