Carousel Horse Dedicated To 'The Mayor Of Prospect Park' On Retirement

PROSPECT PARK, NY — The Mayor of Prospect Park has retired her post.

After a 26-year run with Prospect Park Alliance and roles in beloved NYC parks, Margaret Ring decided to hang up her hat over the weekend.

The alliance dedicated a carousel horse in her honor at a ceremony Friday to commemorate her "celebrity" tenure as Carousel Manager in Brooklyn's Backyard. Ring was previously honored with a tree near Grecian Shelter, according to Brooklyn Paper.

"I'm not gonna be here but my horse and my tree [will]," Ring said.

Ring said some of her favorite moments are when people recognize her as the "nice lady who ran the paddle boats," or something similar.

Known lovingly as "The Mayor of Prospect Park," Ring could be found at different points of her career at the carousel, the Parade Ground, the paddle boats and Central Park's Wollman Rink. She could also be spotted riding a golf cart with her Shih Tzu Percy.

"[You] have been really the steward of so many magical moments in the childhoods of people who now come back with their own kids," said Prospect Park Alliance President Morgan Monaco, addressing Ring at Friday's ceremony. "You are behind what makes that magic happen."

"That, I'll treasure and that I'll miss the most," Ring said.

Ring said she remembers coming to the park as a kid — "it was magical." And even after dips in park maintenance, the alliance came in and brought the park back to life, a project catapulted by a carousel revamp, Ring said.

"I've seen this park at its best, I've seen this park at its worst," Ring said.

The carousel was carved in 1912 by a renowned carver, restored by the alliance in 1990, and restored again in 2020.

"It brings happiness to everyone, whether you're 3 years old or 65 years old — everyone loves to come to the carousel," Ring said.

Ring is always willing to go the extra mile to make sure park-goers get that magical Brooklyn moment, Monaco said.

"You're known because you open your warmth and your heart to this community, and you are part of what that magic is for [people] who grow up in Prospect Park," Monaco said.