Today, Miskelly Furniture in Pearl announced the donation of an antique carousel to the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum as a new exhibit. Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson and Executive Director of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum Hayes Patrick joined Oscar Miskelly of Miskelly Furniture at the Miskelly Furniture store in Pearl, Mississippi.
“We are very excited to accept this unique donation on behalf of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum,” said Commissioner Gipson. “This attraction will make a great addition to the multiple exhibits we currently offer across the grounds of the Museum complex. I want to thank Oscar Miskelly and the entire Miskelly Furniture family for their generosity, and I look forward to seeing the joy their donation brings to all the families that visit the Museum.”
The large, antique carousel has been owned by Miskelly Furniture since 2004, when it was purchased from Felimana Luna Amusement Park in Argentina. For years, customers would ride for a $1.00 donation at the furniture store in Pearl. All proceeds were then donated to a different charity every year.
“We chose organizations that were dedicated to helping the children of Mississippi,” Miskelly said. “The carousel has generated more than $200,000 in donations. Recipients included The Little Lighthouse, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Mississippi Children’s Home Services.”
Miskelly admitted the fixture of 16 years is hard to part with, but says the move ensures that more visitors will enjoy the ride as the museum hosts thousands of children, much more than the retailer.
“We want to see more Mississippi children have the opportunity to ride on a real antique carousel,” said Miskelly. “We know the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum will care for it as we have, so it will circle around for many more years.”
The carousel will be disassembled at the furniture store in Pearl and taken in pieces to the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, where it will be reassembled on the grounds near the Children’s Barnyard and Multipurpose Building.
“Over the next couple of months, we will be building a new structure to house the carousel and get it ready for operation. The proximity to the barnyard, pavilions and multipurpose building will create an exciting new dynamic for birthday parties hosted at the Museum, as well as fun for our daily visitors. As a result of the generosity of Mississippians just like the Miskellys, the Ag Museum has excelled for four decades in providing a memorable experience for its guests. I would like to thank the Miskelly family for contributing to the joy and excitement our visitors will experience for decades to come,” said Patrick.
The Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, a division of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, is located at 1150 Lakeland Drive in Jackson, and is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, call 601-432-4500 or 1-800- 844-8687, visit www.msagmuseum.org or visit the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum’s page on Facebook.
Press Release
10/19/2020
Magnolia Tribune
