David Hamel, an incredibly kind and generous volunteer, took on the huge project of renovating all 16 horeses on our iconic carousel.

David began working on the horses in August 2021 with direction from carousel-restoration expert, Lisa Parr. He received help on the first two horses, but then was ready to fly solo, restoring the remaining horses on his own. From start to finish, each unique horse took approximately 60 hours to complete!

After nearly two years of repairing, sanding, priming and meticulous painting, the last five beautiful horses returned home to the Farmyard on Thursday. We cannot thank David enough for this labor of love. The restored horses are a wonderful gift, and we are so excited to guests to enjoy them for years to come.