New Haven Independent

Karren Ash was speaking of her work, for these last two seasons, running the carousel in Lighthouse Point Park.

On a chilly morning, as she waited for the return and reinstallation of nine of the carousel’s magnificent steeds, Ash stood by her favorite, the impressive stallion Quicksilver.

“He was restored last year,” she said, “and he’s not only my favorite, he’s the choice of a lot of riders. Just look at him. Look at the posture, the mane.”

Ash, who used to be a hairdresser, is not at all self-conscious about pointing out that she grooms the tails of the 60 or so horses on the carousel as well. “They’re real horse hair.”

She’s also proud to say that not only does she run the carousel during its prime season, May to October, she also supervises the innards of the carousel’s mechanism and makes sure the organ runs smoothly — on its antique paper rolls.

She personally hoists little kids up onto the horses of their choice. And if she sees kids not acting with the proper respect to the magnificent wooden animals, she explains it all to them — often more than they want to hear — because she’s conversant with the literature on “painted ponies.”

To a reporter she pointed out that while all New Haven’s horses are on poles, the older ones of a generation before used to hang — and swing — from chains.

“It doesn’t matter who they are,” she said, “or where they’re from. When I explain to people where these horses come from, the craftsmanship involved, and I point out the pictures of old New Haven on the rounders there,” she said pointing to the panels that circle above the carousel, “they get it. They especially understand how valuable the carousel is.”

Does she have a particular memory of a ride that, among memorable rides, still stands out?

A Wish Fulfilled

“Last year,” she said, “there was one old woman. She said she was 96 years old. She’d never ridden on a carousel, ever, and she wanted to. She picked out Quicksilver, and I brought a stool over and helped her, as I help the little kids, to saddle up. She said it was going to be her first ride, and her last, but she absolutely wanted to do it. She had a wonderful time.”

The ride the 96-year-old took cost 50 cents — hasn’t changed for years — and lasted about three minutes. Ash said they’d like to run the carousel with more frequency, but it’s an antique, and must therefore defer to issues of wear and tear.

Did the woman come back to the carousel?

Ash said she hasn’t seen her, but if she died, she did so with that wish having been fulfilled. Of course, she just might show up again this May.

“What unites all the people who ride here,” said Ash, “is magic. Just plain magic.”

Then she turned, at the sound of an engine — horse power — approaching, and a rent-a-truck pulled up to the pavilion. “Ah,” she said, “I am about to have my horses back.”