Charlie and Gail Holthausen’s fire-breathing dragon, created from an old Nissan pickup, hundreds of CDs and other recycled materials, will return to Steamboat Springs’ Fourth of July parade in 2023.

“It’s at least five years since we’ve been in the Fourth of July parade and we are really excited to be back,” Gail said. “It’s only going to be here for this Fourth of July. It’s not going to be here next year, and it’s not going to stay.”

The couple is thrilled the colorful dragon will once again take its place among the floats rolling down Lincoln Avenue this Independence Day.

The dragon, named Phoenix the Dragon of Fire, has been on display at the Art Cartopia Museum in Trinidad the past several years. Charlie said the car is back in Steamboat for some much-needed repairs before it will head to a new home at Art Car World in Douglas, Ariz. Before that, however, the Holthausen’s did not want to pass up an opportunity to roll down memory lane with one more Fourth of July appearance.

“We didn’t want to say anything until we got approval,” Gail said after the couple got word that they were officially in Tuesday’s parade. “(The Steamboat Springs Chamber) were just so lovely about fitting us in, and we knew this was last-minute and we really appreciated them.”

The couple has spent the past several days freshening up the paint, replacing CDs that had become delaminated by the sun and making sure Phoenix the Dragon of Fire will shine this Fourth of July.

The dragon is one of several art cars Charlie and Gail have created over the years. They started with an iguana in 2007 before moving on to create Phoenix in 2010. The couple eventually sold the car to a man in California, but they were far from done with it.

“Charlie missed this dragon,” Gail said. “So he built another one, and then we bumped into the California buyer when we went to Burning Man.”

That buyer liked the new creation, which was finished in 2015, so much he proposed swapping the two cars and offered the couple a little cash to sweeten the deal.

Charlie and Gail brought Phoenix back to Steamboat Springs where the creation, which had been painted purple, was returned to its original glory with a few added improvements, including Gail’s hand-sewn wings made from greenhouse material she sourced from Gothic Arch Greenhouses. Charlie said the material is perfect not only for cars, but also greenhouses.

Unfortunately, after getting the car back, the Holthausens realized they didn’t have a place to store the art car where it would be protected from the harsh winter conditions in Steamboat Springs. When an opportunity to place the dragon in an art car museum in Trinidad presented itself in 2017, the couple thought it was for the best and loaned the car to Art Cartopia.

This month the couple brought the car home to make a few repairs before it heads to its new home. However, that won’t happen until Phoenix the Dragon of Fire makes one more appearance in the town where it was created.

“It’s going to a bigger art car museum in Douglas, Ariz.,” Charlie said. “We think this might be the best dragon yet. I love it.”