Boca Raton Garden Club Ornaments

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This year, we celebrate a beloved local landmark that has brought joy, nostalgia, and memorable moments to thousands of Boca residents and visitors:  The Sugar Sand Park Carousel.  Price is $28.00 (cash, check or ZELLE) and the ornament can be purchased at most general meetings and events open to the public.  

We sell ornaments year-round related to Boca Raton's areas of interest.  Contact us about this year's ornament and what might be available from past years.

Dedicated on November 23, 2005, at 300 S. Military Trail, this whimsical attraction sits proudly within Sugar Sand Park.  The park itself is a crown jewel of our city, boasting a science playground recently named by USA Today as one of the top ten playgrounds in the entire country.   While the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District generously made the purchase, the magic is kept spinning today by the City of Boca Raton.

But the real story of the carousel is a tale of fierce, uncompromising political lobbying by nine-year-olds and the persistence of Mrs. Elaine Kleinman, member of the Boca Raton Beach and Park District Board, who advocated for a carousel for so many years that she was known as “the carousel lady”.

Back in 1988, Mrs. Ann Langford’s class at Addison Mizner Elementary School decided that a park without a carousel was simply unacceptable. They drafted an eight-foot-long petition, complete with illustrations, demanding a merry-go-round.  Again in 1998, when the wheels of bureaucracy were grinding unacceptably slowly, fifth graders took up the cause with another barrage of letters.  A student named Chris sent a warning that should strike fear into the heart of any politician: “Don’t think we are quitters because we will fight to the end!!!!!!!” Armed with seven exclamation points and absolute moral certainty, the children won.

The resulting masterpiece was manufactured by Chance Rides of Wichita, Kansas, and installed at a total cost of $1,010,894.68.  Inspired by the romantic carousels of the 19th century, every single animal was painstakingly detailed by hand, requiring up to 100 hours of craftsmanship per figure. No two of the 30 horses or two chariots are alike. It is a completely unique work of art, spinning to the timeless, nostalgic strains of carnival music.

The four Rotary Clubs of Boca Raton stepped up with a magnificent $40,000 centennial contribution to help install the ride. This year the Rotary Clubs are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their incredibly successful annual toy drive, which began in 2006 with an idea from Douglas Heizer and David Wilson.  Because of their generous donation, they were granted one day each year to use the carousel.  True to their spirit of service, they turned that opportunity into a community project to help children in need. Since then, Boca Raton’s Rotary Clubs have come together annually to make the Toy Drive one of the city’s largest holiday service projects.  We salute their enduring commitment to bringing smiles to children’s faces, both on the carousel and throughout our community.

Historically speaking, carousels have a surprisingly aggressive lineage. They date back to 6th-century Byzantium, where riders swung from baskets on a central pole. By the 12th century, European and Arabian cavalry used them for jousting practice, leading to the name carousel, from the Italian garosello meaning "little battle." Fortunately, the only "little battles" being fought at Sugar Sand Park are about who gets to ride a favorite horse.

Today, the carousel welcomes an average of 10,700 riders a month. From toddlers taking their very first spin to grandparents reliving their youth, it remains the best deal in town: admission was $1 on opening day, and it remains a single dollar today.