MINDEN — Waylon Petersen wore a wary look as his family entered the white red-trimmed pavilion. Then the 2-year-old started dancing when the calliope music began playing. And when his grandpa hoisted him on a race horse, Waylon’s lingering suspicion turned to joy.

Over decades, similar scenes had unfolded countless times on the more than century-old carousel at the Harold Warp Pioneer Village, a 20-acre attraction packed with historical items in the heart of Nebraska. Then they stopped.

Time and Mother Nature made the carousel — once a source of unforgettable moments — little more than a crumbling memory.

Until Aug. 1, when Waylon and three other generations of his family embarked on the carousel’s first public ride since falling into ruin 20 years earlier.

They had a small but dedicat

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