File photo by GRETCHEN PHILLIPS
Carousel animals were on display at a benefit fashion show in June for the Southern Maryland Carousel Group.
The Southern Maryland Carousel Group is carving out its niche in the community with the hope of establishing a carousel with wooden animals and a place to learn about wood carving in Southern Maryland.
Members Burkey Boggs and Melvin Williams met with the La Plata Town Council on Tuesday to update the council on the group’s progress.
The carousel is intended to be a replica of a carousel that ran in a park in Marshall Hall up to the 1980s, according to the group’s website.
Williams said it has restored wooden pieces that match the carousel from Marshall Hall, including a horse and a three-foot female dancer that date to 1910.
Since 2005, the group has been carving animals entirely out of wood, completing 43 animals so far for the carousel.
Right now, about six to eight wood-carvers are working on carving animals three days a week at the Davis building on Charles Street in La Plata, Boggs said.
Williams said that 20 painters have volunteered to paint the animals for the carousel.
The group intends to complete 48 animals by next summer, Boggs said.
A zoo of animals is expected to be a part of the carousel, including horses, tigers, dogs, a frog and a grasshopper. Two handicapped-accessible chariots also will be on the carousel, which the Greater Waldorf Jaycees has sponsored.
Four local schools have sponsored animals that are their mascots for the carousel, Boggs said.
The animals include a husky dog for Matthew Henson Middle School in Indian Head, a dolphin for Mary H. Matula Elementary School in La Plata, a tiger for T.C. Martin Elementary School in Bryantown and a mustang for Mechanicsville Elementary School in Mechanicsville.
Boggs said that not only does the group envision having a carousel, but also will provide opportunities to teach wood carving for a small fee.
A small gift shop and pictures are other possibilities, Boggs said.
The carousel would serve as a good tourism opportunity for the county, Boggs said.
The group also is looking for a location to house the carousel indoors, Boggs said.
A previous board of county commissioners had designated a spot for the carousel in Laurel Springs Park in La Plata. However, that spot became the Greater Waldorf Jaycees’ Field of Dreams that opened in August.
Boggs said that an ideal place for a carousel would be in a town square area, as envisioned in the town’s vision plan.
The intention is for the carousel to end up in Charles County, and Boggs added, “We would love to have it in La Plata.”
Another option not set in stone is that the building also would host the Southern Maryland Carousel Group and the Southern Maryland Woodcarvers Association, Boggs said.
Councilwoman Paddy Mudd said that the carousel could provide a spot for people to gather in the town if it ends up in a town square or the middle of town.
Boggs agreed that there could be space for people to reserve a party in the building.
Boggs estimated that each carved animal is worth $6,000 to $10,000 and collectively, the carved animals are worth about $250,000.
Still, the group is looking for more funds to purchase equipment to run the carousel as well as a building to house the carousel.
Boggs estimated the cost of those elements at $1.25 million.
A fashion show in June sponsored by The Carousel, a clothing store in Waldorf, brought in funds for the Southern Maryland Carousel Group.
Boggs said the group, which became a 501(c)(3) in 2004, accepts donations from anyone and would appreciate any grant funds that the town could acquire to fund the ongoing project.
Mayor Roy Hale, who is on the group’s board and serves as its accountant, called its efforts “very commendable.”
pwarner@somdnews.com
To learn more
For more information on the Southern Maryland Carousel Group, go to www.somdcarousel.com.
People interested in donating to the group can call Burkey Boggs at 301-934-1366 or email burkeyboggs@verizon.net.
Those interested may stop by the Davis building at 313 Charles St. in La Plata from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to see carvers work on the animals.