SPOKANE, Wash. — A historic Spokane landmark is working to recapture a piece of its musical past that has been silent for decades.
The Looff Carrousel, which has delighted Spokane residents for 50 years, is undergoing a restoration project to bring back its original band organ music that has been silent for the past 40 years. Currently, the band organ sits disassembled, appearing as little more than a bundle of wires.
Betty Largent, a retired carousel caretaker, is spearheading the restoration efforts. “Band organs make me cry. That is what I fell in love with as a child, because when you went to the state fair or whatever, they had actual band organs on the carousels,” Largent said.
The restoration effort aims to bring these nostalgic sounds back to life for a new generation of Spokane children who have never experienced the carousel’s original musical accompaniment.
The complete restoration project has a price tag of $15,000. So far, the Parks Foundation has successfully raised $8,000 toward the goal, with fundraising efforts continuing. Donations are accepted online here.
The Parks Foundation hopes to have the full amount raised by the end of the month so the carousel could potentially be fully restored by National Carousel Day on July 25.
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