Paula Merritt / The Meridian StarJanarya Dunnigan and her sister, Nigeria, go round and round on the Dentzel Carousel as they wait for a film crew from the Travel Channel to start filming as part of a series of the Ultimate Road Trip.

Meridian’s Dentzel Carousel became a part of a special spin on Monday.

A production crew visited the city to shoot video of the carousel to be featured in an upcoming episode of The Ultimate Road Trip that will be broadcast on the Travel Channel.

The television show is scheduled to air sometime in late spring or early summer and will cover a path from New Orleans to Savannah, with Meridian one of those stops along the way.

The Ultimate Road Trip special will highlight stops ranging from restaurants, hotels, cool places to see and cool things to do — such as the Dentzel Carousel, said producer Andy McKeown, with Sharp Entertainment.

“We try to avoid bigger cities and go off the beaten path,” McKeown said. “In the show, we recreate an itinerary for people who are watching. We don’t have a host – our host is the road, the attractions we go to, and our talent is the people we meet at these places.”

When looking for places to shoot video, McKeown said the path is based on geography.

“We try to find things that speak about a town – that speak about a people that are unique, that have a history to them,” McKeown said. “We don’t like a cookie cutter, average run of the mill things.

“We like to stand out, and like it to be cool!”

Meridian Mayor Percy Bland said the city is glad to be a part of The Ultimate Road Trip show.

“We are very excited to have the Travel Channel in Meridian spotlighting our historic Dentzel Carousel,” Bland said. “The carousel is a national treasure and we are proud that others will be able to experience the glory of one of the world’s most famous carousels located right here in our very own hometown.”

By being featured on the Travel Channel, the Mayor said, not only will Meridian’s history be told but it will also promote projects such as the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center and Threefoot building.

“We are trying to continue to do all we can to market our city so people will want to come visit and live here,” Bland said.

About the Dentzel Carousel

The carousel was manufactured in 1896 by Gustav Dentzel of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the 1904 St. Louis Exposition and later sold to the City of Meridian. The city purchased the carousel in 1909 for $2,000, but today the carousel is valued at more than a million dollars.

All of the animals are hand-carved out of poplar or basswood. The carousels often had original oil paintings as well. The Dentzel Carousel arrived in Meridian in 1909 and has occupied the same location in Highland Park. Its house is the only remaining original carousel building built from a Dentzel blueprint.

In 1977, Meridian’s Dentzel Carousel and Carousel House along with Highland Park were placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In October 1986, the Department of the Interior designated the Highland Park Dentzel Carousel and Carousel House as National Landmarks. This honor was given to 11 carousels nationwide, with Meridian’s being the only one located in the South.

During the early 1980s, the carousel building was closed for two years for major restoration. The carousel animals were removed and placed in various local institutions while funds were raised for restoration.

From 1984 through 1995, the animals, chariots and canvas oil paintings were meticulously restored to their original beauty. The animals were found to have their original paint under 6 to 10 repaintings. Colors and designs were documented with careful color matching, tracing of designs, working drawings and photographs showing where colors and designs occurred. The entire restoration was done by Rosa Ragan of Raleigh, N.C., one of the foremost restoration specialists in the U.S.

The historic carousel is located at 1802 Carousel Drive in Meridian.

Source: City of Meridian website