A beacon of joy among Denton residents will close its doors on June 18.
For the past eight years, co-founders Anne Pearson and Judy Smith, have kept the fun of the Chairy Orchard alive.
The park is home to hundreds of eclectic chairs -- tiny chairs, huge chairs, and everything in between -- but most of all, this park is home to memories.
It had a life of its own. Every time you come here its different.
Tony Jacobs, Chairy Orchard visitor
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One might ask, why chairs? For Pearson, the answer is simple: "Everyone can identify with chairs." Chairs have arms, legs, a seat, and a back, everything that resembles a person, Pearson said. They hold memories themselves.
"People walk up to us with tears in their eyes and say we had our baby pictures here, our engagement pictures here, people got married here," Pearson said.
‘Chairy Park' in Denton Brings Whimsical Charm to Neighborhood
"The Chairy Orchard was started by two neighbors who are now in their 80s," they wrote in a Facebook post. "They always said they would close it when it was no longer fun to maintain."
Due to a growing number of incidents of vandalism and theft, the "Chairy Fairies" say that time has now come.
Smith and Pearson said that a month ago they didn't have a single thought of closing the park, but after area schools went on summer break, they saw a huge uptick in vandalism. It became too much work to keep up with.
"[We're] sad because it's affected so many people. [We're] not sad that it's over because it's work and we're getting old," Pearson and Smith said.
Denton Parks and Recreation is looking to rehouse some of the bigger chairs and other exhibits at various parks and locations within the city, the park announced on Facebook.
Thanks for your support for the last eight years. We’ve loved sharing this special place with people from all over the world.
The Chairy Orchard, on Facebook
Denton residents can visit the park until June 18 and guests are invited to take their favorite chair home, though organizers ask that other exhibits are left untouched.
The chairs that remain will be removed -- organizers are collecting donations via Venmo (@thechairyorchard) to help cover the costs of removing the chairs.
