The Friends of Chippewa Park are very pleased to announce that there are now new and exciting ways to get involved with the restoration of the Chippewa Park Carousel. While potential adopters still have the option to adopt a whole horse for $20-25,000, there are now a number of opportunities to sponsor or name horses at more manageable, but no less significant, price points.
The Save Our Carousel committee has selected four horses from the 28 on the carousel to become part of the “Lasting Legacy Giving Plan”. This new opportunity sees four horses on the carousel divided up so that potential donors can choose to adopt a feature of a horse from a number of individual components at varied price points. Donors can choose from sponsorship options anywhere from $25 - $7,500 which include choices such as jewels, bridles, horse shoes, saddles, painting, and stripping. No matter what feature a donor chooses, they will always be able to visit the carousel in the summer, look at their horse and say, “I saved that part right there”. The donations will go directly towards restoring the horse of their choice and all donors will receive a personalized Certificate of Authenticity that details their contribution as well as permanent name recognition on a plaque at Chippewa Park.
So far, horse features are being adopted quite quickly with many donors taking the opportunity to commemorate a passed loved one or honour a friend or family member. All adopters will receive a Certificate of Authenticity which includes a copy of the hand-drawn illustrations used to restore the horses and details both the horse and the feature that was sponsored. As well, permanent signage corresponding to each horse will be placed at Chippewa Park in the future and will acknowledge all the sponsors of each horse.
The Legacy Giving Plan is an excellent way to ensure that you have left your mark on Thunder Bay as well as ensuring that the magic of the carousel will remain for generations to come. However, there is yet another way that potential donors can get involved with the carousel restoration.
The Save Our Carousel campaign has started another fundraising project called the “Name A Horse Campaign”. “We have created a draw that will allow each and every person to purchase a chance to name Horse 4B – a horse that upon restoration will be a beautiful brown and white pinto with orange and red saddle detailing, a horn cantle, and a lovely star detail on the romance side.” said restoration committee co-chair, Donna Gilhooly. “All that people need to do is fill out a ballot and make a donation of $2 or more”.
Interested participants can enter to win the chance to name horse 4B on the carousel either by donating and filling out a ballot in person at Roosters Bistro, Upshot Coffeehouse, The Thunder Bay Museum, Authentique Gifts, The Sal, Canada Games Complex, or Tbaytel (Thunder Centre location). Donations for ballots can also be made online at the Friends of Chippewa Park website www.chippewapark.ca. There is no limit to the number of ballots that can be cast by any one person, however, the Save Our Carousel project kindly asks that additional funds are donated for each ballot cast. The campaign is tentatively set to end on July 1, 2019 at the Canada Day festivities at Chippewa Park. However, as the goal is to raise adequate funds to fully restore horse 4B, if all the funds have not been raised by that date the campaign may continue.
In general, the capital campaign is steadily moving forward and work on the carousel will be completed as more funds are raised. To date, 14 of the 28 horses have been restored. The Wurlitzer organ, which has not been functional for decades and which was adopted by Joan Miller and family of Miller Precast, has been sent to Southern Ontario to be restored. Of the entire carousel and all its components, the organ is the only part that requires expertise outside of Thunder Bay’s local capacity; every other part of the carousel will be restored locally. Once it is complete, the Save Our Carousel committee intends to present the restored organ at various venues around the city this summer for the community to enjoy.
The Friends of Chippewa Park and the Save Our Carousel committee would like to warmly and wholeheartedly thank the community of Thunder Bay for the ongoing support for the campaign. The committee is continually blown away by the love and fondness that community members have both for the carousel and Chippewa Park as a whole.
In the coming months, the Save Our Carousel project can be found around town at a number of different events. If individuals would like to stop by to chat with a carousel representative, a carousel booth will be present at the Thunder Bay Country Market on the last Saturday of the month for the next four months. Interested parties can also find the carousel booth at the Snow Day Event at Marina Park on Feb. 18 where Vic Germaniuk, horse restoration team leader, will be carving what is sure to be a very impressive snow sculpture. Finally, the Save Our Carousel project will also be holding a fundraiser at Chapters on Feb. 13 where 15 per cent of every purchase made between 6 and 8 p.m. will be donated to the carousel project. Interested parties can also visit the Save Our Carousel Facebook page for a link to an online Chapters fundraiser which will allow for an additional 15 per cent to be donated to the carousel just by purchasing gift cards which can then be used in store on the day of the event. Additionally, four horses, two restored and two unrestored, are on display at Victoriaville Mall by the East entrance (Brodie St.). One of the unrestored horses on display is horse 4B, the one up for naming in the Name A Horse draw. Horses are accompanied by jewels and other artefacts removed from the horses during restoration and detailed information about the history of the Chippewa Park Carousel, C.W. Parker and the restoration process itself. Horses will be on display at Victoriaville at least until the end of February.
For more information on the Chippewa Park Carousel Restoration Project, the link to follow the organ restoration and more, please visit facebook.com/saveourcarousel. Interested parties can also follow the Save Our Carousel project on Instagram @saveourcarousel and can email coordinator@saveourcarousel.ca with questions, comments, or stories and photographs of the carousel. Please visit www.saveourcarousel.ca to donate.
Kate Beaulieu,
Chippewa Park Carousel Project Coordinator
