VENTURA : Carousel Owner Just a Boy at Heart

The owner of Ventura County’s only stationary carousel may be 57 years old, but he’s enjoying a second childhood.

Ken Price of Ventura said he quit his job as an insurance salesman and had a replica of a 1930s menagerie merry-go-round installed four years ago at Ventura Harbor Village because he loves to play. He also owns a candy shop and kite store.

“This is the most fun I’ve had in my life,” he said recently.

Unlike the usual merry-go-round, the menagerie carousel contains all manner of beasts to ride, including reindeer and camels. But Price says he always rides a horse because it’s macho.

“I never touch the giraffes or chickens or bunnies,” he said.

Price, who is always ready to make a joke, said he bought the shops because he wanted another chance to spend time playing. He said he always loved flying kites, so the first thing he opened was the kite shop. Then he discovered an “absolutely magical” fudge-making machine, and so Price, who always had a sweet tooth, bought it and opened a candy store.

If it weren’t for the cellular phone he drags around everywhere, the silver-haired Price, clad in tennis shoes, casual slacks and T-shirt, wouldn’t look much like a businessman at all.

“When I was a commercial insurance broker I had to wear a three-piece suit all the time,” he said. “The day I retired from that job, I went through my closet, jammed all my suits in a garbage can and burned them. Then I traded in my Cadillac for a van. I was just tired of that whole image--the facade.”

The building that houses the carousel is a world away from an insurance office. Multicolored animals bob up and down as the merry-go-round whirls to the sound of circus music. And a mural depicting dragons, fairies, witches and other magical characters surrounds the machine. Price said he hired Ventura artist Chris Martinez, who paints his shop windows each Christmas, to do the mural.

The merry-go-round is open Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The rides cost $1, but adults must ride with children 7 years or younger. In those cases the adults ride free. Price also gives free rides to handicapped children.

“Sometimes it can be hard to get the kids on to the carousel, especially if they’re in a wheelchair,” he said. “But it’s worth it. It’s important that people have magic and fun in their lives.”