George Blevins Day | Ep. 59

George Blevins Day | Ep. 59

George Blevins isn’t just Nederland’s favorite cartoonist. He’s also played a role in the design of the Carousel of Happiness, apparent at the center of our logo. But that’s only part of the reason we’re celebrating the first annual George Blevins Day on August 1st and 2nd this year at the Carousel.  George will tell us the real reason, along with his life story: how he achieved his ultimate childhood dream, met Walt Disney, collaborated with Scott Harrison on the carousel animals, and which one is his favorite.  If you want to celebrate George Blevins Day early this year, I encourage you to read some of the excellent work on his website: https://georgesefforts.com [https://georgesefforts.com] You can learn more about George Blevins Day festivities on the Carousel of Happiness website:  https://carouselofhappiness.org/george-blevins-days-free-books/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/george-blevins-days-free-books/] Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2423381/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate] The Carousel of Happiness is a nonprofit arts & culture organization dedicated to inspiring happiness, well-being, and service to others through stories and experiences. Check out the carousel on the CBS national news! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/ [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/] If you enjoy the podcast, please consider visiting the Carousel of Happiness online [https://carouselofhappiness.org/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/]), on social media [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness] (https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness]), or in real life. Or consider donating [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/]) to keep the carousel and its message alive and spinning 'round and 'round. If you have a story to share, please reach out to Nick and Sarah at outreach@carouselofhappiness.org [outreach@carouselofhappiness.org] Special thanks to songwriter, performer, and friend of the carousel, Darryl Purpose [https://darrylpurpose.com/] (https://darryl...

All Soldiers in All Wars | Ep. 58

We talk to two Ukrainian service members, Illia and Kostya about their journey from the front lines of the War in Ukraine to the Carousel of Happiness. We learn about how two Colorado nonprofits, Warriors on Cataract Canyon and Limbs for Liberty, have invited them to work on healing their PTSD through travel, nature, and connection with other veterans.  Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war] https://www.csis.org/analysis/russia-ukraine-war-10-charts [https://www.csis.org/analysis/russia-ukraine-war-10-charts] https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/the-conflict-in-ukraine/ [https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/the-conflict-in-ukraine/] Limbs for Liberty:   https://www.facebook.com/groups/500164755091199/ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/500164755091199/] https://www.instagram.com/limbs_for_liberty/ [https://www.instagram.com/limbs_for_liberty/] Warriors on Cataract Canyon: https://warriorsoncataract.org/ [https://warriorsoncataract.org/] Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2423381/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate] The Carousel of Happiness is a nonprofit arts & culture organization dedicated to inspiring happiness, well-being, and service to others through stories and experiences. Check out the carousel on the CBS national news! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/ [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/] If you enjoy the podcast, please consider visiting the Carousel of Happiness online [https://carouselofhappiness.org/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/]), on social media [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness] (https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness]), or in real life. Or consider donating [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/]) to keep the carousel and its message alive and spinning 'round and 'round. If you have a story to share, please reach out to Nick and Sarah at outreach@carouselofhappiness.org [outreach@carouselofhappiness.org] Special thanks to songwriter, performer, and friend of the carousel, Darryl Purpose [https://darrylpurpose.com/] (https://darryl...

Whimsy Maxxing | Ep. 57

Why is 2026 being called The Year of Whimsy Maxxing? Hosts Nick Alexander and Sarah Bishop talk all about whimsy, where it comes from, and how we can cultivate in our lives.  Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2423381/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate] The Carousel of Happiness is a nonprofit arts & culture organization dedicated to inspiring happiness, well-being, and service to others through stories and experiences. Check out the carousel on the CBS national news! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/ [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/] If you enjoy the podcast, please consider visiting the Carousel of Happiness online [https://carouselofhappiness.org/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/]), on social media [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness] (https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness]), or in real life. Or consider donating [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/]) to keep the carousel and its message alive and spinning 'round and 'round. If you have a story to share, please reach out to Nick and Sarah at outreach@carouselofhappiness.org [outreach@carouselofhappiness.org] Special thanks to songwriter, performer, and friend of the carousel, Darryl Purpose [https://darrylpurpose.com/] (https://darryl...

Memorial Day | Ep. 56

We try to transport you to the Memorial Day celebration at the Carousel of Happiness -- and explain why the holiday is so important to us and to the many people who joined us on May 25, 2026. You can hear the music of Sean Applebee, who so elegantly performed Taps for us, here:  https://www.seanapplebeeandbeyond.com/ You can read Christopher Kelley's article about our Memorial Day celebration in the Mountain Ear here:  https://themtnear.com/stories/veterans-lives-carousel-happiness-honored-memorial-day,95117 Learn more about Limbs for Liberty here:  https://limbsforliberty.com/ Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2423381/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate] The Carousel of Happiness is a nonprofit arts & culture organization dedicated to inspiring happiness, well-being, and service to others through stories and experiences. Check out the carousel on the CBS national news! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/ [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/] If you enjoy the podcast, please consider visiting the Carousel of Happiness online [https://carouselofhappiness.org/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/]), on social media [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness] (https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness]), or in real life. Or consider donating [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/]) to keep the carousel and its message alive and spinning 'round and 'round. If you have a story to share, please reach out to Nick and Sarah at outreach@carouselofhappiness.org [outreach@carouselofhappiness.org] Special thanks to songwriter, performer, and friend of the carousel, Darryl Purpose [https://darrylpurpose.com/] (https://darryl...

Beginnings & Endings | Ep. 55

On today's episode, hosts Nick Alexander and Sarah Bishop talk about their new roles at the Carousel of Happiness and the big shoes that they’re filling. They discuss why we delay joy and what’s next for the carousel, including our Memorial Day celebration [https://carouselofhappiness.org/memorial-day-2026/].  Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2423381/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate] If you'd like to keep in touch with our original host, Allie Wagner, on her new journey, you can follow her on Substack [https://substack.com/@alliewagsmedium?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/alliewagsmedium?igsh=MXJ2OG16eWxtYTgxbw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr], or TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@alliewagsmedium]. You can find Sarah’s music at her website, SarahBankerMusic.com [http://sarahbankermusic.com/]. Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2423381/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate] The Carousel of Happiness is a nonprofit arts & culture organization dedicated to inspiring happiness, well-being, and service to others through stories and experiences. Check out the carousel on the CBS national news! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/ [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/] If you enjoy the podcast, please consider visiting the Carousel of Happiness online [https://carouselofhappiness.org/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/]), on social media [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness] (https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness]), or in real life. Or consider donating [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/]) to keep the carousel and its message alive and spinning 'round and 'round. If you have a story to share, please reach out to Nick and Sarah at outreach@carouselofhappiness.org [outreach@carouselofhappiness.org] Special thanks to songwriter, performer, and friend of the carousel, Darryl Purpose [https://darrylpurpose.com/] (https://darryl...