In this week’s update: Free Lindsborg Cultural Crawl event this Sunday, project bidding, Pavilion window replacement and more!
In our weekly update, keep up to date on what staff and volunteers at the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum are working on to lift up the history of Lindsborg and the surrounding region. This weekly update both looks back at what happened last week and looks ahead at what’s coming.
For January 15-21, 2024:
- On our FREE event for the Lindsborg Cultural Crawl, we will be offering free guided tours of the Old Mill from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 28 and a special presentation from Tom Holmquist (who will be the author of the forthcoming commemorative history book on the mill’s 125-year history) at 1:30 p.m.
Entitled “Smoky Valley’s Best and Lindsborg’s Treasure: A Brief History of the Old Mill,” Holmquist will be sharing from portions of what he’s learned from his research for the book – particularly the history of agriculture, milling, and the Old Mill in Lindsborg.
This free event will earn you tickets for the Lindsborg Cultural Crawl award drawing!
- We are currently taking bids on two projects – repairs to the front porch of the main museum building and repairs to the roof and guttering of the Old Mill’s powerhouse. Contact us at 785-227-3595 or contact info@oldmillmuseum.org to learn more about how to bid.
- As part of our partnership with Bethany College, for the next six weeks we will be posting and sharing some awesome “mini documentaries” made by Bethany students on historic Lindsborg figures as part of our popular “Flashback Friday” series. It’s some great work and we can’t wait to share them with you!
- The next few weeks are bringing upgrades to the thermostat system in the Old Mill – allowing staff to better monitor and regulate the mill’s climate and keep it better preserved.
- The contractor on the Swedish Pavilion window replacement project has started to fabricate some of the new windows (which are a return to more historically accurate top-pivot windows!) in his shop, and will be able to start installing them once the weather becomes cooperative again.
- Our current museum membership total is 146, which is ahead of pace for this time last year, but still a few short of last year’s final 2024 membership total. If you’re interested in becoming a member, you can sign up today at www.oldmillmuseum.org/members!
- Reminder! We had enough one-time gifts during our year-end fundraising campaign to supply up to 650 family museum memberships for free to families in financial need. A simple application to receive one of these free at-need memberships is now online at tinyurl.com/FreeMuseumMembership.
It’s fast to complete and designed to be a very low barrier to entry. Basically it’s just giving contact information.
A printable form is also available at www.oldmillmuseum.org/members that can be mailed in to the museum or brought in person. The application deadline will be Wednesday, January 31, 2024, and will be given on a first come, first served basis. - Registration is now open for “Millfest for Kids” on Friday, May 3, 2024. This is a “living history” event for children of all ages. Students and teachers will enjoy a variety of hands-on activities such as blacksmithing, ropemaking, spinning, quilting, music and more! Contact us at oldmillmuseum@gmail.com or call 785-227-3595 to reserve limited space. Demonstrators for the event are now being contacted and we already have more than 260 students registered to attend.
- Register today! We have two upcoming genealogy workshops. First, the next all-day Swedish Genealogy Workshop will be on February 3. A shorter beginner German Genealogy Workshop is scheduled for February 17. Discounts on both are available for museum members.
- We have officially kicked off our Endowment Campaign 2025 to add $1 million to our endowment in supporting our annual operational budget to make sure that not only do we preserve these historical treasures, but we can also “keep the lights on.” Read more on the flyer and giving form below, or visit to www.oldmillmuseum.org/donations to learn more!
Thank you to our museum volunteers!
Jerry Sperling, Jerry Hammerton, and Mike Koch!