Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Beth Langham.
Hi Carrie Beth, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have been with Salem’s Riverfront Carousel since opening day on June 2nd, 2001 – and at this time, I am the last original staff member from the opening year still with the Carousel. I had just graduated from Sprague High School and preparing to go to college at the Art Institute of Portland that September. I learned about the Carousel while it was being carved and constructed when visiting Liberty Plaza here in the downtown Salem mall. At the time, I was working part-time at Mission Mill Museum (now known as Willamette Heritage Center) in their gift shop. My manager at the time introduced me to the manager at Salem’s Riverfront Carousel and the rest is history! I started opening day working in the Gift Gallery as an associate. It was a magical day, and at times quite overwhelming. The love and support that poured in by visitors attending the opening ceremony and first rides was inspiring and emotional. We were so busy that we had to shut down the gift shop a few times due to capacity!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. The Carousel has seen some struggles but has always worked through them. I remember on the morning of September 11th, 2001, as a crew of staff and volunteers, we gathered together in our event room to discuss the horrible attacks that occurred that day in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania and mourn the loss of life that day. It was an incredibly sad and scary day, but the crew stuck together to help each other and those visiting through a very difficult time. And ever since, through the financial crash of 2008/2009, the pandemic and so much more, we continue to stand here for our community.
Our current challenge this summer has been the ongoing construction project at Riverfront Park. Although we are excited to see the improvements made to the park playground to make it more accessible, this project has directly impacted our small business in terms of revenue. Our private non-profit organization relies on the revenue made through ride sales, our gift shop, birthday party bookings, private & public events, and through donations. As families aren’t coming to the park playground while it’s under construction this has meant that we have seen a severe decline in foot traffic to the Carousel during what is supposed to be our busiest time of the year. We are staying positive that we will recover during our next busiest season which will be during the upcoming holidays.
We have a new dream for the Carousel – to expand our venue by building a new carving & painting studio called The Walkers Artisan Stables. We kicked off fundraising right before the Covid pandemic took place which put a halt on our fundraising efforts for some time. Over the past year we have been focusing back on fundraising for The Stables. Our board members and staff are dedicated to focus on these efforts again with hopes to raise the roughly $3M needed to fund this project. We hope to break ground by 2028!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Throughout the years, I have held many positions at Salem’s Carousel. I started in the Gift Gallery as an associate and did that work part-time while I attended college at the Art Institute of Portland for a degree in Fashion Design. As I developed design and digital skills, I found a way to implement my learnings to help with graphic design work for our marketing collateral. When i graduated from the Art Institute, I landed a career position with Nike in Product Development, but my staff and volunteers wanted me to still stay on to continue helping with the event marketing and graphic design work. So, I stayed on part-time while building my career. Throughout the years, I have been an office manager, bookkeeper, gift shop manager, and events manager. Today, I work full-time for Adidas overseeing a team of product developers. I have continued to stay part-time as the Marketing Manager and Volunteer Communications Manager for Salem’s Riverfront Carousel. My role includes managing all social media content, website design, designing & distributing marketing collateral, public event planning, coordinating community partnerships, and leading communications with our incredibly talented and passionate crew of volunteers.
The Carousel is my home, and has been for over 25 years. Seeing the joy on little faces when they choose the animal they want to ride, the twinkle in their eyes when they see the lights and hear the music, or the giggles of excitement they have when finding a fun toy in our gift shop are all just a few of the many reasons why I love working for the Carousel. Collectively as a staff, we have countless memories and touching moments we have all experienced here. We all carry a tremendous amount of responsibility when it comes to continuing the legacy of the Carousel. Hazel Patton had a dream of a riverfront carousel back when she visited the Missoula carousel. She, alongside master artisans Dave & Sandy Walker were the dream team to make it all happen. The hundreds of volunteer artisans and contributors that joined in on the dream brought it all to life. As a team today, we take the responsibility of preserving the Carousel with the utmost importance so that it continues on for generations to come.
My part in this organization is so small in comparison to the contributions from our volunteers and the rest of our staff. We are an incredibly connected and collaborative team that is pretty scrappy and creative – we have to be as we are a non-profit organization!
Let me introduce you to my teammates:
Marie heads as our Executive Director – she is grounded, honest and kind, leads with courage, and is always finding the positive in every situation.
Bryan is our Operations Manager – his goofy sense of humor is just the cherry on top of the incredible person that he is. He is always looking out for the Carousel’s best interest and literally keeps the carousel going round and round!
Theresa is our Gift Gallery Manager – she is strong hearted, kind, and always thinking of others first.
Hayley is our Events Manager & Gift Shop Associate – she is full of light and joy and is always finding ways to bring a little magic and wonder to kids that visit us. On top of all she does, she also jumps in even more as our lead operator for making Photos with Santa run so perfectly!
Melissa is our Bookkeeper & Office Manager – she is very down-to-earth, always ready for a laugh, and is an absolute gem of a human being.
I consider it a blessing every day that I get to work with my staff and all of our volunteers.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Salem is the heart of the Willamette Valley. It’s a vibrant, culturally diverse and beautiful place with unique gems and neighborhoods all surrounded by farmlands and vineyards. We have all seen the city go through some significant changes over the years. Here in downtown, we especially see this evolution. We are excited to see the enhancements being made right here in Riverfront Park and the surrounding areas. Although the enhancements are a bit disruptive to our small business, we believe it will all make Salem an even more beautiful and accessible place to be.
Pricing:
- $2 per ride
- Free rides for persons with a disability through our Carousel Cares program.
- Bulk ride packages are available in a variety of options
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.salemcarousel.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salemcarousel
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalemCarousel
