As many of you are aware, on the morning of October 9th, a fire burned through the primary building of our dear Caribou Village Shopping Center, where the carousel is located. The carousel itself only suffered minor exterior damage, but the main shopping center building, home to 18 local small businesses, was completely lost. The livelihoods of our neighbors and friends, about 100 employees, is now threatened. And restarting businesses in the slow winter season is not ideal. But Nederland is strong! Many have gathered to host various fundraising efforts, and make sure these businesses can return to the community when the time is right.
After a temporary break in service due to a lack of power and phone service, we were able to re-open the carousel a week after the fire. We still have repairs to do, but we are spinning again. This carousel has withstood several fires, a lightning strike, a rollercoaster falling on it, and now another fire. As our Mayor said, “that place has some good karma.” Well, honestly, it’s a lot more than just good karma! We have a community, including our brave and reliable firefighters, that love this carousel as much as we do. And we are eternally grateful to those that kept the carousel building wet and cool while the fire roared next door. While we are relieved that the Carousel of Happiness will keep spinning on, we are devastated for our neighbors, many of whom who are volunteers, close friends, and supporters of the carousel.
Since the fire, we’ve been doing what we can to support local fire relief efforts. We’ve donated items to several local fundraising auctions, and are incentivizing others to donate by offering free rides to anyone who makes a donation to existing fundraising efforts. In the first weekend alone, our free rides generated over $2,500 to support the Caribou Village Shopping Center businesses and employees. These businesses were showcases of the heart of Nederland – the art shops that displayed the wondrous creativity of our community and the other shops that showcased the personality of our mountain folk – the kindness and care of our mountain health and wellness practitioners – and the vital services that were only available to us right there at the Center. If you have a few dollars to spare, please consider supporting one of the businesses below, and help keep our neighbors inspired and hopeful during this challenging time!
OR SUPPORT ONE OF THE GENERAL FUNDS:
| Aid Nederland Shops and Employees Post-Fire | Help Feed Nederland – Lovin’ Cup Free Kitchen for Fire Victims | Help Feed Nederland – Nederland Food Pantry |
