This weekend enjoy some family-friendly fun and local history at Oak Meadow Park with back-to-back celebrations for National Carousel Day and Billy Jones Day!
National Carousel Day: July 25th
Today, Saturday July 25th 2026, is National Carousel Day! To celebrate, take a ride on the historic (and beautifully restored) W.E. “Bill” Mason Carousel. Come learn about the history of this centenarian ride from carousel volunteers, or just enjoy the music of the band organ, the lights, the art, and festivities. Did you know that each horse has a name? Not only that, you can learn a little about each horse (or even adopt one) by visiting the Carousel Horses page on the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad website.
Hear a little more about what to expect from Will Whitney here: https://fb.watch/IAOlcNzb5Z/ And adults and older kids may enjoy reading about the preservation project, covered in this Los Gatan article by Amanda Senior earlier this year: In the workshop with carousel restorer Cheryl Stuermer.
Billy Jones Day: Last Sunday in July
The last Sunday of July is Billy Jones Day, also this weekend on July 26th! This annual celebration “honor[s] the man who started it all by doing things the way he did on his ranch.” (BJWWR) That means all rides (on both the train and carousel) are an open donation instead of their usual fee – donate as much or as little as you like to support the nonprofit, Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad, Inc., that is keeping these rides running and open to the public, and preserving them and their history for the next generation.
This year they’re going full-steam ahead and firing up all the locomotives plus one guest steam enegine for the event!
Both days, the train and carousel will be on their usual summer weekend hours, running from 10:30am – 4:30pm. The Snack Shack will be open both days from 11:00am – 3:30pm. There may be a fee of $6 to park at the Oak Meadow Parking lot if there is an attendant at the booth, however the lot can fill up early on summer weekends, so plan accordingly!
