The beloved but mothballed Fox Trot Carousel may get its comeback. The Tennessee State Museum is asking for proposals from partners to restore and operate the artistic merry-go-round.

The iconic carousel was created by artist Red Grooms and first started spinning in 1998. Instead of horses, it features 36 characters from state history, ranging from Andrew Jackson to Olympian Wilma Rudolph.

But it was put into storage in 2003, as chronicled by Curious Nashville. Visits had declined, and the figures and parts have been in state storage ever since, with officials estimating steep costs to get it going again. The pandemic compounded the issue, and officials say their special carousel committee paused its work at that time as the state museum focused on moving the rest of its collection.

But

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