“If you will give it a home, and promise no one will ever take it apart, I will build A Carousel for Missoula.”

In 1991, Missoula cabinet-maker Chuck Kaparich made this promise to the Missoula City Council. Inspired by childhood memories of the carousel at Columbia Gardens in Butte, he had already carved four ponies and purchased an antique frame—thousands of pieces waiting to be restored.

The Council agreed, and Kaparich’s dream quickly became the dream of a community.

“ board of directors formed to organize and fundraise, while Kaparich taught others to carve. Mechanics began restoring the 16,066-piece antique frame and motor, and painters brought color and detail to the ponies. By Opening Day—May 27, 1995—over 100,000 volunteer hours had gone into creating:

• 38 permanent ponies
• 3 replacement ponies
• 2 chariots
• 14 gargoyles and frames
• The largest band organ in continuous use in the U.S.

All of this was housed in a jewel-box building designed by local architect Jerry Stone, built with the help of Missoula’s Structural Systems, Inc.

A Community of Givers

Missoula poured its heart into the Carousel:

• Schoolchildren collected one million pennies to adopt four ponies
• Stained glass artists created shimmering windows
• Mechanics restored the antique motor with molten Babbitt
• The Midnight Rose Carvers of Calgary, Alberta, crafted a “friendship horse” for Missoula

What began as wood, glass, and metal became something more: a carousel of art, joy, and lasting friendships.