Sandpoint Reader: All smiles at the Carousel Fun Fair

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All smiles at the Carousel Fun Fair

November 29, 2024

The nearly restored Carousel of Smiles. Photo by Clay Hutchison.

The Carousel of Smiles celebrated its bright future at its new home at 504 Church St. with a second unveiling of the nearly restored “Golden Age” 1920 Allan Herschell carousel at the Carousel Fun Fair, held Nov. 22-23 at the Bonner County Fairgrounds.

Attendees had the chance to get up close to the freshly painted ponies and learn more about the long-term vision for the proposed carousel

pavilion and activity center on Church Street.

Visionaries Reno and Clay Hutchison assembled the carousel for the first time in 66 years back in December 2017 at the first unveiling, when the ponies were still rough from their years of disuse. Before that time, the carousel had been gathering dust, left forgotten in two trailers in a Kansas field.

The Hutchisons revived the treasure and officially began restorations in 2018. Volunteers and artisans have since repaired and repainted most of the 36 intricate horses and the ride’s body, all leading up to November’s “Unveiling 2.0.”

See article here.

Reno Hutchison helps push the carousel at the “Unveiling 2.0” on Nov. 22 at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. Photo by Clay Hutchison.

 

The Daily Bee: Carousel Fun Fair brings smiles, information

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Carousel Fun Fair brings smiles, information

Chester McIntire takes his grandfather Monie Young around the Carousel of Smiles as they explore the Golden Age carousel at a Friday unveiling prior to Sunday’s Carousel Fun Fair. The fun fair attracted more than 33 nonprofits from the community, giving them a chance to connect with the community and for residents a chance to learn about the services they offer. Photo by CAROLINE LOBSINGER

by CAROLINE LOBSINGER
Staff Writer | November 24, 2024 1:00 AM

SANDPOINT — Community.

At the heart of it, that is what Saturday’s Carousel Fun Fair was all about.

From Kaniksu Land Trust, the Sandpoint Senior Center, and Scotchman Peaks to Selkirks-Pend Oreille Transit Authority, Bonner Homeless Transitions and the Bonner Community Food Bank, the 33 nonprofits gathered in the main exhibit hall at the fairgrounds showed a diversity of services and ways to enrich the community.

Ainzley and Luna Ahner came out to the Carouse Fun Fair to catch a glimpse of the 1920 Allan Herschell 36 pony carousel at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. The Golden Age carousel served as a centerpiece attraction for the event as hundreds of people attended the event to see the carousel and learn about local nonprofits.

“When you look around this room, the carousel brought the community here, and when you look around at all the different booths, every aspect of our community is being represented in this room right now,” Dig Chrismer, rural engagement officer with Innovia Foundation, said. “Having all of us under one roof is spectacular, because there are organizations that you wouldn’t know that are aware of each other that work together, and they all are collaborating and aware that we all serve different needs. My heart is so just so happy.”

Chrismer said the origins of the fair date back to a monthly gathering of local nonprofit executive directors. At one of the meetings, Clay Hutchison of the Carousel of Smiles told fellow nonprofit leaders that the carousel was going to be renting out the fairgrounds and invited them to come join the fun.

They could, he told the groups, put up booths to both share information about what they do and, at the same time, give the public a chance to donate to their cause.

“Everyone was like, ‘That is a great idea,'” said Chrismer, who volunteered to help, adding it gave her a way to showcase the amazing organizations found in Bonner County.

The fair allowed the nonprofits to tell their story, Chrismer said.

“A lot of people in our community know that there’s a lot of nonprofits, but I don’t think they really understand what a lot of the nonprofits are doing. I don’t think they really understand the work that’s being done by this community.”

Equally as important, it allows the community to meet the people behind organizations — their child may go to school with the child of someone who works at a local nonprofit, or they may be a familiar face on their favorite run on Schweitzer.

“It really (puts a face) on those relationships to know who these organizations are and what they’re doing,” Chrismer said. “And it’s thanks to the carousel. I mean, we couldn’t; this is a draw. We couldn’t have done it without that.”

Chrismer said the fun fair attracted a diverse range of nonprofits, among them Dogsmile Adventures, a therapeutic sailing program; 7B Care Clinic; Idaho Trails Association; Master Naturalists; and Sandpoint Waldorf School.

“It’s just a phenomenal mix of our community,” she said. “It’s fantastic. It’s just fantastic.”

Chrismer said she hopes the fair helps the community realize just how much the nonprofits do and how much they add to the community. Many interact with multiple nonprofits in the course of their day or week without even realizing it.

“They do all these things that we just take for granted, and we need to be aware of that,” Chrismer said.

Nonprofits step in and help where the government often can’t go. The void they fill creates a better quality of life for everyone, she added.

“Imagine they were gone. What would it look like to live here?” Chrismer said. “It would not be this special, amazing place that we call home. Sandpoint needs its nonprofit community. Living here and giving back to all these organizations continues to help us keep this quality of life that we all love.”

Area residents take part in a Better Together Animal Alliance vaccination and microchipping event at the Carousel Fun Fair. The animal alliance was one of almost three dozen nonprofits which took part in the Saturday event.

Chrismer credits Carousel of Smiles founders Clay and Reno Hutchison and their vision for the carousel to be a revolving display of community — both literally and physically — connecting everyone to each other.

“As people are walking around, not just seeing this beautiful, amazing carousel that was put together by the most eclectic group of volunteers ever, they’re getting to meet the other eclectic, wonderful groups in our community that support each other, and that’s what gives me hope.”

For Better Together Animal Alliance, taking part in the nonprofit fun fair was an easy year, Paige McGown, development director, said.

“We thought this was the perfect opportunity to get out in our community and tell people what we do while offering free vaccinations and microchip implants,” she said.

By the end of the fun fair, Better Together helped about 200 dogs and cats with the assistance of VCA North Idaho Veterinary Clinic.

While the clinic started at 1 a.m., people started lining up by 8:30 a.m. with their pets. By 9:30, 85 pets had already been registered for vaccinations and microchips, McGowan said.

“Because everything is free, it’s super accessible for people right now,” McGowan said. “It’s very difficult to get into a veterinarian, and the costs can be a little bit tricky for people, especially right now with inflation and the economy.”

Helping several hundred people at a vaccination event is not uncommon, the BTAA development director said. It is a sign of how much people care about their animals and prioritize their health, but for one reason or another, that care is not accessible.

Rebekah Little, Bonner Homeless Transitions executive director, and Debbie Love, executive director of the Bonner Community Food Bank, were also among the almost three dozen nonprofits ringing the Carousel of Smiles. Being a part of the program allowed them to talk about their programs and both help those hesitant to reach out but also educate the community about the critical needs they help address on a daily basis.

Having almost three dozen of the region’s nonprofits under one roof, sharing information on their missions, and spreading the word about their services is invaluable, local representatives said. It also spreads the word to those who might need their services or not realize the wide breadth of services offered by the organizations.

“I think a lot of people really underestimate the power of the nonprofit sector and the gaps that we fill in the community and around the country,” McGowan said. “Having everyone be here together is wonderful because people can learn about the resources that are in their community that exist to help them.”

There are times when someone needs help but doesn’t realize a local nonprofit exists — and that they can help them. Many also don’t know how valuable their donations to nonprofits can be, with every dollar stretched to the maximum, with, in BTAA’s case, 87% of donations going directly into the animal alliance’s services and programs.

“I think a lot of people feel like they can’t give a lot, so many don’t give at all, but it’s the opposite,” McGowan said. “Every penny really counts, and it serves our community.”

Check out the original article here »

Sandpoint Magazine: Farming Flowers, Treasure hunting and Painted Ponies

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CAROUSEL JUST ONE PASSION AMONG MANY FOR RENO AND CLAY HUTCHISON
by Susan Drinkard / Sandpoint Magazine

 It’s been nearly two decades since Clay and Reno Hutchison of Sandpoint rescued a 1920s Allan Herschell carousel abandoned in two trailers in a Kansas field, oddly near Hutchinson, Kansas in Reno County. The couple brought the 36 ponies to Sandpoint in 2016 along with a large dream to see the restored carousel horses go up and down in Sandpoint—specifically at the Sandpoint City Beach.

Since then, they’ve had to shake off disappointments  about where the carousel would be featured. Finally the couple, weary of the years of going round and round about a location. , has rented the former Bizarre Bazaar on Church Street, with an option to buy, to house the  three-pony deep merry-go-round complete with a rotating show of local artists’ work in the frames behind the ponies.

We can’t return we can only look

Behind from where we came

Years of artistic efforts by a dedicated team skilled in woodcrafts, designing, painting, and other talents—from Spokane, Bonners Ferry, and Sandpoint—so talented and dedicated that Clay and Reno well up with gratitude and awe in the telling, have resulted in a completed carousel. And now The Carousel of Smiles has moved to its permanent location in the Granary Arts District next to Marketplace Antiques and the Pie Hut, a building the couple estimate will cost some $2 million to permanently house.

A fundraising event is set for November 22–23 at the Bonner County Fairgrounds where the ponies will be riding together as a herd after years apart, surrounded by a myriad of other nonprofits.

The couple have a way of generating dedication to the project. Clay says it’s because of Reno and Reno says it’s because of Clay and his background, and the Sandpoint community at large.

Carousels bring for many a feeling of nostalgia for childhood joy and innocence. Reno has a wide-eyed love for the ponies and says they even whisper things to her, and each has his or her own personality now that they’ve been revived.

So just who are these people set to make an impact on our local scene?  Well, Clay organizes car races for a living.Reno is a nutritionist. And that’s just for starters.


How did you two meet?

Clay—We met up at Schweitzer in 1997. I was here doing some consulting on the mountain. I sent my two-year-old over to her to tell her she had a wonderful smile.

Reno–I looked at him and said, “Most people use their dogs for that.”

Clay–I tried to get her to meet me for drinks over at Taps, but she didn’t show up. Six months later I got a call from Bobbie Huguenin saying there’s a gal named Reno who wants your phone number.

Reno–I didn’t show the first time because I had three kids and three jobs at the time and I didn’t feel like I had much to offer him. I had to work some things out. We had a long engagement. My oldest son, who just turned 43, is officially older than I am now. (She laughs.) What does this mean? It’s not clear. Clay has two boys and I have two boys and a girl, so we had a blended family.


So how old are you?

Clay—I am eligible for Medicare now.

Reno—I’m 62.

You don’t look it!

Reno—It’s genes, but also, I have an amazing life full of love, support, and a mission.

A lot of people who live here find it important to know how long others have lived here.

Reno—I moved here in 1981 from Montana, a little farming and ranching community, Whitehall. My father built and owned a large greenhouse operation; he mostly farmed flowers. You are literally on 24/7. You have a crop growing every season: poinsettias for Christmastime; mums for fall; bedding plants for spring. It was one of the largest greenhouse operations in the state of Montana. We also had acreage with cattle and horses.


So that is where you trace your love for horses?

Reno—I can’t remember when I didn’t love horses. My life was filled with carousel horses initially in Butte. When we moved to Whitehall my dad bought me a horse.


Did you have an idyllic childhood?

Reno—Yes, I think I had a very idyllic childhood, unlike many childhoods today. There were expectations. We had to work. We had to feed the livestock and work in the greenhouses after school. Having that kind of responsibility at a young age has helped mold me into who I am today. Kids are missing that today. I am not afraid of hard work.

Clay—I grew up in New York City. My parents divorced when I was real young. My biological dad was a lawyer in Florida. My parents were fairly hands-off. I went to boarding school and took a year off between high school and college to travel around the world with my 35 mm Nikon. That’s what started my pseudo-photography career.


What was your favorite place?

Clay–Probably Nepal. I went climbing and trekking in Nepal. I spent a decade doing freelance photography and freelance special effects in the film world. That took me around the world four times, mostly in Asia, the South Pacific, and the Middle East. In an odd sort of way that got me some credentials as a tourism consultant, which took me to Eastern Europe. At that point, I was doing project management…I don’t remember exactly how I fell into treasure hunting in Scotland, but I did that for three years. We were looking for a historic shipwreck.

Reno—See, you should just be interviewing him because he was doing all this fun stuff, and I was raising children. I had my first child at 19.

Clay— We were looking for King Charles I’s baggage ferry with all the kingly goods.

Reno—King Charles I was on his coronation tour [in the 1600s]. He was out showing off. He had carriages of silver table place settings and his sterling silver chamber pot.

Clay—It is a very historical and fascinating period in Scottish history. I was managing that, and that is how I got to Schweitzer.

 

Did you find the ferry?

Clay—No, we never found the ferry, unfortunately. It has been buried under tons of mud at the bottom of the Firth of Forth (estuary near Kincardine, Scotland) for hundreds and hundreds of years in a shipping port.

It gave me a lot of skills because I was dealing with the Crown, governmental entities, the press, Sotheby’s, and the Victoria and Albert Museum (in London). It was a very educational period. A lot of high-tech equipment. It plays into this project because we could generate press. After all, it was how we got a lot of support. We had a joint operation with Prince Andrew before he was disgraced, and the Royal Navy. It was herding a lot of cats.

One of the gentlemen who was a potential investor and who was promoting us was also promoting Schweitzer, oddly enough, and the family that owned Schweitzer, the Brown/Huguenin family, convinced the sisters (in that family) to take a vacation to Scotland. They would tell us about what they were doing here at Schweitzer, and being a longtime skier I came out for a visit and fell in love with the hometown nature of Sandpoint in 1995. Several years later I came out here to do some consulting with Schweitzer and ended up buying some property and developed properties up there and met Reno and bought more property and moved out here in 1997.

Reno—We worked on that project together. It’s called The Spires at Schweitzer. We did that until 2010.

 

So you both are skiers?

Reno—We are both skiers and divers, and we both love to travel.


Who cooks?

Reno—I cook. He grills.


You have done some interesting projects together.

Clay—So we do still have a project left over from the tourism consulting days. We might get back to it. It’s a Medieval village outside of Prague.

Reno—Insert Munch’s scream. It’s an old Medieval village with a moat, Rožmitál. We (the group owning this project) did have it for sale in late 2018 to see what kind of offers we could receive. We elected not to sell it at that time. COVID hit the Czech Republic pretty hard with shutdowns, so it all went dormant. Now the desire is to generate the funds and restore it to repurpose it into an event and cultural center. It is close to Prague, in a nice village situated in a park-like setting.


That is a lofty goal

Reno–There is a lot of support and help from the local town of Rožmitál. So, the “lofty” part is the money raise!

Clay—Coming back to the carousel project, it’s easy because you don’t look at it all at once. You look at it in pieces.

Reno—Clay is good at looking at the big picture and breaking it down into small bites. I tend to look at the big picture and get overwhelmed. When we first unloaded this project and looked at the scope of it, I honestly was so overwhelmed that I didn’t know where to begin. I’m super thankful that Clay had the experience he did to say, ‘This is where we start.’

Clay—Like any project, you find good people to join in. We are fortunate. That’s what this project is about. It’s everybody who is involved. The enthusiasm to be involved exceeded our expectations.

Reno—I’m hoping we will be able to tap into more of those resources as we move from the restoration into the operations.


Reno, you have been quoted as saying this project is to give back to Sandpoint. How did Sandpoint support you in your early days here?

Reno—I was so young when I started my family. I felt supported, especially after I was moving through my divorce. It’s not always easy to live here. Sometimes even in the most difficult moments the community, and the people, held me up. That feeling of support…that love…I want to give back.

 

Will you share about the elevator?

Reno—I remember when my kids were small. We had everything, but we had nothing. We couldn’t afford to ski or do some of the activities that were available to families then. The kids would get cabin fever and so would I. I used to take them to Gunning’s Alley in the middle of winter to ride the elevator.

One of the things I see the carousel bringing to the community is something for families to do, especially during the winter and shoulder seasons, especially for families who don’t have the resources to ski.

Clay—I believe the carousel will be a nice public gathering spot.

Reno—It will be a place for families to come together and enjoy being together and have the magic of a carousel to create memories. I would love to tie in with a place like Creations to have a table of carousel-related art projects. The carousel will bring a year-round activity to Sandpoint.

What I feel when I see carousels is tangible magic…There is so little magic in our world today. I think it’s important to bring magic back, and that’s what we hope to do with the Carousel of Smiles.

 

After nearly 20 years of working on this project, what will you do after the carousel is operational?

Clay—There are a few other carousels out there that need restoration. We have assembled a great team, and we might turn this merry band into a full-blown carousel restoration division.

Reno—Insert Munch scream!

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The Daily Bee: Carousel of Smiles announces potential new home

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Carousel of Smiles announces potential new home

by CAROLINE LOBSINGER
Staff Writer | August 16, 2024 1:00 AM

SANDPOINT —The ponies are on the move.

This time, the 36 ponies, studio, and workshop that make up the Carousel of Smiles are headed to what Clay and Reno Hutchison hope is its final home. The couple announced Wednesday the lease and the option to purchase the former Co-Op Gas & Supply Co. building at 502 Church St.

The move, slated for Oct. 1, will see the carousel come together under one roof, joining Marketplace Antiques and the Pie Hut.

“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 said. 

The block was once home to the Co-Op Gas & Supply Co., built in the 1930s. The site has also been home to a tire and auto repair shop, then a design studio, and more recently, Marketplace Antiques, the Pie Hut, and the Community Assistance League, which recently moved to a Boyer Avenue site.

“The 502 Church Street location will be a great location, and, with Marketplace Antiques and the Pie Hut, great synergy will be created for Sandpoint and all of its residents and visitors,” the couple said.

An artist’s rendition of the potential future home of the Carousel of Smiles.

The couple bought the carousel in 2000, fulfilling a lifelong dream of Reno Hutchison. Growing up in Butte, Mont., she’d fallen 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 a carousel of her own. When the Hutchisons learned the carousel was up for auction, found in two cargo trailers abandoned in a Kansas field, it was a chance to make that dream come true. They moved the trailers to a storage facility in New York, and in 2016 when city officials envisioned making City Beach a year-round destination for locals and visitors alike, the couple opted to bring the carousel to Sandpoint.

“There’s a great quote by Andrew Jackson that basically says, take all the time you need to deliberate, but when the time for deliberation is over, jump in,” Clay Hutchison said of learning the carousel was up for auction. “So we just jumped in and said, ‘We’ve got to buy this thing.'”

It is a similar situation with the building, the couple said.

Wendy Lawrence paints the saddle on one of the Carousel of Smiles ponies.

“It’s sort of like, take all the time you want to deliberate,” Reno Hutchison said. “We’ve spent eight years trying to work with the city, but now (the building) has come available, and it’s time to just go for it.”

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.

“It’s kind of a historic building … It still has a story,” Reno Hutchison said. “We should work with what’s there and make it something really cool.”

The fact that the carousel project is where it is is a testament to the community’s residents and volunteers who have embraced “the ponies,” as Reno Hutchison calls them, as their own. They have taken the historic carousel into their hearts.

The restoration is in the home stretch, and the opportunity provided by the lease, and option to purchase, the Church Street site allows them to refocus on the project’s location and facility aspects.

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.

“It is time to find a home for the carousel and get it operational once again,” the couple said. “Thus, when the opportunity to move to, and possibly purchase, the Church Street location came about, it was time to jump.”

Wendy Lawrence paints the saddle on one of the Carousel of Smiles ponies.

The move to the Church Street site follows a decision to pull back from what felt like a constantly shifting set of priorities and agendas at the city and a potential agreement “more difficult and illusive than anticipated,” the couple said. While disappointed things didn’t work out to locate the carousel close to City Beach, the Hutchisons said they are excited about the Church Street location.

“The reality is, maybe this was meant to be all along … We just have to embrace where we’re at and go forward with it with a happy, positive heart,” Reno Hutchison said.

Failure to reach an agreement had the couple at one point contemplating moving the carousel to another community. They’d been approached by other cities, and the seeming lethargy of some Sandpoint officials toward the project had them wondering if the carousel was meant to be in the community. The momentum and synergy were gone, and efforts to find a way forward seemed to fall on deaf ears, the couple said.

Gabe Gabel concentrates as she finetunes the paint on one of the 36 ponies that make up the Carousel of Smiles, a 1920 Allan Herschel carousel. The carousel is one of a limited number that are intact with their original ponies and mechanisms. Photo courtesy CLAY HUTCHISON

“I’m extremely frustrated, and I’m extremely disappointed that we couldn’t get enough traction with (the city) to make this thing happen in eight years,” Clay Hutchison said. “But the reality is, we’re on a ride, and we’re moving forward and looking to the future. We’ve had time to process what we’re doing, and we’re excited by it.”

 

 

The opportunity to lease the Church Street building has re-energized them. It feels “right,” and they can see the carousel in the space, they said.

“We’re excited about having a spot to say, ‘Hey, if we raise the money, this is our spot. This is going to be home, and we’re excited about that,” Clay Hutchison said.

Having a definitive location allows the carousel to keep moving forward and to keep plans to launch the nonprofit’s next phase.

While things didn’t work out with the city or the City Beach site, the inclusion of the carousel in the city’s City Beach master plan served as a catalyst to push the project forward, Clay Hutchison said.

“It caused us to say it was time to pull these things out of the barn and get this project rolling because otherwise, it’s going to sit in that barn again (and) more missed opportunities,” he added.

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.

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.

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.

“I think it’s important for people to know the dream is coming closer to reality,” Reno Hutchison said.

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Sandpoint Reader:Rounding up the horses

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Rounding up the horses

Carousel of Smiles finds a new home

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

The horses have finally found a home. In 2016, after Clay and Reno Hutchison unpacked two trailers and brought an intact 1920 Allan Herschell carousel into the light for the first time in de-cades, many in the community knew something special had come to Sandpoint. Of more than 3,000 wooden carousels created during the “Golden Age of Carousels” — from 1870-1930 — fewer than 200 are in operation today, and fewer still are original and intact with the same ponies and mechanisms used in their heyday.
Now, after 20,000 volunteer hours of restoration and several changes of venue, the Hutchisons have found a new home for the beloved project: inside the former Bizarre Bazaar building on Church Street and Fifth Avenue.

The Hutchisons announced they would begin moving the 36 ponies, the studio and workshop to the new location on Oct. 1, joining Marketplace Antiques Center and the Pie Hut, which will both remain in their current locations.

“Due to the cooperation of the building owners, we have secured an option to purchase the building, so this may well be the permanent and operat-ing home for the Carousel and its other anticipated art programs,” Clay told the Reader.

The property is an ideal location for the carousel, creating a bridge to the Granary Arts District and the down-town core of Sandpoint.

The Co-Op Gas and Sup-ply Company initially built up the neighborhood in the 1930s, constructing a grain elevator in 1934. After that, 520 Church St. was a tire and auto repair shop in the 1970s, later selling to Celeste Kilmartin and Deanne Johnson, who ran a gallery and design business called Eklektos until the complex became home to Marketplace Antiques and the Pie Hut, with the Community Assistance League’s upscale resale store Bizarre Bazaar occupying the main building.

CAL is moving to a new location at 114 S. Boyer Ave. with a reopening scheduled for the last week of August, and their vacancy opened up the opportunity for the Carousel of Smiles.

When the Hutchisons unpacked and showcased the vintage carousel in 2017, it was the first time the horses had gone on display since being packed up by the Kansas State Fair in 1952. Community members turned out in droves to check out the future Sandpoint attraction, buzzing with excitement for the day the project would be complete.
Then the restoration efforts began, with more than 100 volunteers donating tens of thousands of hours to restore 36 hand-carved horses and the 40-foot diameter mechanism that propels them, as well as rounding boards, original artwork and other elements that made these old carousels something special.

“This is an all-volunteer project with North Idaho artists and craftsmen,” Clay said.

The fact that the carousel had been packed away and resurrected completely intact makes the project even more special.
“It’s very rare to find one intact like this,” Clay said.

Restoration of the carousel — now at 85% — is one of two main hurdles the Hutchisons have faced in bringing the ponies back to life. The other is finding a permanent home to share it with the public.

Since bringing the project to Sandpoint and establishing a nonprofit organization, the Hutchisons have been in yearslong talks with the city of Sandpoint to determine where the carousel would find its forever home. The city’s master planning incorporated the carousel into its vision, with locations like City Beach offered as possibilities. Eventually, the city and the Hutchisons believed the parking lot on Sand Creek just west of City Beach — which locals will remember as the old Lakeside Inn location — would house the carousel in a “cultural house,” inspired by architecture in small towns across Scandinavia. The Hutchisons tapped Tim Boden with Boden Architecture, who designed a unique facility that they said was an example of “destination architecture.”

“Despite not requesting any taxpayer or city funds to be used for this project, working over the years with-in Sandpoint’s governmental dynamics — with its various priorities and agendas — has been more difficult and elusive than anticipated,” Clay said.
After years of back-and-forth discussions with then-City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton, then-Mayor Shelby Rognstad and councilors, the Hutchisons’ dream of finding a home for the carousel continued to experience setbacks as the city’s design competition, lease arrangements with ITD and other hurdles continued to delay the process.
Unable to launch fund-raising efforts because of the uncertainty of where it would end up, the Carousel of Smiles was stuck in limbo.

After Mayor Jeremy Grimm took office in January 2024, the Hutchisons met with him to take the temperature on finding a location. Grimm told the Reader he was a fan of the project, but was pivoting from “visionary amenity projects to practical infrastructure” projects.

“I told them at that point, learning from the James E. Russell Center, the location and placing and encumbering public ground is such a more sensitive process and so wrought with feedback, it’s not something I was comfortable making as an elected official,” Grimm told the Reader.

“If they wanted to pursue that location [along Sand Creek], I was willing to put it to a vote of the public and I would follow the will of the public,” Grimm said.
With the National Carousel Association’s annual convention slated to take place in Sandpoint in September 2025, where the restoration project will be showcased — a huge deal in itself — the Hutchisons felt a great deal of pressure to secure a home. When the 520 Church St. location opened up, they jumped on it.
“I think time brings you to exactly where you need to be,” said Reno. “Like so many other aspects of this project, it’s almost like it’s fate that that building came available at a time when we really needed to house it.”

Even though it didn’t work out with the carousel and the city of Sandpoint, Grimm applauded the project.

“I’m thrilled they found a private sector solution that works for them and works for their supporters,” he said. “I think the carousel will inevitably be a draw and benefit downtown. It will be of interest to many people. It’s unique and that location will anchor it near the arts district. … I salute anyone who is that passionate to put that much of their personal financial backing and energy to preserve a historic timepiece.”

The Hutchisons told the Reader they expect restoration efforts to wrap up soon, with the carousel ready to operate by the fall of 2025. The completion of the project is especially touching for Reno, who said it’s a way to give back to this community that has given her so much over the years.

“I’ve lived here since 1981 and I was a single parent of three children a lot of those years,” she said. “It was hard to live here as a sin-gle parent. That I can give something like this to the community that held me up through some of my hardest moments, I can’t even find a word to describe how that makes me feel. It’s a way for me to pass on some magic that I always wanted to create for my own kids but couldn’t.”

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Merry-Go-Roundup – Another First-Timer’s View of the Convention

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Merry-Go-Roundup  featured The Carousel of Smiles in its Winter 2023 issue.

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Sandpoint Magazine marks progress of carousel restoration

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Sandpoint Magazine featured The Carousel of Smiles in its Winter 2024 issue, observing its progress in restoration with the headlined article “Carousel … On the Way to Reality.”

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Sandpoint Reader: Carousel of Smiles restoration passes halfway point

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The Carousel of Smiles restoration project, initiated in 2018 by Clay and Reno Hutchison, is approaching completion with over 10,000 volunteer hours invested in the meticulous restoration of the 1920 Allan Herschell carousel. Currently, 18 out of 36 horses have been fully restored, with plans to finish the restoration by 2024. The project includes an innovative building designed by local architect Tim Boden, situated along Sand Creek at the old Lakeside Inn location, serving as both a carousel house and a cultural center. The proposed facility, with a second-floor balcony, art gallery space, and solar panels, aims to be a year-round community space hosting various events and activities. While initially considering City Beach, the Hutchisons are now exploring a location at the Sand Creek parking lot, awaiting the land transfer process with the Idaho Transportation Department for approval. Despite the hurdles, the Hutchisons remain optimistic, emphasizing the community’s overwhelming support and excitement for the carousel’s future home in Sandpoint.

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The Daily Bee: Carousel’s ‘ponies’ closing in on home of their own

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The Carousel of Smiles in Sandpoint, Idaho, is making significant progress towards completion, thanks to the efforts of the community and the owners, Reno and Clay Hutchinson. The golden age carousel, purchased in 2000, is being meticulously restored with the help of volunteers, including the “Gear and Grease Gang” and the “Godfather Squad.” The restoration process involves careful painting and attention to detail, with each horse taking over 400 hours of work before it is handed off to the artists. The Hutchinsons presented updated renderings of the Carousel Pavilion Arts and Events Center to the Sandpoint City Council, emphasizing the carousel’s role as the centerpiece of the facility. The Hutchinsons envision the carousel becoming a year-round attraction, contributing to the community’s economic lifestyle and providing a space for various events. The current plan places the carousel at Sand Creek, offering access to both City Beach and downtown Sandpoint. While the carousel is the highlight of the building, the facility is designed to be a multi-use complex, allowing for flexibility in its use.

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