Meet Francis the Mule

Mules have a stubborn streak, but a sense of humor? Meet Francis, the carousel mule who greets the world with a wide, braying grim and a mischievous wink. Volunteer carver Frank Schomus had already sponsored Kate, a carousel horse memorializing his wife, Mary Catherine, when we was struck with a wonderfully impish idea: why not adopt a second carousel horse, someone to ride as a side-by-side companion to Kate?

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Frank playfully mused that Francis ought to be winking at Kate, "the prettiest filly on the carousel" and this has become our most favorite love story here at Salem's Riverfront Carousel.