Last week, the city of San Bernardino held an auction for the well-known merry-go-round that was housed at the shuttered Carousel Mall in downtown San Bernardino. Colton-based Helm and Sons Amusement namesake Dave Helm came away with the high bid for the carousel of $79,000. Before the auction was performed there were many guesses on what the final bid would be for the iconic memoir of days gone by at the Carousel Mall, with numbers ranging from $50,000 to nearly $75,000. The main competitor for Dave was Frank Kastl who moved up the bidding competition all the way to the final number. The winner was the son-in-law of the founder of the Colton based Carnival Time Shows and his company has provided many carnival events at festivals, corporate events and movie productions throughout California. Helm and Sons is looking currently to provide amusement rides for the upcoming San Bernardino County Fair in Victorville and then move forward to Las Vegas for the Electric Daisy Carnival.
Once the merry-go-round is removed from the Carousel Mall, the city fathers and leaders are looking forward for a new mix-use development to bring new restaurants, stores and housing to the 43 acre site. The council is hoping it mirrors the developments in both the downtown areas of Riverside and Pasadena. The Mall was once the main stay of activity in the downtown area, but has been closed for over a year after trying to keep the doors open with a mix of office users and retail outlets. Outside competition from other local cities and other fashion outlets had diminished the clientele to draw from. The city is looking for a new face for retail and residential growth in the downtown area.