Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum
LINDSBORG - The Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum invites the community to gather and celebrate a beloved local tradition as Christmas music performances return inside the Swedish Pavilion this year.
Heritage Christmas will be held this year on Saturday, December 13, from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. at 120 E. Mill St. in Lindsborg.
Visitors will stroll along lamplit paths and step into a festive mix of music, crafts, storytelling, and hands-on holiday fun. Families can decorate cookies, create kid-friendly crafts, enjoy a dramatic performance, tour the historic 1898 Smoky Valley Roller Mills, and share a wish with Santa Claus.
Executive Director Aubrey Wheeler says the event continues to charm her year after year.
“Heritage Christmas brings together so many of the traditions our community treasures,” she said. “It’s a wonderful way to celebrate the season with our museum family.”
Admission is by donation, with a suggested contribution of $10 for adults and $5 for students.
This year’s musical performances return to a cherished building - recently rescued from structural collapse thanks to many generous donors. The 1904 World’s Fair Swedish Pavilion reopened to the public last summer after essential repairs, making it again the central attraction of the annual holiday tradition at the museum. Known for its warm acoustics and deep cultural significance, the Pavilion will once again host performances by Men in Harmony, the Mennonite Chorus, and the Smoky Valley Men’s Choir throughout the evening.
Elsewhere on Heritage Square, the holiday festivities continue. Children can make seasonal crafts in the historic West Kentuck one-room schoolhouse and decorate cookies from the local Smoky Valley Bakery at the original Lindsborg train depot. The stables will once again host an intimate performance of A Shepherd’s Story of Christmas, and visitors are invited to spend some time connecting with city officials during the third year of the Mayor’s Christmas Kaffe in Sweadal, Lindsborg’s original county courthouse.
Across the street inside the main museum building, guests will find an opportunity to visit with Santa Claus as well as a new surprise - for the first time, JJ Knitpicker will set up a cozy knitting vendor booth in the main gallery.
A rare opportunity to take a tour from experienced guides of the fully restored 1898 Smoky Valley Roller Mills will also be available throughout the event.
The museum’s gift shop will remain open throughout the event for holiday shoppers. Here visitors can take care of their Christmas card needs; purchasing ones that feature original commissioned art of museum attractions. Other unique offerings include books, toys, Swedish-themed souvenirs, unused historic flour bags, and handcrafted items such as wood-turned pens, letter openers, and wine corks made from actual repurposed mill timbers from the Old Mill.
Heritage Christmas is sponsored in part by the State of Kansas through the Kansas Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.