Around Town Carousels Abound
Meridian ’ s love of carousel horses takes center stage across the area
Story and photos by Glenda Sanders
One of the newest additions to the Around Town Carousels Abound art project is Cleo , located outside the BWI company office along NE Industrial Park Road just outside Marion .
Chicago had its cows . London had elephants , and Los Altos , California , had bears . Meridian , for the past two decades , has had painted ponies . Long before all of the beautiful street murals began popping up throughout the community , Meridian ’ s Around Town Carousels Abound outdoor public art project has welcomed visitors to the Queen City .
Featuring whimsical , brightly hand-painted , life-size carousel horse sculptures , the Around Town art exhibit dates back to November 2000 . The original project , which consisted of 37 horses , was co-founded by Jamie Cater and Debbie Martin and was a fundraiser for Hope Village for Children , a home for abused and neglected children founded by
Meridian native and actress Sela Ward . In the early 2000s , numerous cities around the world were sponsoring fundraisers where hand-painted fiberglass animals were auctioned to raise funds for charity projects . Locally , carousel horses were chosen in a nod to Meridian ’ s historic Dentzel Carousel , built in the late 1890s by Gustav Dentzel of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , for the 1904 St . Louis World ’ s Fair . The City of Meridian purchased the carousel in 1909 for $ 2,000 , and it has occupied its home in Highland Park ever since .
Unlike many of the art projects around the world , where the painted bears , cows or other animals were auctioned after they were exhibited , Meridian ’ s carousel horses have always been part of a permanent exhibit , showcasing the community ’ s love for the arts .
More than 60 of the horses are displayed outside
30 • MERIDIAN LIFE