John Armando, or possibly Hans, was a fixture in Hartford for many years. This photo was taken at the carousel just after it opened in 1975. He was born in France and spoke several languages including Esperanto. He had been a bicycle racer in his youth and some stories relate that he was an excellent racer and was in the Olympics and raced in one Tour de France in its early years.

He would stand in the middle of Hartford’s business district at 4 am and enjoy his accordion’s sound echoing off the tall buildings. He was an intelligent man who lived a difficult life, but on his own terms!