There's a new Champion in town.
Champion, the popular mechanical horse ride, was one of the artifacts The Exploration Place acquired when Northern Hardware closed in February after 100 years of business in Prince George. But when museum checked the mechanical condition of the original Champion, it was clear it was time to put him out to pasture, The Exploration Place CEO Tracey Calogheros said.
"He was not going to be able to tolerate the level of ridership he'd get here," Calogheros said.
With an artifact like Champion, which many people remember riding, it didn't seem right to put it behind glass where people can't touch it, she said. After some searching, museum staff were able to find a matching horse in usable condition for sale in Florida.
"So we bought it. We had him painted to match the original Champion," Calogheros. "When The Exploration Place opens in 2021, this one will be on the floor."
The museum still intends to preserve and display the original Champion, along with some of the other artifacts from Northern Hardware, she added.
While the original Champion was only $0.10 to ride, the new Champion is a quarter horse.
"Twenty-five cents was the cheapest we could find," Calogheros said. "I guess it's been a long time since anything was 10 cents."
Finding the parts to convert the pay box to take dimes proved impossible, she said. But the museum will look at the possibility of getting slugs made, so riders only have to pony up 10 cents per ride.
