12/05/2025
Join them for one last amazing ride
A story written over decades… and a final Christmas ride!
For more than two decades, a little piece of magic has arrived in Chillicothe every spring, every Christmas season, and on so many special weekends in between.
All the way from Cedarville, OH… OT’s Homestead would roll into town with their breathtaking Percheron draft horses and a team of people who felt more like family than a vendor. What began with Ivy’s founder, JoAnn Kunzelman, became a tradition written into the very heart of our community.
When Melissa and Steve bought Ivy’s over 7 years ago, JoAnn had one special request... “Please keep the carriage rides going.” We did. With love. With pride. And yes… with sacrifice. Although we’ve always charged a small fee, the truth is... Ivy’s has spent thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars each year just to make sure this tradition stayed alive for Chillicothe. When you consider the work, the time, the people, the responsibility... OT's Homestead doesn't make a living off of this either... it's their passion.
Because it was never about the cost or the money. It was about the memories.
Families lining the sidewalk. Children seeing horses up close for the first time. Grandparents sharing stories from their own childhood. Young couples taking a quiet ride on a cold December evening. Tens of thousands of moments... simple, beautiful, unforgettable memories... made on a carriage ride around the block in Chillicothe, OH.
At the heart of it all were two of the most genuine people you will ever meet...
Dante and Diane Marshall.
For years, they led their team... Hank & Hoppy, and then May & Maude and Bill and Raymond... with grace, kindness, and a joy that made every ride special. When Dante passed in 2024, Diane continued on, supported by friends, family, and a community that loved them deeply.
Dante, Hank, and Hoppy even live on at Ivy's forever… right on the front of the Ivy’s Gold Coins.
With a heavy, heavy heart... we share that Diane is retiring. She will be selling the equipment and her beloved teams of horses. While Diane will always be a part of the Ivy’s Family, this chapter is closing.
We've convinced her to join us for one more weekend... December 19th, 20th, and 21st... the weekend before Christmas.
We will be promoting this as a special event (details to follow), because we believe it will be the last time Ivy’s hosts carriage rides… unless the future brings a buyer who lives close enough and is willing to continue the tradition. We’re hopeful... but uncertain at this time.
No matter what, no one will ever replace the magic, the heart, the memories or the history built by OT’s Homestead and the Marshall Family.
This is emotional for us.
It’s emotional for many of you... and most of all it’s emotional for Diane.
So plan to join us. Come ride. Come remember. Come be part of this final chapter... a 26 year story filled with love, tradition, and thousands of simple moments that became lifelong memories.
Thank you, Diane. Thank you, Dante 🙏🏻.
Thank you for giving Chillicothe a kind of magic that can’t be replaced.
