By Carol Vaughn — A group with a tradition of bidding together on Chincoteague ponies at the annual Pony Auction recently helped paint the carousel horses at the Chincoteague carnival grounds.
The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company invited members of the Chincoteague Legacy Group to help freshen up the paint on the carousel horses, according to legacy group member Steffie Rau, of Bethlehem, Pa.
CVFC spokesperson Denise Bowden said it has been more than 40 years since the carousel horses were last painted.
“We were absolutely thrilled that they took on this task,” Bowden said, adding, “The CLG ladies and gentlemen have always been huge supporters of the fire company and we appreciate their efforts in breathing new life into this carousel. I’m so anxious to see which pony will be the most popular one that kids will want to get on; I’m sure Riptide will be at the top of the list!”
The legacy group got its start around seven years ago.
“Back in 2015 a few of us said we wished we had enough money to bid on a pony at auction. A woman by the name of Yvonne Shaw from North Carolina offered to gather the money we all sent to her to use to bid on a pony. We won the bid with $25,000 on our first Chincoteague Legacy Group pony, CLG Surfer’s Blue Moon,” Rau wrote in an email to the Post.
“Since then we have become a strong friendly group and continue the tradition of chipping in and the group administrators do the rest,” said Rau, one of the original members.
In the past, any leftover money was donated to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company and to the Feather Fund, a nonprofit organization that assists children with purchasing a Chincoteague pony at the auction.
Rau, a frequent visitor to Chincoteague, where her sister and brother-in-law own a home, said she does not have an art background but wanted to help with the painting project.
“I paint rocks and leave them on trails and did a couple acrylic paintings at my local senior center,” she said.
Some of the other members are artists who sell their work, she said.
The carousel horses are painted to match some of the favorite Chincoteague ponies that live on Assateague.
The project took a weekend to complete, with another day or so scheduled for touch up work.
