Carousel efforts are riding high

SANDPOINT — A team of volunteers have been busy restoring the 1920 Allan Herschell Carousel since it was released from hibernation two years ago.

A year after the Carousel of Smiles was unveiled to the Sandpoint community, Clay and Reno Hutchison, who rescued the Carousel of Smiles from its 64-year slumber, unveiled the carousel once again, this time in its fully assembled, unrestored form.

It was subsequently disassembled and, now, the Hutchisons are again inviting the public to see the progress made on the restoration of the historic carousel.

The first group of ponies that are “back in paint,” as well as the first group of art panel paintings done by local artists, will be on display at a reception and open house this weekend.

“I am so excited,” Reno Hutchison said of the pony restoration. “Putting the color on them is really making them come back to life.”

A group dubbed by the Hutchisons as the “Godfather Squad” — they have to remove the heads of the ponies for proper restoration — has been busy restoring the wood aspects of the ponies.

Fourteen of the ponies are in various stages of restoration, and three of them were handed off to the painting team, known as “Painters of the Lost Art,” the Hutchisons said in a statement. The three ponies, which are nearing completion, will be on display during the weekend.

The display will ultimately show a progression of the restoration process, from an unrestored pony to the nearly completed ponies, with a couple ponies in different stages of restoration in between, Reno Hutchison said.

Also on display will be the first submissions for the art panel project. A carousel’s art panels are what create the character and theme — they are the “heart and soul” of a carousel, the couple said in the statement.

Clay Hutchison said there are more than 10 artists who have submitted paintings for the project, following a workshop and call for local artists in September.

The “Golden Age” carousel had been packed into two cargo trailers and stored in a field, when a Midwest traveling fair shut down after the 1952 season and never reopened. The Hutchisons saved the carousel from being broken up and sold at auction when they purchased it 18 years ago, moving it to a storage barn in upstate New York until it was delivered to Sandpoint in 2016.

Since then, the community has adopted the project, with many volunteers across the multifaceted project.

“We are overwhelmed by the volunteer enthusiasm and support that we have had, and we can’t wait to show them off,” Reno Hutchison said.

This weekend’s events will commence with a champagne reception from 5-8 p.m. Friday, in celebration of the “first color and life” coming back to Sandpoint’s carousel, the couple said in the statement, as well as to celebrate the volunteers who have “worked so hard and with such enthusiasm.”

The open house will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The location of the event is fitting as well, the couple said, as it will be held in the historic building at 113 Main St. in Sandpoint, known recently as the home of Truby’s Health Food Market. The building has been under a two-year renovation by John Ford, Reno Hutchison said.

“It’s really beautiful,” Hutchison said of the building.

“It is going to be a treat for people to see that renovated space as well.”

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.