September 12th, the day of the dedication of the Totally Kid Carousel was a beautiful early fall day at Riverbank State Park. Yellow banners proclaimed the opening of the carousel and the crowd gathered: kid artists and their parents, park officials, and a slew of politicians.
 The kids began to tear the wrapping off.
The first ride! |
The carousel was wrapped in lavender paper with a brilliant pink ribbon. Many, many officials spoke, including Bernadette Castro, the Parks Commissioner, and Diane Chapin, the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection. Larry Harlow and David Gonzales and a group of kid singers performed Kid to Kid Carousel and Joseph Gray and little Joe Gray performed I Don't Want to Get Off. Everybody clapped and danced.
The kid artists had gathered beside the stage and when Milo announced the artists names, each received their lifetime pass. Then the artists were invited to tear the wrapping off the gazebo. The people watching gasped, and some even got tears in their eyes when they saw the beauty of what Milo and the kids had made! The carousel began to spin. Then the artists boarded for the first ride. The brilliant colors whirled by so fast, they began to blend into a swirling mass! |
| There were lots of news people there taking pictures and videos and interviewing the kids and officials and Milo. (Later, the carousel was on CNN, the NBC nightly news with Peter Jennings, the channel 11 news, and in the New York Times.)
But the fun only lasted a little while. There was a mechanical problem and the carousel had to be stopped.... |
 Whirling colors! Photographs on this page were taken by Trix Rosen. |
Milo Mottola Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center
1205 Manhattan Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11222
718-389-2313
milospin@aol.com
