SANDPOINT, Idaho — Everyone loves a parade — especially when "the ponies" are involved.
Accompanied by a "handler," a majority of the Carousel of Smiles ponies are slated to leave the nonprofit's current studio Saturday and head to their new home. After leaving the studio, the ponies will roll along the bike path and travel through Matchwood Brewing's Oktoberfest celebration en route to their new stables.
Carousel of Smiles founders Clay and Reno Hutchison said about 20 to 25 of the carousel's 36 ponies will be on a rolling stand as they roll from the Carousel of Smiles studio at Fifth and Cedar to their new "stable" at 502 Church St. at the old Bizarre Bazaar location.
The parade route will take the ponies through Saturday's Oktoberfest celebration at Matchwood Brewing to give the carousel's fans a chance to get an up-close look at some of the completed carousel ponies. Carousel of Smiles officials will host an information booth at the Oktoberfest celebration and an open house will be held at the Church Street "stable.
The ponies are slated to leave the starting gate of the current studio, bidding farewell to their home of several years, at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Carousel of Smiles officials said they are planning to make the "stable" the permanent home of the ponies, blending the existing operations, studio and workshop into one site, working to transform the former Bizarre Bazaar location into a showcase carousel for the community. The Hutchisons announced in mid-August that they had leased the former Co-Op Gas & Supply Co. building with an option to purchase the facility with the long-range plan to renovate the building into a community carousel.
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