Have you ever wanted to ride on a butter cow or a prehistoric fish?
You have your chance on the new Ohio Children’s Carousel at the Ohio State Fair, which runs July 29 to Aug. 9 at the Ohio Expo Center & State Fairgrounds in Columbus.
The carousel was envisioned by Gov. Mike DeWine and his wife, Fran DeWine, who helped select the animals and landmarks depicted in figures and murals to reflect Ohio’s history.
Among the 30 hand-carved ride figures designed and made by Todd Goings of Carousel and Carvings in Marion, Ohio, are horses, of course, including one wearing a Shawnee blanket to represent the Native American tribes of Ohio. Also, fair animals and critters native to Ohio.
But several figures are not ones you’d typically find on a carousel.
Here are 10 of the most interesting animal figures you can ride on the Ohio Children’s Carousel:
Pig: The humble pig is a nod to Cincinnati’s history as the pork-packing capital of the world in the 1830s through 1850s, when the city was nicknamed Porkopolis.
Butter cow: It’s been a tradition to render a bovine out of 2,200 pounds of butter since the first one was entered in a butter sculpting contest at the fair in 1903. This one won’t melt.
Dunkleosteus: The extinct Dunkleosteus terrelli (nicknamed the Dunk) was a prehistoric armored fish that lived in the Late Devonian period about 360 million years ago, when Ohio was covered by an ancient sea.
Cardinal: The Ohio state bird comes in both male and female varieties on the carousel. The male has the brilliant red crest and black mask.
Bison: The mighty American bison roamed the lands of Ohio for thousands of years, but was nearly hunted to extinction. The last bison in Ohio was shot and killed in 1803.
North American river otter: Is there anything more adorable than an otter floating on its back? The North American river otter disappeared from Ohio in the early 1900s, but has been reintroduced to the state.
Monarch butterfly: This iconic butterfly, a symbol of conservation efforts, is big enough to ride, even if it looks a bit creepy at that size.
Trumpeter swan: The majestic swan, native to Ohio, includes swan babies – called cygnets – in their “ugly duckling” phase.
Smoky: The famous Yorkshire terrier World War II war dog was found in a foxhole in New Guinea in 1944, then carried around by Cpl. William A. Wynne of Cleveland on combat missions and even went parachuting. Cuteness abounds.
Storybook chariot: One of two wheelchair-accessible chariots, this one celebrates the children’s book “The Little Engine That Could,” handed out by the Dolly Parton Imagination Library – a favorite project of Fran DeWine’s. The carving includes the DeWine’s spaniel, Dolly.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 10 wacky critters you can ride on the new Ohio State Fair carousel
Reporting by Jeff Suess, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Suess, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
