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In 2020 after forty-eight years of thrilling guests at Six Flags St. Louis and fifty seven years at other parks before that the Grand Ole' Carousel stopped spinning.  Shortly after its ornate horses and chariots soon were removed from the ride.



The reason this beloved ride came to an end in 2020 was pretty obvious to anyone who has taken it for a ride since the late 1990's.  The Grand Ole' Carousel wasn't grand any more.  It had been decades since it last saw a fresh coat of paint.  Millions of riders put wear and tear on the horses including large patches where the paint had wore of, broken parts, and many of the horses eyes that once sparkled were all scratched up or were missing.  The Grand Ole Carousel was in a sad state and it badly needed some love.



For years the staff at Six Flags St. Louis requested funds to send this beloved carousel off to get restored by professionals and each year the project was cut again and again.



Six Flags St. Louis has always been known in the industry as having an extremely talented maintenance staff that included a very a talented painter as well as several carpenters a single horse was removed in 2020 to see if Six Flags St. Louis would be able enough to handle the task of bringing the Grand Ole' Carousel back to life in house.



That first horse was stripped of layers of paint, covered with primer and putty, had details re-sculpted, and after countless coats of paint that included detail work it was finally brought back to life.
 


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Paul B. Drabek