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SANDPOINT — One by one, the ponies were carefully led from their home of the past few years out into the sunshine.

Their manes gleaming, crisp paint and bright colors capping painstaking restoration, and accompanied by a pair of handlers, the parade by the Carousel of Smiles was in part a way to celebrate its move to its hoped-for permanent home and a way to thank the community for its support by giving a sneak peek of the completed carousel ponies.

Slowly, held steady by their handlers, the ponies were led down the ramp of their now-former studio at Fifth and Cedar onto the adjacent walking path where the ponies were lined up to the delight of several dozen fans who turned out to watch the parade.

Then, once all of the ponies were safely on the path, the parade began the move to what Carousel of Smiles founders Clary and Reno Hutchison refer to as their "stable" in the old Bizarre Bazaar building on Church Street. Led by Reno Hutchison wearing a marching band hat and carrying a stick pony as a baton, the parade took off to applause and cheers.

"It was heartening to hear the crowd," Clay Hutchison said of the cheers and applause from those gathered along the walking path and the Oktoberfest celebration at Matchwood Brewing. "… It just brought a big smile to everyone's faces and that made it worth it for everyone who participated (in the parade)."

Reno Hutchison admits to a bit of butterflies as she watched the ponies approach the ramp leading to the path and then make the several-block journey to the Church Street site.

"The excitement of seeing them all in a row, coming down into the building that's going to be their home was just, what's the word, magical," she said. "It was magical seeing them all come into their hopefully forever home."

Carousel of Smiles officials are working to buy the building and give the ponies both a permanent home. The goal, the Hutchisons said, is to blend the existing operations, studio and workshop into one site and transform the location into a showcase carousel for the community. 

The nonprofit has leased the building and, with that, has the opportunity to purchase the Church Street site. That allows the Carousel of Smiles to begin work on a capital campaign to buy the site and renovate the building into a showcase facility for the community. The Hutchisons said they are excited about the building's potential and the future — that after years of unknowns and frustrations, the Carousel of Smiles could have a permanent home.

More than 40 people took part in the move, with the majority of the ponies being escorted to their new home in the first trip and about a half-dozen ponies making the move on a second trip. The volunteers made quick work of the move, something Clay Hutchison estimates would have taken several days if they had to do the move on their own with the ponies in the back of a pickup truck.

"This allowed us to do this in a really fun way," he added. "Not only was there the practical aspect (of the move) but we all had a lot of fun doing it with big smiles all around."

The ponies were greeted at the "stables" by several dozen visitors throughout the afternoon who were treated to the sight of the carousel's inhabitants lined up as they will be once it is put together. Music from the original organ that accompanied the carousel filled the space off and on throughout the afternoon, adding a festive touch and generating smiles from kids of all ages who turned out to celebrate the ponies.

Work on the carousel is about 85% complete. Three horses need woodwork completed, and another eight need painting completed. Also, some of the mechanisms that run the carousel need work, as do its floor and some of the gears. They are working with the Bonner County History Museum on ideas on how to paint the 14 murals that will go along the outside of the carousel.

Roughly eight years after bringing the ponies to town and seven years after introducing "the ponies" to the community in 2017, the Carousel of Smiles will be reuniting the herd at a special event at the Bonner County Fairgrounds in November. The Carousel Fun Fair will bring together area nonprofits, activities, and exhibits — and showcase the carousel, expected to be completed and operational by fall 2025.

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.

"It's been time and the love of the volunteers who have been doing this which is incredible," Clay Hutchison said. "You couldn't do this kind of project without the volunteer group. In this day and age, it's just too much time, too much effort, too much cost to do it."

It is, for the volunteers and the Hutchisons 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.

A bit of that magic could be seen and heard as the ponies made their way to their new home, with applause and cheers as many residents pulled out their cellphones to video the parade and to capture a photo of their favorite ponies.

"They were excited," Clay Hutchison said. "There were some kids, too, actual kids and adult kids who were cheering and smiling and going, 'That's my favorite.' You love to hear that. When we do the Fourth of July and you hear the hoops and hollers and the excitement, that's why we're doing this."

While the exact amount of a capital campaign to buy and transform the building depends on multiple factors, the Hutchisons estimate it will cost about $2 million. They plan to spend the next several months mapping just what that campaign will entail and what the purchase and renovation of the building will cost.

A soft rollout of the campaign is expected and there will be plenty of options for everyone to take part. The couple said they want the community to continue to be involved in the project and note that grants and donations, both big and small, will be needed for the Carousel of Smiles to open its doors.

However, they said they are confident that will happen and have seen nothing but support from the community which has adopted the carousel project.

"We're just happy to be along for the ride because it's gone way past Reno and I now," Clay Hutchison said. "We're just hanging on and seeing where it goes."

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 original condition and intact with their ponies and mechanisms. Next fall, Sandpoint will join that list.

Information: thecarouselofsmiles.org

    Volunteers bring a Carousel of Smiles pony into its new Church Street home where the nonprofit hopes to create a showcase attraction.
  

    Ponies from the Carousel of Smiles begin their careful journey along the bike patch to their new Church Street "stables."