L-R: Charylene Myers-creator; Samantha Howard-granddaughter; Leslie Lawrence-daughter; Debbie Thompson – Thrift Store Mgr.
One day, recently, Samantha Howard was watching a video posted on Facebook by Carrie Thompson showing items at the Community Christian Thrift Store near Eau Claire. She spotted a carousel horse that looked like one her grandparents made years ago. She contacted Carrie to share the story and asked her to hold the horse for her, so she could get a closer look at it the next day. While looking it over, it appeared to have all the features of the ones her grandparents had made. (Several family members have one, including Samantha). She couldn’t find any of their markings on the horse at the Thrift Store so she would be 100% sure it was one of her grandparents, She had faith it was one they made, so she went to the counter to pay for it She would now own two, and she plans on “gifting” them to her children when they have their own place. She shared the story on how they were made to Deb Thompson. She was shocked at how someone could take “trash” and make something so beautiful. As Samantha was loading it into the car, her youngest son spotted “F & C Myers ‘04”, on the bottom of the base, so now she was sure it was one of the ones they made.
Story behind the horses: Samantha’s grandparents, Fred and Charylene Myers, repurposed, bouncy horses, for several years, roughly between the late 1980s and early 2000s. Her grandmother loves carousel horses, she has a real one in her house. Fred, a boss at C&K Coal, decided to transform yard sale bouncy horses into carousel horses. The process was a lengthy one, but they were beautiful at the end. Fred would remove the old hardware, sand/strip the paint and sometimes “fur” from the body, fill in holes the hobby horse mounts made, add a hole for the center pole, sand the repaired areas, apply primer, and build the center pole & pedestal. Charylene, a third-grade teacher at Sligo Elementary (Union SD), would paint it to look like a carousel horse. This was before the internet, so she used books & magazines for inspiration. What started as a project to give to family and friends, quickly grew, as people saw their creations. Due to how realistic the horses looked, people searched yard sales, flea markets, and attics for bouncy horses. They would bring them to the Myers’ to get it transformed. The exact number of horses that were repurposed is unknown, but it is assumed it was close to 50. Eventually, bouncy horses were harder to find, so they decided to “retire” from the carousel horse business around 2004. Fred passed away in 2020.
NOTE: Fred & Charylene Myers were also the couple who designed and created the leprechaun ,”Welcome to Sligo”, signs that used to greet travelers entering the town.
Samantha is so pleased at the treasure she found at the Thrift Store, and encourages everyone to stop in at the store. You just don’t know what “treasure” awaits you at the thrift shop!” she said, “People can go to the thrift shop and possibly find a piece of their childhood, while at the same time support an organization that helps families/children in the area.
The Community Christian Thrift Store is located at 1005 Annisville Road, Petrolia, PA with store hours on Mon., Tues, Thurs., Fri., and Sat. from 10 AM to 3 PM; Wed. it’s open from 10 AM to 6 PM and closed on Sunday. Deb Thompson, manager of the Thrift Store says that, “Lots of new items come in every day, so please stop in for a visit.”
Engraving found on the base for the Carousel Horse discovered at the Community Christian Thrift Store. The engraving reads: “F & C Myers, ‘04”.
The Carousel Horse found by Smantha
at the Community Christian Thrift Store.
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