If you’ve been to Peddler’s Village, chances are you’ve visited Bucks County’s beloved playscape, Giggleberry Fair.
It’s the perfect place for children (and those young at heart) to have a day of family fun, where guests of all ages can play arcade games, explore a six-level maze and obstacle course, enjoy delicious food and drinks from the Painted Pony Café, and ride the beautifully restored 100-year-old antique carousel – the centerpiece of Giggleberry Fair.
Celebrating its 100th birthday this summer, the fully restored 1922 Grand Carousel is one of only 89 carousels ever produced by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company (P.T.C.) in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Originally exhibited at the National Association of Amusement Parks convention in Chicago in 1922, P.T.C. #59 was carefully transported throughout the United States, moving from Schuylkill Park in Pottsville, PA, to Worcester, MA, Oklahoma City, OK, and Panama City, FL. In 1985, the carousel, which once brought so much joy to so many people, found itself in storage, longing for its next location, for thirteen years.
In January 1998, Village founder Earl Jamison discovered the carousel in deplorable condition, stripped of all its grandeur. Knowing it would bring happiness to Peddler’s Village guests, Earl decided to save and return the Grand Carousel to its opulent glory. Earl knew that a restoration of this magnitude would normally span two years, but he brought on board a world-class team of professionals—including master carver Ed Roth of Long Beach, CA—to accelerate the process.
Within just six months, the carousel was restored, with 46 custom carved carousel figures created, using the traditional techniques of master carvers from a century prior. Roth reproduced exact copies of some of the greatest carousel figures ever carved, from Illions Supreme-style outside row jumpers featuring real horse-hair tails and thirty glass jewels to the delicately crafted Muller-styled Armored King horse. More than 3,000 hours of hand painting were required to return the Grand Carousel to its original grandeur, from its tin vaulted ceilings painted sky blue to thirty-six scenery panels restored in oil-painted landscape. The P.T.C. Carousel, illuminated by more than 950 clear light bulbs, is a magnificent sight at Peddler’s Village.
Since its unveiling in July 1998, the Grand Carousel for 24 years has been a place to create family memories that will last a lifetime. Make plans to visit Giggleberry Fair to ride and admire the stunning carousel!
