Well, we didn’t have a new baby Peaches born before we went to press with this month’s magazine.

Not that there will ever be another miniature paint filly exactly like Peaches, but her mother is expecting a new baby with the same father. And it’s going to be adopted by James and Christine Kaelin, the owner/operators of the horse-drawn Classic Carriage Tours in downtown Fort Smith, just like Peaches.

Peaches went to live with the Kaelins when she was only 2 days old and she grew up loving people. The Kaelins’ started bringing her to work with them and Peaches soon became the darling of Garrison Avenue. When she was hit and killed by a car this spring, few community leaders could have received a greater public outpouring of love and affection. The Avenue just wasn’t the same without her.
Peaches as a baby, below
But now there’s a new baby on the way for the Kaelins, and a Name the Baby Horse Essay Contest was launched last month in anticipation of the impending birth. Numerous great prizes were donated by local businesses for the first-, second- and third-place winners.

All 150 entries received were dutifully read by contest judges Christine Kaelin, Jeff Beauchamp, Tim Randolph and Jim Spears. They laughed, they cried, they argued. But they finally reached a decision.

And the winning name is – PATCHES!

Sherita Boursh, 18, of Fort Smith submitted the winning essay and name. Here is what she wrote:

"I think the new baby horse should be named Patches because, although one life can never replace another, this new horse will be a reminder of the precious horse that was tragically taken from you and the community. This new horse will be here to help patch up the wounds and heal some of the hurt from the loss of Peaches. This new horse will have a new place in your hearts and in the community’s and serve as a reminder how much was lost and how much the community can come together to heal old wounds and make new memories. I also believe Peaches’ memories can live on with this new horse because Peaches will always touch the community in her Everlasting Spirit."

Courtney Gwin, 11, of Midland won second place with the name Shadow. She attends Hartford Elementary School. Taylor Green, 11, a Fort Smith Sutton Elementary student submitted the third-place winning name, Spirit. The winners and their prizes will be acknowledged by Robert Houston on KFSM TV’s 5Outdoors show 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2.

All the contest entries had merit, the judges agreed. And the Kaelins were happy to be reminded that Peaches is still remembered, and that her spirit will live on in the new baby horse, when it arrives.

Now, everybody can keep waiting, and watching, and wondering about when the baby will be born, whether it will be a boy or a girl, or have her blue, blue eyes, her friendly disposition and her sweet but mischievous personality.

But we don’t have to wonder about the baby’s name anymore. Sherita Boursh has taken care of that.

 

Linda Seubold, editor of Entertainment Fort Smith Magazine, can be reached at lindaseubold@efortsmith.com. Read her archived columns and articles online.

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