93-year-old carousel brings old-fashioned fun to McHenry
McHENRY, Ill. (WLS) -- What has 16 horses, three pigs, three rabbits, two ducks and a bunch of other animals? It's a brand-new carousel in McHenry.
Stade's Farm Market in McHenry is one of those supermarkets of super fresh produce. They grow it and you buy it - and now it's not just cabbage and corn. It's horses - wooden horses and their many wooden friends.
From out of the past gallops a 93-year-old carousel. For about 50 years, it sat rotting in a Pennsylvania farm field. Now, it's spinning around again.
"We've got a beautiful hand-carved wooden carousel. A world class beautifully restored wooden carousel," said Vern Stade, owner.
Vern Stade bought the carousel from 80-year-old Chuck Donahue of Branson, Missouri who for 11 years - working totally by hand - recreated this old masterpiece. Thirty animals hand-carved and painted. It's better than new.
"Back when carousels were made there were no computers, no TV. It was just good old-fashioned family fun and it's what we try to do here at Stade's Farm Market," Stade said.
Now perhaps you're wondering, what's the difference between a merry-go-round and a carousel? Well, there is a difference.
"A merry-go-round is all horses. A carousel is a menagerie. We have horses. We've got dogs, roosters, rabbits and zebras," Stade said.
The carousel will be running only on weekends through the end of the fall season.
Stade's Farm Market
