Thoughts on merry-go-rounds and Ferris wheels

I feel as though I've been on a merry-go-round for weeks, running in circles, going up and down, and trying to focus; yet becoming distracted by local headlines, fundraising events, candidate forums, daily challenges and more.

Though the first known American merry-go-round was operated in Salem, Mass., in 1799, I wonder how long it took before the term was used to describe a busy round of life.

The only problem with this recent merry-go-round life is there's no gold ring in a dispenser to grab with my forefinger every time I complete a circle for a chance to win a special prize as there was in my youth.

When I was 10 my family and another family shared a rental cottage for two weeks on Lake Shaffer within steps of the boardwalk at Indiana Beach. I must have ridden the merry-go-round a gazillion times - and every time my favorite carousel horse neared a ring-holding contraption stationed by the attendant, she'd yell, "Be careful!" And I'd reach way over to the right, holding on to the pole with my left hand and stretching my right arm out with hopes to successfully snatch a gold ring - and many times I did.

Thinking back, they were not gold rings at all. They were golden brass!

But just like Indiana Beach with its arcade games, midway barkers and carnival rides, Naperville's Silly Season appears to be childish at times. Some of the competition seems rigged.

We may think we're going for the gold, but perhaps we should simply hang on for a safe ride, paying attention to the evolving world around us.

Ferris wheel

The other day when I was making the rounds, I stopped by Art & Frame/Naperville on some business and was greeted by Agatha Blaszkowska, the friendly owner of the framing shop and gallery, now located at 702 W. Fifth Avenue, behind Naperville North High School.

I've been going there to frame original artwork since it was called Steinbock's Art and Frame, then located on Main Street in a little white house taken down recently to make way for the next phase of Main Street Promenade in downtown Naperville.

The independently owned business has changed owners a couple of times and now Blaszkowska is the custom framer.

The poster bins are full of museum quality prints and vintage maps, dare I say, suitable for framing.

While I was there, Blaszkowska showed me a poster of the first Ferris wheel, complete with her enthusiastic narrative about its history at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago.

I flashed back to my first year in the PR department at Naper Settlement in 1993 when a special summer event commemorated the 100th anniversary of that world's fair in Chicago. Built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America, the exposition was named to honor the Italian explorer,

FYI: The following year, Naper Settlement's special summer event celebrated the birth of the Hershey Bar, 100 years old in 1994.

At any rate, I'll always remember the small wooden replica of the first Ferris wheel built by Naper Settlement's construction crew in 1993 for display in Century Memorial Chapel.

According to a history written by Patrick Meehan in 1964, George Washington Gale Ferris, a 32-year-old engineer, designed the 264-foot wheel while dining with friends in a Chicago restaurant, with a goal to rival the Eiffel Tower, built for the Paris Exposition in 1889. It's said that Ferris never deviated from that original sketch. When finished the 26-story-tall Ferris wheel was one-quarter the height of the Eiffel Tower and could carry 2,160 people at one time.

When ready to roll, "there were 36 cars about the size of a train car," said Blaszkowska. "Each car held 60 people!"

Several friends and their families headed to Florida for spring break to take in Disneyworld and other amusements in the Sunshine State. I just read about the new 400-foot Orlando Wheel, expected to spin down there in 2010.

Meanwhile, if you've planned a relaxing "staycation" here this week, visit Art & Frame and let Blaszkowska provide you with a little history. She tells a great story about the Ferris wheel and after you hear it, it's likely you'll want to learn more about the World's Columbian Exposition and how it was built on shaky ground.

• Stephanie Penick writes about Naperville. Contact her at spennydh@aol.com.