The Carousel of Happiness

is

• An outpost of simple joy. A place where adults can recapture carefree moments of their youth and young people can take their first spin on living history.

• A unique, participatory exhibit of folk art. The 36 carousel animals were born of the carver’s imagination – a labor of love that took 22 years and counting. He designed and carved each of them from basswood and decorated them with acrylic paint using techniques employed by carousel carvers for more than a century. The collection includes a horse, of course, and a pig, a dolphin, a dragon-boat, a great blue heron, a cow and a load of whimsical surprises.

• An architectural statement to energy conservation that will inspire all who visit to be more responsible energy consumers. The building will serve as a demonstration building for green, energy-saving technologies. Heat will be provided by solar-heated, radiant floors. Electricity will be generated by solar panels. A mix of recycled and environmentally-friendly materials will be used throughout the building and educational displays of these will be permanently installed.

• A destination for people with disabilities. The building is carefully designed to serve those who are disabled. The carousel itself graced the grounds of the Utah State Hospital for people with mental disabilities from 1959 to 1986, a 27-year stretch. To honor that part of its history, we envision inviting people with disabilities to visit the carousel in groups or individually. The carousel has been adapted to accommodate several people with disabilities at once. A gigantic wooden gorilla sits ready to put his arm around riders who use wheelchairs.

• A positive, signature attraction for the Town of Nederland, Boulder County and Colorado. Carousels across the country have had a beneficial impact in their respective communities. Locally, we anticipate the carousel’s presence will attract additional revenue for local businesses as passers-through stop to ride. We believe the carousel will become a destination attraction for many, and we plan to attract vans and buses of visitors of all ages.

• A community place to share art, poetry and literature. Inspired by the carved animals and decorations, the carousel building includes a 992-square feet room dedicated to the sharing and enjoyment of the arts. Artists and authors from Nederland and beyond will have a place to share their talents with the community.

• A sustainable outpost of joy and giving for Colorado children. The Carousel of Happiness was conceived as an instrument of giving. It will give joy to all who ride, watch the galloping art, and listen to the historic music, to be sure. But it will also be an instrument of aid for Colorado children deprived of joy in their lives for a myriad of reasons. The carousel board of directors, or a separate foundation established for the purpose, will oversee the distribution of all profits after operating expenses to organizations and institutions that serve underprivileged and aggrieved children. Profits will come from riding fees, a small gift shop inside the carousel building, and proceeds from special events held in a room designed for this purpose.

• A living piece of American history: the Charles Looff carousel at the iron mechanical heart of the Carousel of Happiness is one of about 150 left from 5,000 carousels built during the golden age of the American carousel (1880-early 1930s). American craftsman borrowed the basics from Europe, but American carousels quickly surpassed their old world cousins in imagination and style. Carvers moved beyond horses to animals of the jungle, farm, forest and mythology. The Carousel of Happiness is true to this quintessential American tradition. The carver has let loose his whimsical imagination to design the animals and hand carved them according to tradition from basswood, the wood from the Linden tree. On Memorial Day Weekend, 2010, when the switch was thrown (on the original motor), and the reborn carousel jumped to life for the first time, the Carousel of Happiness rejoined a rich legacy of American culture.