An Innisfil councillor is keen to see a roadside attraction mosey on up the road to a new home.
Coun. Kevin Eisses is calling on the town to investigate whether or not it can save the giant wooden rocking horse currently located at Spring Tree Farms on Innisfil Beach Road.
He wants to see if it’s feasible to preserve what he called an “Innisfil landmark” and move it to an appropriate area on the town campus.
The staff recommendation considered by council called on the town to exercise its first right of refusal regarding ownership of the rocking horse as the town “does not have the required resources to safely relocate the rocking horse due to the current condition of the horse, the costs to relocate, and the ongoing maintenance costs.
The staff report suggested the community “may be disappointed” if the Guinness World Record-holding rocking horse isn’t saved, which is partially why Eisses believes the town should work harder to keep it in the community.
“It was a great initiative to achieve that record and it sat outside their store for many years,” Eisses said. “In talking to Spring Tree, they are still amazed how many people drive by it and they stop with their families, their kids, and they take pictures.”
The horse was first built to act as a mascot for Pine by Monroe, located at the Innisfil Beach Road interchange along Highway 400. Opened in 1978, Eisses characterized the Monroe family as working hard to turn their business into a success for more than 30 years.
The horse was built in 2008 as a way to “make their business stand out” during the recession of the time, Eisses explained. It was a natural extension, as they had made smaller rocking horses in the store for years, he added.
The Monroes sold the property in 2015 and the new owners, Camp Mart, had no use for the horse, which is when the town obtained it. Since 2016, it’s been housed at Spring Tree Farms near the Innisfil Beach Road and Yonge Street intersection, with the town holding a first right of refusal if Spring Tree wanted to remove it or dispose of it.
With the next phase of the Innisifl Beach Road widening project to move past the Spring Tree property, the horse will need to be moved again. However, it has deteriorated since the 2016 move and the staff report suggested it “may not successfully withstand another move.”
“Based on visual observations of the condition of the Rocking Horse, one or both of the horse’s rockers at the bottom are broken in the middle,” the report stated. “A full assessment would have to be undertaken to understand the full condition of the rocking horse.”
Just as community partnerships and donations help build the horse in the first place, Deputy Mayor Kenneth Fowler was hopeful there might be similar opportunities to save it.
“Is there a way we can work one of the high schools into this as a trade project, to save dollars,” he said, comparing such a project to the partnerships that helped construct the buildings that house the community fridges in Innisfil.
“I’m more than open to investigating all options because I know the history of this particular horse as well,” Fowler continued “It’s become part of Innisfil. Not as grandiose as many things, but it is still an important part, in my mind.”
Staff will report back to council with options by the end of April.
