Carousel a pleasant idea but...

The moments when individuals are compelled to come together for the good of the whole are magical, exemplifying what America can be when we look up from our own lives. It’s part of what makes fundraising walks so invigorating.

It seems that the philanthropically-minded business community of Greensboro is feeling similarly compelled as the plans for the downtown carousel develop. Originally proposed by Bernie Mann, immediate past president of the Greensboro Rotary Club, the carousel will be housed in an enclosure in the downtown cultural district. Mann seemed so enchanted as he spoke of the carousel’s “charm and light that are expressive of the community” that I was sure I could hear buoyant carousel music in the background.

His contagious enchantment has inspired every Rotary Club in Greensboro to commit to the project, as well as the Nat Greene Kiwanis club. Between the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation and monies raised by the Greensboro Rotary Club, $250,000 of the estimated $2 million needed has already been raised. “And we haven’t even reached out to other clubs locally,” said Mann.

I am charmed by the idea: an all-wood carousel featuring moments and figures of Greensboro history. I’m charmed by Mann’s picture of children riding the carousel at a grandparent’s side, and the hope of further exposure for a part of downtown that has been on the outskirts of the recent growth spurt. But since I read the most recent article in the News & Record (“Clubs climb aboard carousel project,” Jan. 3), my more pragmatic side has been nagging me.

I can’t help it. When I read stories of our increasing crime rate and Mitchell Johnson’s search for $500,000 to beef up our police force, when I see a noticeable increase in panhandlers on the corners of our city, when I learn of the deficits in food banks in Greensboro and across the country, I can’t help but feel that $2 million dollars could be better spent, that it could truly “improve life in [the club’s] community” as is listed in Rotary International’s “Avenues of Service”.

But now I’m sad to hear the oompah music fade... It could certainly be argued that life in the community would be improved beyond recreational pleasure if the carousel did draw more families downtown and if those families did stay for dinner or perhaps a play, and if that lead to more growth, creating more jobs, and so on and so forth.

As so often happens, this boils down to a matter of perspective, in this case our perspective on what we believe constitutes community service and what we think Greensboro needs.

“The role of civic clubs is to do things for the community that the community would love to have but can’t quite afford, that extra layer of wonderful, terrific things that help to make the quality of life that much better,” said Mann.

When it comes to art, theater and other forms of creative expression, I am 100 percent onboard with Mann’s definition; in these cases, I see not only the inherent pleasure, but also the pragmatic use of art as a medium to help us communicate across all ethnic, socioeconomic, educational or gender boundaries. Perhaps my vision of carousels is marred by the shark-jump that was the Carolina Circle Mall carousel, but I just don’t see this downtown venture justifying the price tag, not when a woman on the corner of Elm St. and Cone Blvd. is begging for food for her children.