I found it interesting to read about the current situation of La
Ronde's historic steam carousel and Marenghi fair organ.  Around 1989,
after arranging the sale and transport of a large group of orchestrions
from Q. David Bowers' private collection to Jasper Sanfilippo, I took a
trip from Mr. Bowers' New Hampshire lakeside estate up to Montreal to
visit the La Ronde Park to see the carousel and the Marenghi.  Several
years earlier, fellow enthusiast Dan Slack had mentioned this organ to
me and had suggested that I see it.

When I arrived, the park manager, Mr. Jacques Turgeon, met me and took
me to the carousel.  The carousel was very impressive!  It had all the
elegant detail and trim of a much larger salon carousel, including the
ornate brass railing.  It even had its original steam engine and
boiler.  When I visited the carousel, the carousel was still in working
condition.

My attention then turned to the Marenghi.  The Marenghi did not play.
The facade of the organ was beautiful and featured two fantastic large
carved busty dragons on each side.  Upon inspection, I determined that
the organ had been enlarged from possibly a 65-key organ.  Sadly, the
pipework was in poor condition because of exposure to the elements.
In fact, nearly all of the violin pipes suffered from a fungus rot that
had attacked soft grain of the wood leaving it with a "crunchy"
appearance.

Mr. Turgeon then took me to see the book music library which was
extensive.  Many of the books were arranged by Arthur Prinsen.

Being a collector, I tried to acquire the organ and offered Mr. Turgeon
a generous amount for it.  Our negotiations continued over several
years due to the public ownership nature of the park at that time.
Eventually the Ministry of Culture of Quebec stepped in and determined
that the organ was a "treasure of the province", which stopped any hope
of export.  I continued a dialog with Mr. Turgeon and suggested
restoration possibilities for the organ and gave him names of qualified
restorers.

Years later, it is interesting to see that the Six Flags Corporation is
now involved with the carousel and organ.  Their track record with such
historic rides is dismal at best.  Their track record with band organs
is even worse.

When such a company acquires a park with these items, the nostalgia and
charm of the piece is not considered in management's cost/benefit
analysis.  Every square inch of the park becomes a profit point for
either high margin gifts and fast food or high profile rides.  The
corporate goal is to quickly generate as much cash as possible from the
operation for debt repayment or enhancement of stock value.  Such parks
quickly become sterile and predictable.

For a contrast to this "theme park" corporate mentality visit Knoebels
Amusement Park in Elysburg, PA, http://www.knoebels.com/  Knoebels is
still privately owned and features many historic restored old rides and
a number of good playing _band organs!_  A visit to this park is a must
for any enthusiast.

Hopefully the city of Montreal will restore their provincial treasure.
Maybe the city officials should take a trip to Knoebels to see that
such historic rides can be restored and used profitably thus leaving
the bean counters of the Six Flags Corporation with egg on their faces!

Tim Trager