Celebrate a Country Christmas this weekend…

This weekend come to Stockholm and celebrate a Country Christmas throughout the village.  We missed the weather mess this week.  Highway 35 is dry, and our sidewalks are clear.  See our new Festival of Lights decorations, illuminating and accentuating spaces and individual shops.  Enjoy a free horse-drawn wagon ride.  Take home goodies from the bake sale at Stockholm Museum.  Visit Santa who will be in Stockholm all day.

Check out the special happenings this Saturday:

The Palate will have Mrs. Claus at her workshop;
Ingebretsen’s will be offering treats and Scandinavian artists’ demonstrations;
Black Cat Farmstead will be decorated in Little House style and offers a free ornament-making workshop;
A Sense of Place will feature a winter book signing;
Stockholm Pie Company will have “pie flight” tastings and specially-made Swedish tea rings, fruit cakes, holiday cookies, and holiday gift baskets;
Stockholm General will have wine tastings, delectable samples, and special holiday gifts baskets;
TanysHus owner and international lighting designer John A. Myklebust, iesna, aia, will be in The Flat above Ingebretsen’s to answer your lighting questions;
Abode will feature Lucy Elliot, Richard Erickson, Mary Logue and other guest artists for you to meet, greet, and sign their works;
Maiden Rock Winery and Cidery will be hosting the annual Medieval Feast and Wassailing of the Apple Trees;

Later in the day
Widespot Performing Arts Center will be featuring the annual Hot Flashes Christmas show starting at 7 p.m.; 
Gelly’s will have The Sue Orfield Band featuring Sue on the saxophone from 8 - 11 p.m.

Discover extraordinary gifts in the shops.  Immerse yourself in the spirit of the season through the decorations, the aromas, and the excitement of the holidays. 

We’d love to see you again,
Stockholm Merchants    

We thank you…

We thank you for being our guest at Stockholm.  We thank you for shopping at our stores, staying at our lodgings, and savoring the fare at our eateries.  We thank you for enjoying our creations, sipping our beverages, and attending our events.  We thank you for reading these e-mails and continuing your interest in Stockholm.

We wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving. 

We invite you to celebrate Small Business Saturday with us this weekend.  Bring your family to experience Stockholm’s small town charm.  Park on the street.  Find one-of-a-kind gifts.  Stroll through the village and browse the stores at a leisurely pace.

We’d love to see you again,
Stockholm Merchants 

You are invited to our Medieval Feast and Wassailing of the Apple Trees…

When you hear about wassailing, likely you think of caroling.  Well, another type of wassailing exists, orchard-visiting wassailing.  An ancient custom that originated in the cider-producing region of western England, orchard-wassailing awakens the apple trees and chases away the evil spirits.  This is accomplished by making a great deal of noise by singing, shouting, and banging on pots, pans, and drums. 

Today, this custom of blessing the crops and singing to good health is being practiced once again in western England, parts of North America, and here at Maiden Rock Cidery and Winery.  We invite you to join us for our Medieval Feast and Wassailing of the Apple Trees Saturday, December 7, from 5 - 9 p.m.  We will have an authentic medieval five-course feast and special Wassail beverages prepared and served by staff in medieval attire.  Our menu gives you the choice of roasted wild boar or giant smoked turkey legs and several kinds of Wassail drinks.

We are excited to welcome the Minneapolis-based group, The Laughing Hearts, to lead us in our celebration  With twenty plus years experience in revelry and interactive theater with the Renaissance Festival circuit, these ladies are multi-talented Celtic/Medieval/Renaissance musicians featuring didgeridoo, doumbaek, hand percussion, mandolin, bodhran, bagpipes, whistles, flute, guitar, harmonica, and vocal performances.  They bring a jolly good season to any Wassailer looking to bring forth a joyful noise!

Toast the apple trees with us.  Since seating is limited, we recommend you make your reservations early.  Today is good.  Tickets for adults are $50, and children under 12 are $25.  Groups of six or more are $40 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under.  Click here to register online or call (715) 448-3502.  Find more information on our Medieval Feast and Wassailing of the Apple Trees here.

We’d love to have you Wassail with us!
Herdie, Carol, and Staff
Maiden Rock Winery & Cidery    

Enjoy the lights of John’s inspiration this season…

When my husband John and I moved back to the Midwest from Pasadena, California, in 2012, we were attracted to the natural beauty and historical significance of Stockholm.  We bought TansyHus, built in 1904 by John Lindgren, the village blacksmith.  We employed our experience and talents to turn the house that sits proudly on a hill well away from busy Highway 35 into a relaxing vacation rental. 

John had a concern about the village, though.  As an architect and international lighting designer, John had an affinity for light.  To his dismay, he found Stockholm chilly and dark.  After dark during winter, he marveled at the village’s beauty.  The snowlight reflected off the shop windows and created a picturesque scene. This prompted him to think of a way to replicate the light and enhance it all through the village.  On his nightly walks through the village with Bernadette, our golden doodle, and Charlie, our terrier mix, he began to imagine a Festival of Lights.  He envisioned all the stores embellished with similar white icicle lights.  He would give each building individual attention and situate the lights to complement its architectural details.  Dubbing the production TheFestival of Lights, John presented his inspiration to the merchants, and they embraced it enthusiastically with money and encouragement.

When you visit Stockholm this winter season, you will see the results of John’s inspiration, nearly 1,000’ of energy efficient LED lights operating from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.  Notice the pine trees and other common area features that will also be illuminated, accentuating spaces and individual shop keepers‘seasonal decorations.   Take the opportunity on Saturday, December 7, to talk with John, iesna, aia, from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. about lighting.  He will be in The Flat above Ingebretsens .   You can enjoy Swedish treats and wassail at the same time. 

We will culminate our first annual Festival of Lights on December 21, the winter solstice.  The program is being designed in collaboration with Mykelbust+Sears, the designers of Stockholm’s Fire & Art 2007-2009.  We’ll give you more details on the event later. 

Light is “that quality or tool by which we have gained almost all the knowledge we have about our universe.”  Jean Houston, author of Mystical Dogs in animals as guides to our inner life.  Enjoy the lights of Stockholm this season.

We’d love to see you again,

John and Sandra Mykelbust

owners and managers,

TansyHus, a Vacation Rental in Stockholm