Coming around again

COEUR d'ALENE - Sold, donated and looking for a home.

Coeur d'Alene's historic carousel could make a return to the Lake City as soon as next year - and not for a stop over, but for good.

Retired real estate developer and soon-to-be citizen of Coeur d'Alene John Foote and his wife, Pat, purchased the 20-horse machine from owner Duane Perron this week with the intent of giving the ride to Coeur d'Alene forever.

To finish off the deal, it's up to the people of Coeur d'Alene.

What's needed is a location and building to house it, without using a penny of government money.

"My intention on this project is to be no burden on the taxpayers whatsoever," said Foote, of Eagle, "We want it privately done, and set up as a foundation."

A meeting is being planned in the coming week to see how that could happen. Meantime, nothing in the $250,000 deal stipulates where the carousel would have to go. It's just a matter of people getting together and agreeing.

The carousel's former home was Playland Pier near Independence Point in the 1940s, '50s and '60s before the waterfront amusement park was phased out in 1973.

The Perrons - who own 21 carousels and operate the International Museum of Carousel Art in Hood River, Ore. - bought Coeur d'Alene's ride at a 1987 auction in Puyallup, Wash., and spent $125,000 restoring it.

Duane's wife, Carol, is from Coeur d'Alene and spent her youth at Playland Pier. Carol wanted to return the ride home around 10 years ago, but talk of a deal died out.

Now the Perrons are building a new museum, and Coeur d'Alene's carousel isn't making it in the new building, so the family reached out again in December to see if Coeur d'Alene would be interested.

That's when Foote read an article in The Press about kicking the dust off the old deal.

"Nostalgia," Foote said of his reason to jump to action, calling it one of his only philanthropic acts.

Foote, from Billings, Mont., worked as a child with his family at Wonderland Amusement, where he learned the ins and outs of carousels. The Footes were in Coeur d'Alene over Christmas looking for property when they saw the article. They're planning to move here in April.

"I was thinking, as I get older, I'm 66, wouldn't it be fun to sit on a park bench and watch the kids," Foote said. "We have to start with the kids, hey, they're our future and we have to keep thinking about them."

Now come the details. Foote said he has loaned the yet-to-be-formed foundation $50,000 to get it going.

McEuen Field might be out of the question as a possible location.

Mayor Sandi Bloem said when discussion of returning the carousel began, it was noted that the building it requires wouldn't fit McEuen Field's revitalization plan.

But the city would be happy to sit down for proposals, she said Friday. There could be challenges on location, such as how close it could be placed to a neighborhood, but Bloem said the city applauded the donation.

"As we've seen in the past, passionate groups get things done," she said.

The Perrons are excited it has come this far, something they've pursued for the last decade.

"Both of us wanted it to happen," said Duane Perron of the sale with Foote. "I just wanted that thing to come home as fast as possible."