Carousel unveiling sure to bring smiles

SANDPOINT — Tangible magic. 

For Reno and Clay Hutchison, that's what the carousel of smiles represents. 

And, for only the second time since they were stored away in two trucks and then forgotten, the ponies will once again be prancing in public. 

After an unveiling Friday night, the public will have a chance to celebrate the carousel — and the community's nonprofits — at the Carousel Fun Fair. 

In addition to the carousel, now 85% completed, the community will have a chance to learn about more than 35 of the area's nonprofits, explore a variety of interactive exhibits and activities and find out about the carousel's future home. 

The family-friendly event, the Hutchisons said, will be a "day of joy, laughter, activities and community." Held at the Bonner County Fairgrounds, 4203 N. Boyer Road, the event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The carousel will be unveiled at 11 a.m. Performing holiday music from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. will be the Herndon Girls, and from 1:30 to 3 p.m., the North Idaho Old-Time Fiddlers will perform. 

"This is a day you won’t want to miss," Clay Hutchison said. "Bring your whole family and enjoy a day packed with fun. Discover the vibrant community spirit of North Idaho as you explore the variety of interactive exhibits and activities designed to showcase the amazing work being done by nonprofit organizations in our community." 

The event gives the community a chance to immerse themselves in a unique alternative giving fair, Hutchison said. In addition to learning about the community's nonprofits, how they work, what services are offered and the stories behind the organizations' names. Attendees can also make a donation in honor of a loved one or receive a special holiday gift.

"Each gift comes with a card acknowledging your generous contribution in the name of someone special," he said. "This is a great way to give gifts this holiday season that have an impact on your local community." 

Because they have gotten so much from fellow nonprofit organizations, the Hutchisons said the fair allows them to celebrate those who work hard every day to make the community a better place. 

"This event is more than a fair; it’s a celebration of community, generosity, and joy," Clay Hutchison said. "Connect with local nonprofits, participate in engaging activities, and find meaningful ways to contribute to the causes close to your heart." 

The fair is also a chance to see the carousel for the first time since "the ponies" were introduced to the community in 2017 after the couple brought them to town the year before. 

The couple had been alerted that a complete carousel was going up for auction by a family member. After winning the auction in 2000, the Hutchisons stored the carousel — still untouched in the two cargo trailers — at a storage facility in New York until bringing it to Sandpoint with dreams of launching a nonprofit so that the community could have its own carousel. 

Restoration of the 1920s Allan Herschel carousel is about 85% complete and the Carousel of Smiles has leased the former Bizarre Bazaar location on Church Street. With an option to buy, "The Stables" site allows them to refocus on the project's location and facility aspects with the goal of transforming it into a centerpiece for the downtown. 

The couple said they are thankful for the community's support and the dedication of Carousel of Smiles volunteers, who have done everything from restoring the ponies to rebuilding the mechanics to stripping off what remained of the paint and carefully giving them a new look. 

The fair gives them a chance to showcase their volunteers' hard work and to show how far the ponies have come since those early days when only faded paint recalled the joy and magic they once produced on a daily basis. 

The project, for both the volunteers and the Hutchisons, is a labor of love, a gift to the community they have come to love, and a celebration of the magic that carousels bring, the couple said. 

"Carousels are just magic," Reno Hutchison said, a smile lighting her face as she watched volunteers piece the carousel back together. "They are just magic, tangible magic." 

Fewer than 200 wooden carousels from the golden age of carousels, roughly the period from the late 1800s to 1930, still exist out of more than 3,000. Of those 200 or so, even fewer are in their original condition and with their ponies and mechanisms intact. Sandpoint is expected to join that list in fall 2025. 

Information: thecarouselofsmiles.org

    Volunteers make adjustments to the Carousel of Smiles as they work to put the Golden Age carousel together for only the second time after being purchased by Reno and Clay Hutchison. A cadre of volunteers have been working to restore the carousel since 2017.