Belmont Park was opened in 1925, as the Mission Beach Amusement Center. Originally built to provide recreation and amusement, it was also intended to help its owners sell land on Mission Beach. In the early 1980s, the park fell into disrepair, drawing the homeless, and vagrants selling drugs. The city found new owners to redevelop the park, and by the 1990s, it had been revamped and open to millions of visitors. This carousel is an antique reproduction. It features historical and patriotic decorations, including this Liberty Head, draped in the national colors. I moved in on it with a long telephoto lens to best convey the expression of the figure and the details showing the wear and tear of time upon its face. While this face may be peeling and patched, it still conveys the sense of tradition inherent in an antique carousel.