A Coming Attraction

Family owned will offer a new way to have fun this summer.

Joining the go-karts, bumper boats, batting cages and mini-golf will be a beautiful Victorian Carousel. The Kells family, owners of the park, have spent two years planning and building, and with the exception of the carousel itself, have used exclusively South County businesses to help them make it a reality.

"It was my mother and father, Raymond and Patricia's idea," Melissa Kells-Burdick, manager of Adventureland, said.

Sadly, Raymond passed away in 2009, but with Patricia's blessing, Melissa and her husband Josh Burdick began designing and planning the feature.

"We knew we needed a building to accomodate our patrons on rainy days," she said. They turned to Nancy Leslie of Leslie Architects in Wakefield to design the pavilion.

"We worked closely with Nancy on the design as it was important to us that we build a structure that respected the beach area and fit the Victorian carousel theme," Melissa said.

Nate Point of Point Builders was the building contractor.

"He had a terrible winter to build and started out six weeks behind schedule," Melissa said, "yet he got the job done ahead of schedule with help from Jedi Electric, Harris Plumbing and E. F. McGovern landscaping."

Arnold Lumber supplied the building materials and South County Fence did all the fence and gate work.

"In addition to being thrilled to have the ride here, we feel it is a great thing for Narragansett as we will have to add five or six more jobs for the summer season," Josh Burdick said. "The project also benefited our local contractors so we feel it has a positive impact."

The carousel was made in the United States by Chance Rides of Wichita, Kansas. It is 28 feet wide with 1,500 lights. It is a traditional canopied design with elaborate scrollwork and mirrors to reflect the riders. In addition to the beautiful horses there is an irridecent dragon, a tiger, a penguin and of all things, an anteater to ride. For those who want a little more action, there is a spinning cup to ride on as well.

While the rest of Adventureland is open on the weekends until Memorial Day when the summer schedule starts, the carousel is not quite ready to go. By June it should be open for business and will be able to host birthday parties.

Burdick's Ice Cream, Cotton Candy, Pretzels and Carousel T-shirts will be available in the Pavilion. Local artist Janice Causey is painting a seascape mural for one wall.

The Blessing of the Carousel is tentatively planned for Sunday, June 5. This two-hour event will feature free popcorn, face painting, balloons and a chance to "name a horse" for the summer 2011 season. Patch will keep you up to date and let you know once the plans are concrete.