Local artist to unveil illustration of Idora carousel

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Local artist Bob Barko Jr. will unveil his latest work, an illustration of the carousel that was in old Idora Park in Youngstown, at this weekend’s Summer Festival of the Arts.

Barko, who has been making illustrations of Idora Park scenes for nearly 20 years, will unveil the new piece at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Kilcawley Fountain amphitheater, on the Youngstown State University campus, where the festival takes place.

Titled “Philadelphia Toboggan Company Carousel No. 61,” the illustration shows the classic carousel with information about its history. The carousel was restored in recent years and has been relocated to New York City, where it is a tourist attraction.

Limited-edition prints of the illustration will be sold at Barko’s booth at the YSU festival for $20 (artist’s proofs will cost $50; the original illustration will be offered for $2,400). The festival is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

In September, Barko and his wife, Deana, visited the carousel in New York.

“I’ve wanted to see the carousel in person ever since it was unveiled in 2006,” said Barko. “Once we got there, it was like saying ‘hello’ to an old friend. I closed my eyes and for a moment, I was on the midway at Idora with the sights, sounds, smells and memories flooding back to me. It was emotional and magical, and I got to ride the lead horse one more time.”

Barko’s color pencil and ink computer-enhanced illustration took more than 60 hours to complete. The 16- by 20-inch limited-edition piece depicts the carousel, which was in Idora Park from 1922 to 1984, as it appears today.