Finish summer with a flourish and take a twirl on a colorfully painted stead this month with a free ride on the Prospect Park Carousel.

Every Thursday in August from noon to 6 p.m., the Prospect Park Alliance is offering free spins on the vintage amusement. Climb aboard a horse, giraffe, lion or deer, or settle into a dragon-pulled chariot for a musical spin.

Children waiting for the carousel to arrive in the 1950s. Photo via Brooklyn Collection, Prospect Park Archives
Children waiting for the carousel to arrive in the 1950s. Photo via Brooklyn Collection, Prospect Park Archives

The current carousel is the third one in the park’s history. The first two were in different locations, and both burned down. In 1952, a new building was constructed and the current carousel installed. It’s actually made from the parts of two Coney Island carousels that both date to about 1912. It features more than 50 wooden animals carved by Charles Carmel, considered a master of the craft.

By the 1980s, maintenance issues took their toll and the carousel was shuttered. After a fundraising campaign by the Prospect Park Alliance, the carousel was restored and reopened to the public in 1990.

The free spins this summer are funded by NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and you can get more information on the carousel rides here.

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