Carousel of Smiles spins closer to completion
Carousel of Smiles volunteers work to set up the center pole as they prepare for Saturday's unveiling of the historic carousel.
Photo courtesy CLAY HUTCHISON
SANDPOINT — The ponies are going out on parade.
For the third time, the Carousel of Smiles is setting up its nearly completed carousel at the Bonner County Fairgrounds and inviting the community to come celebrate.
The carousel, which is about 90% complete, recently had more than 400 lights replaced with new LED bulbs, thanks to a donation from GE. The lights have been installed, along with new artwork created by some of the region’s top artists.
The public is invited to view the operating carousel as the Carousel of Smiles showcases its volunteers and celebrates its supporters, said Reno and Clay Hutchison, founders of the nonprofit.
The carousel is being set up in the main exhibit hall at the Bonner County Fairgrounds and will be open to the public from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday.
Having the carousel live and operating at the fairgrounds gives attendees of Idaho Fish and Game’s North Idaho Bear Fair another attraction to enjoy, the Hutchisons said. It also gives the community another sneak peek at the carousel, which last operated in 1952 at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, Kan.
About 30 of the carousel’s 36 “ponies” are complete, with several others in the primer stage awaiting their final look. A few more are nearing completion, restored by the “Godfather Squad” — the nickname given to the volunteer craftsmen painstakingly working to bring the century-old carousel horses back to life. Artwork panels are also being completed, including inset panels and a 56-foot-long mural depicting the history of North Idaho.
The couple moved the carousel to the former Co-Op Gas & Supply Co. building in August 2024, with hopes of transforming the property into its future home.
“The property, with its rich history, is an ideal location for the carousel, creating a bridge to the envisioned Granary/Arts District and the primary downtown core,” the couple previously said.
Built in the 1930s, the site has also housed a tire and auto repair shop, a design studio, and more recently, Marketplace Antiques, the Pie Hut, and the Community Assistance League.
The Hutchisons bought the carousel in 2000, fulfilling a lifelong dream of Reno Hutchison. Growing up in Butte, Mont., she fell in love with carousels after her first ride on the Columbia Gardens carousel. When that carousel burned down in 1973, she was devastated and dreamed of finding one of her own.
When the Hutchisons learned that what would become the Carousel of Smiles was up for auction — discovered in two cargo trailers abandoned in a Kansas field — they saw a chance to make that dream come true. After winning the bid, they moved the trailers to a storage facility in New York, eventually bringing them to Sandpoint in 2016 when city officials envisioned making City Beach a year-round destination for locals and visitors.
Fewer than 200 wooden carousels from the golden age — roughly the late 1800s to 1930 — still exist out of more than 3,000. Of those, even fewer remain in original condition, intact with their ponies and mechanisms. Soon, Sandpoint will join that rare list.
Information: thecarouselofsmiles.org