NEDERLAND — George Blevins is more than a cartoonist, more than the mind behind the premier Nederland comic strip “Cabin Fever,” and more than the pen that designed the animals that Scott Harrison carved for the Carousel of Happiness.

In a weekend dedicated to him, these feats were celebrated, but it was his most important roles as a community member, a friend, a husband, and a father that were highlighted. 

Over the weekend of August 1 and 2, 2026, George Blevins Day was celebrated outside of the Carousel of Happiness. George’s work as a cartoonist who solidified Nederland’s sense of character in the annals of art history was honored by his friend, Scott Harrison, and Blevins' wife Anni and son James, who was the surprise guest for the weekend.

George Blevins signed copies of "Cabin Fever" Volumes 1, 2, and 3, chronicling over 25 years of Nederland culture and life.

Photo by Christopher Kelley

James, an actor—with a role in the upcoming western revenge film by Monstrous Moonshine productions titled “June July”—and technical producer—with credits on the TV series “Longmire” and “The Mandalorian,” and on classic films such as “Air Force One”—flew from Los Angeles to be with his father on his special day.

“He’s an entertainer, he’s a—“ George tripped up introducing his son, to which James immediately pounced on him.

“Spit it out, sir,” he joked.

“He’s a big guy in the entertainment capital of the world,” George got it out between laughter and said it loudly and proudly.

“I am a big guy, but I’m also a little slow,” James said with a smile.

As his father began signing the first “Cabin Fever” book for a guest, James leaned in and teased, “let me help you here, G-E-O-R—“ 

Born in 1939, George’s incredible life started in Natchitoches, Louisiana, where, as a child, he would lie on his stomach on the floor reading the classic comic “Pogo,” and took him to Ecuador at the age of twelve. Then to a boarding school in Texas and to the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, where Walt Disney was on the Board of Directors and, in a chance meeting in the hallway after lunch, once told George that his shoelace was untied. 

After joining the Congress of Racial Equality’s non-violent protest organization known as the Freedom Riders in 1961, George and an interracial group of protesters rode buses through those southern states that did not recognize the US Supreme Court laws which desegregated interstate travel. 

George was arrested and spent a grueling period of time in Mississippi State Prison, where he and the other protesters were badly beaten by state officers. After being released, George spent some time living in poor conditions in New Orleans, where he experienced the unbalanced enforcement levied upon predominantly black neighborhoods, and was arrested and beaten by the police—again. 

After having to face his family for having “disgraced” them, and confronting them by standing firm on his egalitarian point-of-view, George had some misadventures in Mexico, and then became a published artist and humorist with his advertising work for the World Journal Tribune in New York City. 

Shortly after moving to Colorado in 1982, George met Scott Harrison, with the two of them instantly connecting as “newbies” to the mountains. Scott was running an Amnesty International office in Nederland, and George was in a transitional period in his life, which began as a bagel baker in Boulder, and eventually led him to becoming Nederland’s comedic voice in The Mountain-Ear for over two decades. 

“I had wanted to do this since being a little kid,” George said about “Cabin Fever.” “I wanted to do ‘Pogo,’ but that was a four-panel comic strip, so I decided to do six panels because the chances of saying something funny in six panels is much better.” 

“It’s 33 percent more efficient in terms of comedy,” James added, and recalled how the deadline-based career gave his father a sense of structure. “It truly brought a cadence to his life.”

George and Scott’s longtime friendship is so unique that it inspires the best in both of them. George Blevins Day itself was not George’s brainchild—his humility would never allow it—rather, it was Scott’s idea, one which would not be just a passing thought, but a detailed dedication. Scott went the extra mile for his friend, building a custom booth, adorned with wooden crows straight from the pages of “Cabin Fever.”

Scott was also responsible for the cherry-topper for the whole weekend, as he had the inspired idea to call George’s eldest son James in L.A., and to clandestinely organize the ultimate surprise. 

“I called him and told him about this weekend, and he called me back in 10 minutes and said, ‘I booked my flight,’” Scott explained.

“Yeah, Scott was the one who told me,” James said before turning immediately to his father. “Now Dad, I know you’re a humble guy, but I also know that you don’t necessarily remember things, so when I said ‘Hey, anything new happening, anything interesting happening in the near future?’ you did not mention this day at all.”  

“Part of it is I was trying to block it out because it’s so over-the-top,” George said with a smile.

“I figured it was your humility—and operating on not just a conscious level, but a subconscious level.”

“Everything I do is on a subconscious level,” George’s wit fired back without missing a beat.   

As a community member, George’s impact was emphasized by the many who stopped by his special booth to get free signed copies of all three volumes of the “Cabin Fever” series, and to tell him how much he means to them.

From those who knew him for his work at the Gilpin County Public Library, or from meditation nights at the community center, to those who used to waitress at the Pioneer Inn and had saved some of George’s cocktail napkins doodles, or who knew him as a fantastic dance partner, George drew an excited and eclectic crowd. 

“We used to joke that he could walk through town anytime and someone would come up and want a hug,” Scott said. “He just had this reputation of being a safe dance partner, because that’s all he wanted to do was just dance. He has the kind of reputation and history that anybody would like to have.”

There were also those who thanked George for his time with the Freedom Riders and for standing up for Civil Rights. George’s wife, Anni, remembered the first time she learned about what George had truly endured.

In between checking with event organizers about the scheduling for the event, and making sure George and James were taking a moment from their jesting to ask for donations for the Carousel, Anni spoke with The Mountain-Ear about the 2011 reunion honoring 178 activists from the Freedom Riders on The Oprah Winfrey Show. 

Anni keeps Scott and George focused.

Photo by Christopher Kelley

“They showed photos and described the beatings,” Anni said, having attended the reunion alongside George as his guest. “It was the first time that I had learned of the extent of what he went through.” She remembered that even as George opened up more to her, he would still brush aside his abuse and exclaim that someone else always got it worse than he did.  

Over the whole weekend, Anni was clearly looking out for George’s best interests and acted as his proactive voice, to compensate for his humble nature. She emphasized how hard it was for George to have to stand up for what he believed in in the face of his family and of a rigid system.  

She reiterated the same message shared by Scott, and teased about by James, about George’s trademark humility and how he downplays his moving of mountains to being just the actions of a stubborn man. 

“I’ve accomplished what I’ve wanted to accomplish,” he said in an interview with The Mountain-Ear back in 2023, as he expressed feeling comfortable with slowing down. “It might not amount to a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, but what the hell, I did what I wanted to do.”

Left to right: Scott, Ellen, Anni, George, and James.

Photo by Christopher Kelley

From the showing of longtime Nederland locals, of older adults who were there in that magical time when “Cabin Fever” was being created week by week, of younger adults who grew up with his books, of young children who were growing up riding the creations that he designed for Scott to bring to life, and the showing of love from his friends and family, it is clear that George’s life, whether he wants to admit it or not, has meant a whole lot to very many.