MEADVILLE, Pa. (AP) — George Nowack has a deep admiration for Conneaut Lake Park.
He considers the park a symbol of his American heritage and who we, as a nation, are today.
"I am passionate about my American heritage," Nowack said. "We are starting to lose sight of who we are as a nation and as people. We need to do what we can to carry on those earmarks of our history. They are the symbol of who we are.
"Conneaut Lake Park is very symbolic of that."
Nowack is doing his part to see that the tradition of Conneaut Lake Park lives on for years and years to come.
The director of the Rising Galleries at the Yolanda G. Barco Oncology Institute and a renowned carousel animal carver, Nowack is in the finishing stages of a hand-carved carousel horse he plans to unveil at the institute on Oct. 1. The horse is a replica of the lead horse that once resided at the Conneaut Lake Park carousel.
Nowack said the armored horse measures 6½ feet tall and is more than 7 feet long. It is made up of 76 pieces laminated together.
The horse will eventually be mounted on a platform built from discarded wood from Conneaut Lake Park's historic Blue Streak roller coaster, which is being restored.
"I am very blessed to be able to do this," Nowack said. "The interest has been remarkable."
Nowack has done some of the work on the carousel horse in front of audiences at the Conneaut Lake Historical Society, the Meadville Market House, Kennywood Park and Idlewild. As the horse travels so does the story and the history of Conneaut Lake Park, Nowack said.
"That's what I have planned for him," Nowack said of the horse. "Everywhere he has gone, he's carried the tale of Conneaut Lake Park and the region with him. Conneaut Lake Park will always serve as reminder of who we are and who we can be as a person and as a nation."
The idea of carving the carousel replica first came about in August 2007. Nowack said he has worked a total of about eight weeks on the animal, between 12 and 16 hours per day. He said he has about a month's worth of work remaining before he will hand it over to his wife, Carolyn, to be painted.
"This is very important to get him finished and to get him on the road," Nowack said. "We're at a crossroad with the park right now and are getting very, very close to seeing a rebirth. I think he can help."
Nowack couldn't give an exact figure, but said he has carved "a lot" of different carousel horses and other animals over the years. The Conneaut Lake Park replica is one that will always remain near and dear to his heart.
"The message he carries is a very important one," he said. "It's a very dynamic piece, one of the more dynamic pieces I've ever done."
Nowack is unsure what will happen to the horse following its unveiling on Oct. 1. He said he has had a lot of interest in buying the animal from as far as San Diego.
"I think he will be doing a lot of traveling," Nowack said.
Nowack said he believes the original lead horse now resides in California. It was housed at Conneaut Lake Park from about 1912 to 1987, when it was sold.
