Arts & Entertainment

VIDEO: A Carnival Organ Plays Again

Wayland's Earth Day fair was the scene for a special organ's first performance in a long time.

Husband and wife Roger Wiegand and Jean Milburn want to join the carnival.

Kind of.

Once they both retire, they want to take their fully restored Diamond Jubilee Organ on the road, returning it to its roots as a carnival music maker.

Find out what's happening in Waylandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sunday, during Wayland's annual Earth Day fair, they took a step in that direction with the organ's first public performance since being restored.

The enormous organ was built in Paris between 1895 and 1899, according to a press release. For more information on the organ's history, see "."

Find out what's happening in Waylandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Wiegand said Sunday that he bought the organ in 2007 from a seller in New England. When he got it, the organ was disassembled in various boxes and crates. He has spent the past several years restoring the grand instrument so that it is ready to make "children laugh and dance with the beautiful music," the press release reads.

As visitors mingled and checked out the more than 50 booths at the Earth Day fair, the music of the organ drifted over air. Everything from the Beatles to Disney tunes played during the organ's three-hour performance.

For a taste of what was heard Sunday at Wayland's Town Building, check out the video.


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