Conversations with Melody Baumhover

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melody Baumhover.

We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The Carousel has constantly been supported by the community! There have been financial challenges to keeping the organization afloat over the last 12 years, particularly the closure of Boulder Canyon in 2019 (road re-construction post-2013 floods) and the pandemic closure in 2020, back-to-back events that severely limited the number of visitors we get.

However, we are so grateful for the community support we recieved during these hard times that kept our carousel spinning! We are also grateful for the many individual donors that support our organization each year, whether through Colorado Gives Day, attending a fundraiser, or just bringing us new people to take rides.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have been the Executive Director at the Carousel since 2021. My background is in environmental policy, environmental education, and nonprofit management. I helped found the Nederland Farmers Market in 2016, have been a volunteer on the Nederland Sustainability Advisory Board for almost 10 years, and now manage one of my favorite places in Town (everyone’s favorite place in town??!), the Carousel of Happiness.

The Carousel is about as unique of a place as you can find. One man’s trauma has created an amazing place of joy and community for generations to come. It is beautiful to be able to recognize how so much good can come out of hard situations. The Carousel has not only a special place in every Nederland resident’s heart but also touches people from all over the world that come to Nederland just to take a ride on our wonderful, unique carousel.

Beyond the joy of taking a carousel ride, or sharing a special memory with friends and family, the Carousel is unique in that it is a place where grief and joy mingle together. We have lots of messages from visitors that mention how a ride helped them find healing, or how hearing the story helped them deal with their grief. The carousel is dedicated to two marines that lost their lives during the Vietnam War, so celebrating Memorial Day and Veterans is important to our organization.

As well, we have opportunities for visitors to memorialize their loved ones with a plaque (by adopting a piece of the carousel), a silent ride or service (for many friends of the carousel that have passed away), or in other creative ways.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Some other helpful pages about the carousel:

History Exhibit (the carousel before Nederland – https://carouselofhappiness.org/carousel-history-exhibition/)
Carousel Blog (upcoming/recent events https://carouselofhappiness.org/carousel-blog/)
Visit Us (we also have a FREE-to-use puppet theatre! https://carouselofhappiness.org/visit-the-carousel/)
Memorial Services (https://carouselofhappiness.org/memorial-services/)
We are a nonprofit! Why support us? (https://carouselofhappiness.org/getinvolved/)

Pricing:

• $3 per ride
• $25 for 10 rides (save $5)
• FREE to visit, look, etc
• FREE puppet theater to play in
• $10 suggested donation to tell your story in our Sound booth (The StoryCatcher)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.carouselofhappiness.org
• Instagram: @carouselofhappiness
• Facebook: @carouselofhappiness