OPINION: Reaching for the brass ring

Last month we went to a birthday party in our old neighborhood of Baldwin. As we approached from Meadowbrook Parkway, my memory was flooded with images of Nunley's Amusement Park, a magnet for all the children in the area.

We moved to Baldwin when our two older daughters were toddlers. It wasn't long before we trooped to Nunley's, across from the Baldwin railroad station. It quickly became our preferred weekend destination. The shrieks of joy when we announced our plans didn't stop until we were in the car (without booster seats in those days) and on our way.

Once we secured our tickets, the antique carousel with its hand-carved horses and single lion was our first stop. As soon as the calliope music ended, we hopped on with our daughters. My husband stood next to our 4-year-old, who was seated on a stationary horse, holding tightly to its brass pole, while I rode in one of the majestic chariots with our 1-year-old, holding her little body as she tried to wriggle free, fascinated by the lights, music and movement. As the girls grew older, they chose the horses that glided up and down. We belted them on, while their hands gripped the pole for security.

As the years passed, our daughters (now there were three) chose an outside horse and with it the chance to grab the brass ring, entitling them to a free ride. I can still see them standing up, feet straining in the stirrups, shirts separating from their pants as their arms reached upward to hook the rings. Local teen workers collected all the rings at the end of the ride, and while the other riders disembarked, the child who managed to grab the lone brass ring stayed on.

The allure of the park lasted until our girls became teenagers and - overnight, it seemed - lost interest. Eventually the time came when we'd passed by the park and it wasn't familiar anymore. But for all the years we enjoyed it, I never outgrew its magic and charm.

Our girls were women when Nunley's went up for sale. And after a long journey, the carousel resides on Museum Row in Garden City now. So if a wave of nostalgia hits you as it did me, you can still see it - or ride it - going round and round in all its glory.