In this week’s update: Millfest, Swedish Pavilion update, last-chance silent auction, 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 April 28 – May 4, 2025:
- We had a wonderful weekend of Millfest for Kids on May 2 and Millfest on May 3, with hundreds of visitors coming to each event!
At the Millfest for Kids living history event, schoolkids from all over the area were able to encounter many awesome and engaging demonstrations and activities – basket weaving, blacksmithing, mule wagon rides, weaving, wood carving, and many more! See images and movies from the day on our Facebook page HERE and HERE.
At Millfest, hundreds went on a tour of the 1898 Smoky Valley Roller Mills while the machinery was in action – the one time each year this historic mill roars back into action! There was also great live music, arts and crafts vendors and demonstrations, Swedish dancing, delicious food, a NEW antique tractor show, NEW artistic face painting and much more. Selected images are below, but much more will be posted later in the day at our Facebook albums page HERE later today (Monday, May 5).
Thanks to everyone for coming and supporting Millfest and the Museum!
- Perfect Blend Construction to continued repair work on 1904 World’s Fair Swedish Pavilion outside on the north face of the building!
Once this side is completed, they will be moving to install stability on the south side of the Pavilion – the “face” of the Swedish manor-style historic building.
The work is estimated to be completed by early summer; and when completed, this will allow us to safely reopen the Pavilion to the public! Thanks to everyone who donated to help us reach the $151,500 needed for these critical repairs! Tax credits are still available for the 2025 tax year, with proceeds going to help with a new planned Pavilion roof! Learn more at www.oldmillmuseum.org/save-the-pavilion.
- A number of items in our silent auction last Saturday didn’t receive a bid, so we’re giving a last-chance opportunity this week. Watch for a post of the remaining items on Facebook later today – First to message us willing to pay the minimum bid will win it!
- It takes so many people to make the Museum function from day to day, but it’s even more so the case before, during and after the week of Millfest! We want to really thank and highlight our volunteers this week, including: Jerry Hammerton, Mike Koch, Mark Lackey, Bill Olson, Tom Whittaker, Karmon Almquist, Dakota Johnson, Betty Amos, Tim Stewart, Chandra Cooper, Cathy Ahlstedt, Janene Stockamp, Susan Lundstrom, Kim Colby, Josh Nelson, Sharon Entz, Amber Pracht, Eian Pracht, Paul Blodgett and KSU student tour guides, Joyce Pigge, Collin Carlson, Bill Chase, James Wilson III, Leland Nelson, and Julie Ann Neywick! This is likely an incomplete list… If we missed you, please let us know and we’ll be sure to recognize you in our next Monday Morning Update.
- Old Mill Mint ice cream is back in stock at the museum – a delicious combination of peppermint ice cream and filled with Oreos and peppermint bits for just $3! Come on in and get your taste!
- Our new metal fence between the museum and Old Mill has progressed well! It just needs some paint to give more definition to the plasma cut images and some more material to allow it to function as security fence and art! We’re excited to have it completed!
- Landscape Consultants out of New Cambria finished the front walk landscaping last week! Looks great!
- Thanks to the Salina Journal for a great preview story about Millfest! The story also appears on Yahoo News!
- Two upcoming genealogy workshop events are coming soon and are now open for registration! (Please note that we are now using a new process with the Eventbrite platform for registration and payment.)
Sue Schlichting with Pursuing YOUR Past will present “Inspiring the Next Generation of Genealogists” on Saturday, May 31. It is free for museum members or just $10 for non-members. Register and pay for the presentation at the link HERE.
Then on Saturday, June 7, we’ll have our next virtual Swedish Genealogy Workshop with four great sessions, including the return of Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective. The cost is $50, or $30 for museum members. Register and pay at the link HERE.
- Staff was primarily focused on preparations, running, and cleaning up after Millfest and Millfest for Kids – too many tasks to list out!
- Aubrey gave a career presentation at Smoky Valley High School on Wednesday.
- Adam worked on edits and photos for a new back gallery display in the museum.
- We learned last week that a $15,000 grant from the Barbro Osher Foundation is on its way!
- Lenora met for coffee at Sunflower Terrace to gather local oral history.
- Lenora has continued working on an indexing project under contract with ArkivDigital (10 hours)
- Need a great gift for the genealogist or history enthusiast in your life? NEW in the museum gift shop, you can now purchase a gift certificate good for a free registration to one of the museum’s Online Swedish Genealogy Workshops anytime in 2025 ($50) or a 2025 Pursuing YOUR Past presentation ($10). Your gift recipient will receive a one-time-use code by email or mail good to pay for the registration fee for one of these popular sessions!
