Hi Everyone,  Have a look at this video I shot on Saturday in
Cooperstown, New York: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA_-qdnFnGs
 

The organ was built by the Stinson Organ Company in the early 1990's.
I take care of the organ now and have made a few changes here and there
to make the organ more reliable for the Farmer's Museum which uses it
for their carousel at the "Country Fair" venue at the Museum.

The organ on this day was on a field trip to Doubleday Field in
Cooperstown for a special event.  It is the first time the organ has
been "on the road" since coming to Cooperstown, so I wanted to record
the event.

The organ was used to promote the idea of creating a travelling
carousel for New York, to be sent on one-month trips throughout the
state.  Well, the idea never quite materialized, I am told, but they
(the promoters) did manage to get the carousel together where it
operated for short time in Bellmore, New York.  It then needed a
new home and the Farmer's Museum stepped up to the plate and built a
building to house the carousel and organ in 2003.  It plays throughout
the year and is an excellent example of an MMD favorite topic of having
young people around mechanical music.

If you check out the video take note of the operator, Mary Margaret
Kuhn.  While it takes a smart guy in the back to fuss around with
things to make an organ sing, it is the operator who, on a daily basis,
makes the experience of the organ a special event.  Her enthusiasm is
evident in the video and her cheerful attitude around the carousel and
her stories about the organ and carousel to the thousands of visitors
to the museum is something we can all be thankful for.  Everyone leaves
the carousel with a smile as a souvenir of their trip to the museum.

Mary Margaret and I are thinking of putting a band organ rally type of
event together in the future so let me know if you have any thoughts on
that.

Enjoy your day,
Ben Gottfried - Ben's Player Piano Service

 [ Thoughts: The tempo of the Sousa march heard seems fast at MM=152
 [ beats per minute.  I think a military band would play it slower.
 [
 [ Found at http://www.farmersmuseum.org/farmers/programs/lectures --
 [
 [   Empire State Carousel, August 17, 2011, 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
 [   This year, the museum celebrates the 5th anniversary of the Empire
 [   State Carousel's arrival in Cooperstown.  Join Mary Margaret Kuhn,
 [   Supervisor of the Empire State Carousel, to learn more about the
 [   history of the carousel and hear some of the stories told in the
 [   carousel's amazing artwork.  Following the program, you'll have
 [   a chance to examine the carousel up-close and take a ride!
 [
 [ -- Editor (Robbie)