The Carousel of Happiness will present artist Scott Harrison’s newest animal carving, a giant blue butterfly, at a launch party Saturday, July 17, 2021. The event also will feature a book signing for a new novel that inspired the carousel animal.

The butterfly carving is only the second new rideable animal to join the carousel platform since its opening in 2010. A new “Wonder Gate” welcoming riders onto the carousel also will be unveiled.

The launch party is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will feature various butterfly-themed activities for kids. Ride tickets are $3.

The new carving was inspired by the middle-grade children’s novel, On Wings of Wonder by Doug Cosper, a journalist with deep roots in the carousel. His daughter, Anna Cosper, illustrated the book and also will be on hand to sign it.

The story’s protagonist is a 12-yearold boy whose family runs a carousel in a Colorado mountain town. His small world explodes when he is chosen by an ancient mentor to cultivate his power of wonder to help defend it from dark enemies.

“The book draws on my years training journalists in developing countries and the sheer awe inspired by Scott’s carousel,” Cosper said. “It’s both a local and a global story. The main character is joined by a Rohingya refugee girl and a Bushman lad in the Kalahari Desert. It is set in Colorado, Cambodia, Myanmar and Botswana.”

When Harrison decided to carve one of the book’s main characters, the “Wonder Project” was born.

“I was totally inspired by the concept of Doug’s book,” Harrison said. “It refocused me on the idea of wonder and how his butterflies so beautifully represent it. I have been honored to be a part of the collaboration with both Doug and Anna. This carving is unlike any I have done before and I hope visitors enjoy it.”

The butterfly will be stationary on the carousel’s platform and rideable by small children only, but its wings will soar higher than the bear bench at its side.

In addition to the animal carving and Wonder Gate, which Harrison also created, an interactive exhibit in the Carousel’s gift shop will ask visitors to answer the question, “What makes you wonder?”

Harrison has been hand carving wooden animals since his return from military service in Vietnam 50 years ago. He rescued an abandoned 1910 Looff carousel from Utah in the 1980s and transformed it into a magical menagerie, turning to the music of a 1913 Wurlitzer band organ.

The Carousel of Happiness was established as a nonprofit arts and culture organization, and has sold nearly 1 million rides since its opening.

On Wings of Wonder is available for purchase at the Carousel as well as on Amazon and in local bookstores.

For more information, call (303) 258-3457 or go to their website at www.carouselofhappiness.org. The Carousel of Happiness is located in the Caribou Village Shopping Center at 20 Lakeview Drive in Nederland.