'A very important part of our community': Carousel at Lambs Farm opens with 16 restored horses
The carousel at Lambs Farm has been a family favorite for 30 years but its public opening Friday was a fresh start and special occasion.
For the first time, all 16 of the painstakingly restored Fiberglas carousel horses were hitched and ready to go, enticing riders with gleaming palettes of fresh color.
The debut was recognition for a dogged volunteer who had time, patience and the will to complete the job and a local expert whose assistance and color renderings brought new life to the battered herd.
"The fact that this happened is a miracle," said Kathy Buresch, president and CEO of the sprawling facilities along Route 176 at Interstate 94 in Green Oaks.
The horses were in such disrepair, she added, it was thought they may have to be discarded.
"It's funny how you get some angels appear who make things happen," Buresch said in advance of a ceremonial ribbon cutting and recognition of Glenview resident David Hamel and Lisa Parr, a restoration expert.
Hamel a retired advertising executive and do-it-yourselfer did the bulk of the work. Parr, the owner/operator of old Parr's Carousel Animals in Highland Park provided how-to instruction and created small watercolor paintings as road maps from which to work.
They're framed and hung inside the mini-golf/gift shop building but aren't for sale.
"For us, they're just beautiful souvenirs we get to keep," said Marissa Rademaker, marketing and communications manager.
Lambs Farm is a nonprofit dedicated to helping those with developmental disabilities who live and work on the 51-acre former dairy farm lead productive and happy lives.
Hamel began volunteering at Lambs Farm and after repairing the mini-golf course about two years ago, was asked if he knew anyone who could help with carousel horses. His research led him to Parr, who normally doesn't work on Fiberglas but agreed to take a look.
Restoration of the first two horses began in September 2021.
"These had layers of old paint," Hamel told a small crowd of residents and families, who had heard about the new horses and brought their kids and grandkids for free rides.
The horses are a fiberglass shell over metal framing. Unlike wood or other surfaces, you can't use stripper to removed the paint.
"About half the time of the 60 hours of restoration was getting the old paint off," Hamel said. That involved a lot of sanding. But it was worth the time to see the twinkle in the eyes of those who learned what he was doing, Hamel said.
The carousel has become a pleasant memory for those who have been coming to Lambs Farm since it opened in Green Oaks in 1965. They rode it as kids and now their kids and grandkids do, too, says Katie Donnellan, lead animal keeper and farmyard manager.
"Everyday, I hear from our guests (that) they rode the carousel when they were that age," Donnellan told those gathered. "The carousel has been a very important part of our community."
Elizabeth Kwon of Hoffman Estates brought her kids Teddy, 10 months and Chloe, 3. She met her friend Camille Zablan of Lindenhurst and her 4-year-old daughter.
"We were here a couple of weeks ago and saw they were doing their grand opening today," Kwon said. "The girls love the carousel and wanted to come back for it."
Karen and David Cioni of Mundelein also heard the carousel was opening and visited with their daughter, Jillian Marhoefer, and her three kids, Mila, 5, Levi, 7, and Evelyn, 11.
"I loved it," Levi said.