Greenport Carousel Set For Early Summer Reopening

Following months of repair, the Greenport Carousel – located in the village’s Mitchell Park – is set to reopen for early summer, according to officials.

The carousel closed last fall, after there was a mechanical failure with one of the horses while the carousel was in motion. While nobody was hurt, village officials deemed it unsafe, and closed it indefinitely.

According to Greenport Mayor Kevin Stuessi at the time of its closing, the carousel is a major source of revenue for the village, bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

“The Greenport Carousel is set to reopen early summer following significant repairs and restoration,” the village said in its May newsletter. “Work begins this week to reassemble the carousel with new parts and a repaired and restored center structure. This is the first time in 24 years the carousel has been completely taken apart for repairs and long term maintenance. Stay tuned for an announcement about the grand reopening.”

The carousel is thought to have first appeared with a traveling carnival around 1920, though official records of its history begin in the 1950s, when it was used by Northrop Grumman for community gatherings at their Calverton facility.

In 1995, Northrop Grumman donated the carousel to the village, choosing it over competing offers from both Riverhead Town and an amusement park in New Jersey.

It’s been mostly smooth riding for the carousel since it opened in Greenport, and the only recent closing was a brief shutdown in 2023 to remove some lead paint.