YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio – A new attraction has been added to one of Ohio’s most beloved tourist stops known for its dairy farm and ice cream shop.

 Young’s Jersey Dairy has installed a carousel dubbed “Cowtherine’s Carousel,” a year-round ride that will operate in a climate-controlled building.

 Young’s Jersey Dairy is a family-owned dairy farm that includes several other activities and points of interest comprising a restaurant, event venue, homemade ice cream, farmstead cheese, miniature golf, driving range, batting cages and a petting zoo.

“Aunt Deb, a third generation Young and our ‘Chief Bean Counter,’ has been lobbying for the carousel every opportunity she had for the past 20 years,” said John Young, CIEIO at Young’s Jersey Dairy. “She finally wore us down and her vision became a reality.”

 Traditional carousels are filled with horses and a few seated rides. This 36-foot beauty isn’t your average carousel. Hand-painted and brimming with charm, Cowtherine’s Carousel features quite a unique menagerie, including 21 majestic horses, each adorned with colors that reflect Young’s famous homemade ice cream flavors, six jersey cow (a nod to the farm, of course), a pig, goat and a rooster.

 The carousel is also designed to be inclusive, featuring two chariots and a wheelchair-accessible seating option to ensure everyone can enjoy the experience.

“For the folks who have been coming here for a decade or more, it will be a nice, new thing,” said Dan Young, the dairy’s DEO and chief ice cream dipper. “We’ve been talking about this for 20 years in our family. There wasn’t a cow in a carousel so we had to make one from a custom mold, and even the horses are customize-designed. The rooster is specifically on the carousel because my aunt loves roosters.”

 The horses are adorned with pumpkins, peanut butter cups, hot fudge sundaes, chocolate Buckeyes.  

Dan Young added that families typically visit the dairy April through October and are met with many outdoor activities. In the winter months, there is not much else to do besides visiting the dairy store, seeing the animals, watching the cows get milked or playing on the outdoor tractors.

 The building that houses the carousel has multiple garage doors that can be opened on days when the weather is good.  

Hap Young bought the 60-acre farm and house where the dairy is located shortly after the end of World War II.  For the next 10 years, Hap and his three sons, Carl, Bob, and Bill, farmed the 60 acres, plus up to 500 additional rented acres, according to the firm’s website.  They grew grain, raised hogs, and milked cows.

In 1958 the family began selling their milk directly to the public. It was an honor system approach in which a customer would drive  up, open a refrigerator, get a gallon of milk, leave the previous empty jug behind along with the money and drive away. 

The family opened its first dairy store in 1960. They offered ice cream and cheese. A bakery awas added in 1966. 

Cowtherine’s Carousel is open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and will operate year-round. Carousel rides will also be included in Young’s Club Cowvin memberships, Family Value Wristband events, and will be available for corporate outings and special events. Rides cost $3.