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Between March and September 2008, the Tilden Carousel was closed to restore the outer building structure, install new doors, renovate the carousel floor, and repair the North Tonawanda organ. Funding for this project was provided by voter approved Measure CC, the Regional Parks Foundation, and a Partners in Preservation grant from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. On October 4, 2008, the East Bay Regional Park District was pleased to hold a Grand Re-Opening of the newly refurbished Tilden Carousel; nearly 200 people attended this event.
Each year 150,000 visitors enjoy this 1911 Herschell-Spillman "Menagerie Edition" Carousel, one of only two still operating in the U.S. Since it was relocated from Southern California in 1948, the Tilden Park Carousel has delighted visitors with the opportunity to ride on and view its 59 hand-carved and hand-painted animals. This National Register-listed Carousel has provided generations the chance to live and re-live the joys of childhood.
Thanks to the generosity of the J.M. Long Foundation, a new play structure at Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline was completed in 2009. In 2008, the J.M. Long Foundation contributed $100,000 to the Regional Parks Foundation to provide additional recreational opportunities for the residents of Point Richmond and the surrounding areas. The dedication for this important project was held on October 10, 2009.
The J.M. Long Foundation was created in 1966 by Joseph M. Long, an entrepreneur and co-founder of Longs Drug Stores, as a way of giving back to others from whom he received during his lifetime.
The Regional Parks Foundation is pleased to have funded the development of a new group camp at the scenic and historic 2,315-acre Point Pinole Regional Shoreline. A dedication for the camp was held on Saturday, October 24, 2009.
This multi-use group camp - with its camp shelter, picnic tables, and barbeque - provides an excellent area for youth and church groups, clubs, and organizations to hold overnight camping trips, group activities, and events. The East Bay Regional Park District can also use the space to schedule special naturalist and outdoor recreation programs, including camping and summer day camping for public participation. This new group camp offers a wonderful opportunity for both children and adults throughout Richmond and the East Bay to enjoy outdoor fun in a beautiful Bay shoreline setting, which is home to over 100 species of birds and other wildlife, a 1,250-foot fishing pier, 5.5 miles of Bay shoreline, and a unique history as a gunpowder and dynamite manufacturing plant.
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