HELENA — Because of the difficulty in hiring employees, things have been pretty quiet recently at the Great Northern Carousel. But that all might be changing soon.
MTN was told they hope to have the carousel reopened within about two and a half weeks.
Many of us have fond memories of going around and around on a carousel when we were kids: the joy of picking your favorite animal and experiencing the lights, sounds, and sights of a classic tradition. And many of those who experienced that, want to pass that on to the next generation. Well, thankfully the Great Northern Carousel will hopefully be able to provide that experience yet again in Helena.
After announcing a temporary closure on September 25, the carousel has a new manager, who has previously worked as the carousel manager before.
“Staffing has been really going really well. We reached out to a couple of different venues looking to bring on some more mature adults. Ones that can be here during that daytime staff that we need and provide a great experience for everyone,” says General Manager Keith Brughman.
All of the creatures found on the carousel can, or could have been, found in Montana at one point in time. All except for the mermaid horse, also known as a hippocamp, of course. The carousel is celebrating its 20th year here in Helena and was designed to be a centerpiece for the community.
“One of the main reasons I came back was because I think this is a Helena icon. Really there's not that many places that you can point out at Helena and say that's a landmark that we should all be really proud of. But I think the carousel is one of those places,” says Brughman.
MTN was told they hope to have the carousel reopened within about two and a half weeks.
