All smiles at the Carousel Fun Fair

The nearly restored Carousel of Smiles. Photo by Clay Hutchison.

The Carousel of Smiles celebrated its bright future at its new home at 504 Church St. with a second unveiling of the nearly restored “Golden Age” 1920 Allan Herschell carousel at the Carousel Fun Fair, held Nov. 22-23 at the Bonner County Fairgrounds.

Attendees had the chance to get up close to the freshly painted ponies and learn more about the long-term vision for the proposed carousel

Reno Hutchison helps push the carousel at the “Unveiling 2.0” on Nov. 22 at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. Photo by Clay Hutchison.

pavilion and activity center on Church Street.

Visionaries Reno and Clay Hutchison assembled the carousel for the first time in 66 years back in December 2017 at the first unveiling, when the ponies were still rough from their years of disuse. Before that time, the carousel had been gathering dust, left forgotten in two trailers in a Kansas field.

The Hutchisons revived the treasure and officially began restorations in 2018. Volunteers and artisans have since repaired and repainted most of the 36 intricate horses and the ride’s body, all leading up to November’s “Unveiling 2.0.”

For more information, visit thecarouselofsmiles.org.