i love the grand carousel it has been one of my favorites since i was little

a nicely painted and pretty carousel, they should just dust it off, a MUST for the perfect day at kings island.

It's too bad the band organ doesn't work though

I grew up researching this beautiful carousel, and recording the music played by its magnificent band organ - back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. At that time, the carousel and organ were kept in tip-top condition - run smooth and clean, with the instrument perfectly tuned. Imagine my sadness upon revisiting the carousel this past weekend (August of 2009). The horses are under an ongoing restoration, but many of the inner jumpers show signs of serious neglect and damage (one has a body-long split that is being held together with glue). The carousel itself gives a very slow, jerky ride - and it is downright painful to describe the condition of the once-proud and rare Wurlitzer 157 band organ. The facade only remains (the inner mechanism is rumored to be stored in a park warehouse), and even that shows signs of cracked wood and peeling paint. Cedar Fair has provided an ideal home for neglect - Cincinnati's own PTC #79. The irony that the park actually had a special display at the beginning of this season, honoring the carousel's history (and mis-identifying the band organ as a model 165, to boot) only added insult to injury.
Cedar Fair, get your act together on this one - a piece of American history is being allowed to rot, and the responsibility is squarely placed on your shoulders.

The Grand Carousel is almost always my first ride when I go to KI.