Carousel horse dedicated to Margaret Ring, ‘mayor of Prospect Park’

This ‘Ring’ is golden, not brass

June 6, 2023 Mary Frost

Prospect Park Alliance friends and staffers applaud former Carousel Manager, Margaret Ring, at the ceremony dedicating a carousel steed in her honor. Photo courtesy of Ken Brown

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One of the 53 magnificent horses on the Prospect Park Carousel has been dedicated to the unofficial “Mayor of Prospect Park,” Margaret Ring.

Ring, former Carousel Manager and a familiar face to thousands of regular park goers, has retired after a quarter century of service at the Prospect Park Alliance.

In a celebration at the Carousel on June 2, Alliance President Morgan Monaco unveiled a plaque under Ring’s special horse which reads, “Margaret Ring, in honor of 25 years of loving service.”

A native Brooklynite, Ring has worked all over the park during her tenure — at the Carousel, the former Wollman Rink, the pedal boats and the Parade Ground.

The magnificent steed dedicated on June 2 to Prospect Park Alliance’s former Carousel Manager, Margaret Ring. Photo courtesy of Ken Brown

“I have a favorite memory at each site. From place to place, I saw and got to know the same people — the same people visited the carousel and you saw them on the paddle boats. People playing soccer at the Parade Ground were the same people who came to the skating rink,” she said.

Sometimes people will recognize her on the subway, “And I’ll hear ‘Prospect Park is in the house!’ That makes you feel good,” Ring said.

And just the other day she was driving her friend’s car when the battery died on Fort Hamilton Parkway and 65th Street. “A guy jumps out of a car with a jumper to give me a jump. He said, ‘You’re the nice lady at the park who ran the pedal boats.’

“Prospect Park is the Garden of Eden, it’s the jewel,” Ring said, crediting the Alliance for restoring the park to its former glory. “You know, I was that kid who saw it as a beautiful Park … my father ran track here, my parents got engaged here, it was magical. [But when] I used to take my dog up here, I used to have to pull the glass out of his feet, and the benches were all broken. I’ve seen this park at its best and at its worst. So I can be that true Brooklynite who says if it wasn’t for the Alliance, we wouldn’t have this beautiful park.”

Prospect Park Alliance President Morgan Monaco led the dedication ceremony for Margaret Ring at the Prospect Park Carousel. Photo courtesy of Ken Brown

“I mean, this is Brooklyn’s backyard. And especially since the COVID, I think people realize what the parks mean to them and everybody,” she added.

Prospect Park President Morgan Monaco recalled how Ring would greet old friends and new faces as she drove her golf cart around the park alongside her adorable Shih Tzu, Percy.

“You have been the steward of so many magical moments in the childhood of people who now come back with their own kids … and you are behind what made that magic happen,” Monaco said. “It’s the attention to detail; it’s knowing exactly how to go that extra mile for that customer service … You are known because you open your heart and your warmth to this community.”

The Prospect Park Alliance unveiled a plaque under Margaret Ring’s special horse which reads, “Margaret Ring, in honor of 25 years of loving service.” Photo courtesy of Ken Brown

Monaco said she spoke for the almost 200 people who work for the Alliance, “To say thank you so much for everything that you contributed to not just the Carousel, not just Prospect Park, but to Brooklyn.”

Ring said she felt honored and privileged to have a Carousel horse dedicated in her honor. Speaking about her grand-nephew and young family members, “They’ll always come back knowing that’s Margaret’s horse.”