The 2016 NCA Convention - Lake Erie Carousel Circle Tour

The National Carousel Association's 44th Annual Convention will be headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio September 21-25, 2016. The theme for this year's convention is Lake Erie Carousel Circle Tour as we will be traveling along Lake Erie's southern coast and inland to visit nine carousels, a carousel factory, a museum featuring Cleveland amusement park memorabilia, and a collection of antique cars and airplanes.

A printable copy of our complete convention registration packet (in PDF format) including a description of the planned activities, a convention registration form, and a Roundabout Faire registration form is Available Here!

Wednesday, September 21

• The 2016 NCA Technical Conference
  The NCA will be hosting its 2016 one-day technical assistance conference on Wednesday. More . . .
• The Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel
  After spending 59 years at Cleveland's Euclid Beach Park, 27 years at Old Orchard Beach's Palace Playland and 17 years in storage, during our visit PTC#19 will be 2 months away from celebrating its second year of returning to operation. The Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel operates in the History Center of the Western Reserve Historical Society, host of the convention's opening/welcome on Wednesday evening.
• The Crawford Auto Aviation Collection
  The Crawford Auto Aviation Collection of the Western Reserve Historical Society depicts the automobile at various stages of development, both on a national and regional level. Its automobiles and artifacts are the centerpieces of two major exhibits which we will be able to see during our visit: Setting the World in Motion and REVolution: The Automobile in America.

Thursday, September 22

Thursday begins the bus tours provided by Lakefront Lines, tying in with the Lake Erie theme.

• The Carousel Works
  The first stop will be at the world's largest manufacturer of wooden carousels, The Carousel Works.
• Richland Carrousel Park
  Then to Richland Carrousel Park, which will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary and that of the first, hand carved carousel to be built and operated in the United States since the 1930's, made by The Carousel Works.
• The Columbus Zoo Grand Carousel
  Last stop for the day will be the Columbus Zoo and its Grand Carousel, 1914 Mangels/Illions.

Friday, September 23

Friday the buses will travel along Ohio's North Coast heading West to Cedar Point and its three carousels:

• Midway Carousel, circa 1915 D. C. Muller
• Kiddy Kingdom Carrousel, 1921 Dentzel
• Cedar Downs, 1921 Prior & Church Racing Derby
  The racing derby was originally installed at Euclid Beach Park directly next to PTC #19. Next stop Sandusky's Merry-Go-Round Museum which celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2015. Back along Ohio's North Coast and Cleveland. Before returning to Embassy Suites a stop will be made on the recently opened Event Center & Museum exhibiting memorabilia from old Cleveland area amusement parks. A presentation to be given that evening is in the planning stages. It could be about the history of amusement parks and carousels in the Cleveland area.

Saturday, September 24

• Memphis Kiddie Park
  Saturday morning we will be in the immediate Cleveland area visiting one of the less than a handful of surviving kiddie parks. Memphis Kiddie Park opened on May 28, 1952, the original location for its classic metal, 1950 Allan Herschell carousel.
• Tuscora Park Spillman Engineering Carousel
  The buses will take us inland 79 miles to New Philadelphia and the city's Tuscora Park, home to circa 1925-1928 Spillman Engineering Carousel.
• Host Hotel - Embassy Suites
We will be returning to our host hotel for the banquet and preservation auction.

Sunday, September 25

• Breakfast and NCA general membership meeting
• Farewell

The host hotel is the Embassy Suites Cleveland-Rockside, conveniently located 10 minutes from downtown Cleveland and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The hotel is at the intersection of I-480 and I-77. I-77 bisects I-90 to the North and I-80 (Ohio Turnpike) to the South.

An Embassy Suites reservation page for the NCA convention is Available Here!

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport offers service from eight different air service providers: Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit, United and Jet Blue. Complimentary transportation is offered daily by Embassy Suites between the hotel and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Cleveland is serviced by Amtrak:

Lakeshore Limited (New York/Boston - Albany - Chicago)

Capitol Limited (Washington, DC - Pittsburgh - Chicago)

For information about the NCA 2016 convention, please send email to Rich Wickens