PORT TOWNSEND — It’s Rhododendron Festival week, and the carnival is in full swing, filling Memorial Field with the whir of motors, shouting voices and flashing lights.
Across the street is a carnival experience that is a lot quieter but just as wild. And free.
Today, in conjunction with the Rhododendron Festival Kiddie Parade, children 3 to 10 years old are invited to ride on a hard-carved, hand-cranked carousel that Quilcene resident Peter Newland is setting up at Jefferson Community School.
Old-fashioned carousel
Called Legends of the Forest, the carousel, which Newland designed and commissioned, has five hand-carved Northwest animals that circle around a tree filled with birds.
“It’s a totally unique piece,” he said. “You won’t see anything like it.”
Completed in 1992, the carousel is constructed in what is called “flying horses” configuration, meaning there is no base — the animals are suspended on poles from the top.
“I stand in the middle of it and crank it,” Newland said.
“It picks up speed as it goes around. The faster it goes, the more the centrifugal force makes the animals go out.”
Newland, who is originally from Everett, said the idea of building an old-fashioned carousel originated with a visit to the American Carousel Museum in San Francisco in 1990.
The visit coincided with the museum’s de-accessioning parts of the collection, he said.
“When I saw pieces of old carousels being sold off, it made me more sad than happy,” he said. “Then I thought, maybe there’s a way to make a whole one.”
Deciding on a Northwest forest theme, Newland enlisted a friend, James Toner, a sculptor, furniture designer and artist who works primarily in wood.
After the two developed the concept, Toner carved the five animals in his studio in Everett.
He carved the rounding boards — circular pieces that go around the top — after he moved to the Southwest, Newland said.
The rounding boards are open-work carving of branches with birds, all species found in the Northwest.
“It’s designed for kids to have fun and also see the diversity of the forest,” Newland said.
The carousel fits in a box that fits in his SUV, which allows him to take it to birthday parties for friends’ children.
He’s also set it up at nature-themed events, including the 1996 Wild Olympic Salmon Festival in Chimacum.
Today, it will operate from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the second floor of Jefferson Community School, located in the Good Templars Building, 280 Quincy St. at Washington Street, across from Memorial Field in downtown Port Townsend. There is no charge.
“Parents can bring their kids, come up to have some lemonade and ride the animals,” Newland said. “We look forward to showing it to the kids in Port Townsend.”
Jefferson Community School will use the carousel as the focus for its “Out of the Box” arts day camp for ages 8 and up July 13 through July 17.
The private sixth- through 12th-grade school is also launching an “Out of the Box” after-school program in October incorporating creative writing, visual arts, music, theater and dance on a theme, then performing and exhibiting work at monthly Gallery Walks starting in November.
For more information about Jefferson Community School, visit jefferson communityschool.blogspot.com or phone 360-385-0622.
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Port Townsend/Jefferson County reporter-columnist Jennifer Jackson can be reached at jjackson@olypen.com.
