Photos were taken, memories were shared and tears were shed, Friday, Sept. 13, at St. Augustine’s Davenport Park. The Sept. 6 death of J&S Carousel owner, Jim Soules, was abrupt and sudden, and news that the carousel would close very soon spread quickly on social media. Although the City of St. Augustine expressed interest in continuing the business, the family honored Soules’ wishes to return the ride to Port Charlotte. It’s sure to say that events like these and local monuments like the carousel have brought the city of St. Augustine closer together.
“All my kids grew up here with the carousel,” said ARK Christian Academy teacher, Angel Latos, who’s lived in St. Augustine since 2000. “So it’s sad, everybody’s really sad.”
Latos’s children are now grown and married. Passing down the family fun, they brought their own kids to J&S, too, sharing the merry-go-round with the next generation of locals.
Kristin Misenhelder, also an ARK Christian Academy teacher, was born in St. Augustine and has been riding the carousel since she was a child.
“I used to come here as a kid,” she said, waiting in the carousel line with Latos and their students for final rides. “My dad used to bring me and we’d get hot chocolate across the street. Then, we’d come and ride the carousel together. It’s really sad that they’re taking it away.”
Although St. Augustine is grieving, it seems like it will soon be ready for a new beginning, as well, with hopes for another carousel to replace the J&S Carousel.
“I think a huge majority of residents are upset and I do wish they’d work something out or at least replace it,” Latos said. “It was the icon for the people that actually live here. St. Augustine is a tourist town, but as the residents, we always felt like the carousel belonged to us.”
“I think that it’s been memorable for the whole community,” Misenhelder said, next in line for the ride. “And I think that even if it’s taken away, that we (should) replace it so we can continue to have this memory for the next generation of our community.”
