I'd like to send up a trial balloon to see how many band organ owners
out there would be interested in playing a rally here in Little Rock,
Arkansas, sometime next year.

I might be able to get the Little Rock Zoo and the Over The Jumps
restoration project to sponsor such an event in connection with one of
their promotional weekends, especially now that both organizations are
enjoying a revival of interest and activity.  There is plenty of room
inside the zoo's fenced area for a number of trailer-mounted organs.

Over The Jumps is an antique (ca. 1924) Spillman track-style carousel
that has lived in Little Rock for many years, in an amusement park
adjacent to the zoo.  Its preservation is now a civic project.  It was
reportedly accompanied by a large band organ at one time, but the organ
is long gone.  (Gee, Dad, was it a Wurlitzer?)

Few people around here remember what a real band organ is, so we need
to educate them.  After exposure to some representative examples, maybe
the good people of Little Rock would become as passionate about
replacing the missing organ as they are about restoring the painted
ponies.

I'm not asking for any commitments right now, just an expression of
interest in such a thing so I'll know if it is even possible.  Email me
at gdmauldin@ualr.edu or send a postcard to PO box 16114, Little Rock
AR 72231.  Mention it to your rallying friends who might not get the
MMD.

Regards,
Doug Mauldin
Little Rock, Arkansas