Volunteer artists handcraft whimsical wood animals at the Riverfront Carousel

A dragon, frog, shark, salmon and a series of other unusual carousel creatures spin alongside a herd of classic horses at the Hazel Patton Riverfront Carousel.

These animals are crafted by a group of around 20 volunteers who spend years carving, sanding and painting to turn a single sketch into a functional carousel animal. 

Donna Miller is currently carving a hummingbird she designed herself. Along with carving, she designs each carousel animal on paper. 

Miller spends her Tuesday and Thursday mornings carving animals out of basswood, occasionally taking appointments with sponsors who donate $15,000 for a new animal. 

Miller, 77, is one of 15 carvers at the carousel, working out of the carving room attached to the gift shop. 

Across a table littered with discarded wood shavings and dozens of carving tools, Miller’s husband, Denis, 80, continues to work on an Oregon State University Beaver. 

Denis Miller has volunteered at the carousel for around 16 years. He encouraged Donna to come on board as a painter 14 years ago. Although she began in the painting room, she later followed her husband in the carving shop. 

The Salem couple have been married for over 50 years, and now carve together in retirement. 

Donna calls carving her passion.

“On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I want to get here and I don’t want to leave. It’s something magical,” Donna said. “I would be here 24/7 if I could.”

Along with the beaver and hummingbird, a rabbit, a horse in need of repair and miniature dragon model are also being worked on in the shop. 

The carousel opened in 2001 with a lineup of 42 traditional horses. Now, carvers and painters are focused on making unique, nontraditional animals to accompany the horses. 

While the animals are nontraditional, the artistry is not. Everything about a carousel animal is made at the hands of a volunteer, without machines. 

When carvers are present, the shop is filled with hundreds of tools, wood shavings and the smell of sawdust. Carvers often work among curious children, who wander in to watch them. 

It can take a few months of sketches, revisions and meetings before an animal design is ready to be carved out. 

The carving stage starts with chunks of wood. Multiple carvers work on one piece, sometimes with four carvers each taking a leg of an animal. 

Jack Dalton, 79, is a volunteer of about 15 years. He had no carving experience before he started at the carousel, and said it took about two years before he felt he had woodworking down to a science. 

Dalton’s least favorite part of the carving process is sanding. But once everything is sanded and assembled, it can go to the painters. 

Sitting in the painting room is the University of Oregon Duck, which is getting its final touches of paint before it’s left to dry. 

Dalton, an Oregon State University graduate, refused to put hands on the Duck out of respect for his alma mater. 

The Duck is undergoing final touches from Delores Weekly, the head painter. Weekly works with a few other volunteer painters. 

Weekly uses house paints for the base layers and oil paints for the details.

Once the painting is complete, the animal has to sit in the shop for six months to fully dry. After the paint is cured, the animal goes to an auto body shop to get an industrial, protective clear coat. 

In total, one animal takes anywhere from three to five years to complete. 

Weekly started volunteering 13 years ago. Like Dalton, she had no painting experience before coming to the carousel. 

Veteran volunteers pass along their skills to new volunteers, teaching them the process along the way. 

When Weekly started, it was just her and Miller in the paint room. She said Miller mentored her, and continues to until this day. 

Dalton developed his skills through a similar mentorship with other carvers. 

Most of the carousel’s volunteer artists are retired, and hope to bring in a younger class of volunteers to mentor. Those interested in volunteering can fill out an application online.

The carousel, a nonprofit, is raising funds to build a separate building to house the carving shop, where carvers can host classes, welcome a larger audience and have more space to craft. 

Weekly said her favorite part of volunteering is the people, and the friendships she’s made.

“I’m just glad the carousel is here … it fills a vacuum for a lot of people,” she said.

Have a news tip? Contact reporter Hailey Cook: [email protected] or (208) 515-4097.

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