Amusement Park News

Located in Spokane, Wash., the historic Looff Carrousel at Riverfront Park is in the process of restoring its classic band organ. And to do so – it is going digital.

The circa 1909 band organ has a unique and delightful sound created from a punched paper roll audio system. The Ruth and Sons band organ was crafted in Germany prior to 1900. Using the paper roll tunes, the organ imitates the sound of a 60-piece band. But the system is fragile at best, and the paper scrolls worn. So, to preserve this aging classic, the paper roll system is being converted to digital MIDI files.

It's a historic move, designed to greatly enhance the experience of the iconic ride. The last time the band organ was played regularly was in the late 1980s. Regular play stopped when preservationists determined that the organ could likely break and become irreparable if it continued using the paper roll system. So the organ's pipes were silenced, the band music replaced, with the sounds of more current tunes sounding minus the organ while the carousel spins.

But with a conversion to MIDI files, the original band organ sounds can soon swell again, and offer riders an experience true to the historic carousel's storied past. Along with improving the longevity of the organ, the digital computer conversion will also allow a varied song list, ranging from contemporary tunes played in band organ style to the original traditional marching band tunes.

Bette Largent, a past president of the National Carousel Association, has been committed to preserving the Looff Carousel for many years. She has been the driving force behind the careful hand painting of the ride's lush animal figures. For Largent, the revamp and preservation of the band organ is the final step in the process. The worn hole-punched paper tunes will have a chance to live again.

Repairing and revamping the organ has been a labor of love for Largent for over 25 years. Now, at last, the musical paper scrolls have been completely scanned and digitized, and once again, without any current amplification or additions, the sound of a full band will surge from the organ's pipes again for current and future generations of riders.

Or rather, the digitized conversion will play once the equipment necessary to read them is in place. That equipment will also serve to connect the MIDI files to the organ's original pneumatic pipes to sound them out. But that equipment must be purchased before it can be installed, and to do so, the Spokane Parks Foundation needs to finish raising the approximately $15,000 necessary to purchase it.



The foundation has worked hard to have funding in place for the missing piece of this musical puzzle, in time for the carousel's 50th anniversary this year, the anniversary of the year that the carousel was placed in Riverfront Park.


Largent finds the original band organ sound to be uniquely moving, and even magical, a sound she says gave her a “chill” when she first fell in love with the carousel ride as child.

And she wants present generations, including her own grandchildren, to enjoy the musical excitement, too. She believes the kids and adults who've never heard the music will be “blown away” by the music she herself found deeply meaningful.

The digitalization will just serve as a modern way of connecting the music to the organ itself, allowing the organ to play tunes in their original sound, just without the fragile encumberance of the paper music rolls.

The iconic organ music truly does speak to the historic nature of the Looff Carousel, which originally had a home in Natatorium Park, an amusement park that adjoined the Spokane River in the city's West Central area. The carousel was created by one Charles Looff, a master craftsman, as a wedding gift for his daughter. When Natatorium Park closed in 1967, the carousel was initially placed in storage until it was moved to Riverfront Park for its reappearance, and placed in the building it remains in today, one that was originally constructed for the Expo 74 World's Fair that was held in the city.

According to Spokane Parks and Recreation spokesperson Fianna Dickson, the city has worked diligently with Largent to provide a gift agreement to pay for the musical project's completion.

As the clock ticks ‘til the carousel's May anniversary date, not only is meeting that date an imperative for Largent, but she also stresses that she has been working on the band organ since the late 90s. She had the process interrupted by the pandemic, and at this point, she says she's aging and just wants to complete the project.

The carousel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's now one of the most well-preserved wooden carousels in the U.S., with 54 horses, one tiger and one giraffe, as well as two Chinese dragon chairs. There's even a brass ring for riders to attempt to catch. The only thing missing is the classic music.



The Looff draws over 300,000 riders each year and is arguably the most popular attraction in the city of Spokane. A single ride on the carousel is $3.75 and an unlimited day pass is priced at $9.95. Kids aged two and under ride free. The Carousel also offers a self-guided walking tour during the ride's operating hours.