The Carousel of Happiness will celebrate Mary Wingate Days this weekend, August 14 and 15, with free carousel rides for all. The carousel will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and
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The Carousel of Happiness will celebrate Mary Wingate Days this weekend, August 14 and 15, with free carousel rides for all. The carousel will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Local residents as well as visitors are encouraged to come by for a spin.
The event honors Mary Quinlan Wingate, a life-long summer resident of Nederland who was known for her kindness and generosity to others.
Wingate worked with the Town of Nederland during her lifetime to create two undeveloped parks, and upon her death, donated a parcel of land above Barker Reservoir to provide public access to National Forest land. She also was a strong supporter of the Carousel of Happiness. She died in Fort Collins on June 11, 2020, at the age of 87.
Seventeen family members will be gathering in Nederland this weekend to remember and honor her life. They include Mary’s direct descendants, along with the children and grandchildren of her brothers, Jim and Bob Quinlan.
The Quinlan-Wingate family’s history in Nederland began with Mary’s grandfather, A.J. Valore, who came to Nederland in 1913 to operate a hardware store during the tungsten mining boom.
In 1916, Valore built a cabin on land west of downtown Nederland along Highway 119. This was land he had been given to settle a debt. It was there that Mary and her brothers came with their parents to spend summers when they were small children.
The family has reserved the patio at the Train Cars, adjacent to the carousel, on Sunday morning from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. This will be a chance for the family to greet friends who may wish to stop by before or after taking a ride on the carousel.
The idea of sponsoring a weekend with free carousel rides came up during the planning of the family gathering last spring.
Riding the Carousel of Happiness was one of Mary’s joys in her later life. “I was just thinking about what would make her smile,” said Mary’s daughter, Laurie Wingate, who is here from Washington, DC, with her husband Mark. “It’s a fun way to feel connected to people and a place that she loved so much.”
The Carousel of Happiness is located at 20 Lakeview Drive in Nederland. If you would like more information you can call the carousel at 303-258-3457 or visit their website at www.carouselofhappiness.org.
