A Carousel for Missoula Traditional Cache

This cache is very close to THE Missoula Carousel. Some things are simply full of Joy! Three of them are Balloons, Rainbows and Carousels! And if you are going to have a carousel there is nothing like a REAL carousel – with real carved wood horses (and a few other animals thrown in there for fun - how about a dragon and a buffalo?) and a real pipe organ! And this is not a lazy carousel - hang on it is fast!

NOTE - The construction is now finished and the area is very changed. The new container with new log is now hidden back similar to what it was before the construction - We hope to redesign back to a "regular" cache soon! When we do we will archive this cache and make it a new cache.

Being eleven years old and now in fifth grade – I LOVE this Carousel! MrGrubstake and I realized there is not a geocache here and so the rest is now history. He helped set this up and put it together. And MrGrubstake LOVES the carousel too!

This is a very high Muggle area – Please, please use stealth and put the container back in the exact place it was found.

“If you give it a home, and promise no one will ever take it apart, I will build A Carousel for Missoula”. That was the promise Missoula cabinet maker, Chuck Kaparich made to the Missoula City Council in 1991. Kaparich, who had spent many childhood hours on the carousel at Columbia Gardens in Butte Montana, had already carved four carousel ponies and purchased an antique frame in thousands of pieces. The Council agreed and Kaparich's dream of A Carousel for Missoula became the dream of a community!

A board of directors was formed to facilitate organization and fund raising. Kaparich taught others to carve, mechanics began the process of restoring 16,066 pieces, painters were recruited, and Missoula began working together to create a treasure.

By opening day, May 27, 1995, over 100,000 hours of volunteer time had gone into the construction of 38 permanent ponies, three replacement ponies, two chariots, 14 gargoyles, gargoyle frames and mirror frames, and the largest band organ in continuous use in the United States, all within a jewel of a building.

If magic can happen anywhere, it can happen in Missoula Montana where dreams are followed and promises are kept, and where people believe in making a life as well as making a living.

(The previous 4 paragraphs in blue are from the “Meet the Ponies” booklet.)

I recommend taking a little time and also enjoy this whole area of Caras Park. Walk along the river and check out the “Dragon's Hollow” play area which I also LOVE! There are lots of concerts and other activities regularly.