Stade's Farm in McHenry opens Shades of Autumn with rare carousel

Through something so elaborate it took 11 years to restore, Vern Stade is reminded of simpler times.

The owner of Stade’s Farm and Market in McHenry spent years looking for the latest addition to his Shades of Autumn theme park and festival, which opened this weekend and runs through Nov. 1.

“There’s just something magical about a carousel ride,” he said.

This isn’t just any carousel. It’s a 1922 Allan Herschell Menagerie Carousel featuring about 30 hand-carved, hand-painted wooden animals. Not just horses – pigs, rabbits, chickens, ducks and other animals, too.

A wooden carousel like this is rare, as most carousels are made of aluminum or fiberglass, and very few are hand-carved, Stade said. He tracked it down through a broker, buying it from Charles Donahue of Branson, Missouri, who spent more than a decade restoring it.

Donahue plans to visit the Shades of Autumn festival Sept. 19 to see his carousel in action and answer any questions visitors might have.

“It’s immaculate,” Stade said of the carousel, which visitors can ride for free after paying the Shades of Autumn admission price of $15 for those ages three and older. Children under the age of three are free, and the cost is $10 for seniors ages 65 and older.

Admission comes with unlimited rides on more than 30 attractions, such as a train, mazes, corn play area, duck races, jumping pillow, giant sandbox, inflatables, pedal cars, petting zoo, pumpkin cannon, zip-line and more.

The big attraction this year, though, is the Menagerie Carousel, which, to Stade, is more than a ride.

“It brings back memories of simpler times out of the earlier part of the century when things weren’t so complicated, no computers, no cell phones, not so many problems in the world. At least you didn’t hear about them anyway,” he said. “It brings back memories of simpler days and simpler things in life that made people happy.”