For Immediate Release

Contact: Kara O’Keeffe

[email protected]

November 20, 2018

Discover Vibrant Holiday Traditions at Old World Wisconsin This December

Eagle, Wis. – Celebrate the holiday season at Old World Wisconsin during the first three Saturday’s and Sunday’s in December. Guests will travel back in time and see preparations for Christmas Eve and Christmas festivities throughout the Crossroads Village.

“There is so much for families and friends to do during An Old World Christmas this year,” said Dan Freas, site director at Old World Wisconsin. “As guests explore the Crossroads Village they can help prepare Vanocka a traditional braided bread, learn about the tradition of leaving out shoes for St. Nicholas and keep an eye out for Krampus!”

Other activities include visiting the blacksmith shop to see what work keeps the blacksmith busy all winter long, learn about the traditional English holiday Boxing Day, step into the warmth of Caldwell Hall for festive music, sing along to favorite carols and help make Swedish pepparkakor cookie ornaments to decorate the Town Tree. There will be photo opportunities for guests with Juletomte, a traditional Finnish version of Santa, Julbocken, the largest Yule goat in North America, Victorian Santa in his busy workshop and in the 19th-century bobsled. Shop like the 1870s with special tokens that can be used towards handmade hooks from the blacksmith shop, decorations, candies and more.

Try your hand at making Victorian swag, which is a festive bundle of greens you can tie to your front door. This drop in “make and take” lasts about 15 minutes and guests will be able to take home the swag they make.

“When guests arrive onsite a handout with a map and the schedule for the day’s activities will be available,” Freas continued.

New this year, guests can purchase their tickets ahead of time online! The price of admission for An Old World Christmas is, for adults (18-64), $12; for children (5-17), $9; for children 4 and under, free. Society members receive 10% off admission price and free admission on Sunday, December 16.

The Crossroads Village and Catch Wheel Fever are open for this event, tram service will not be available. Admission price cannot be applied to Society membership purchase. Child's Library BOGO does not apply. This event is sponsored by the Old World Foundation.

For more information about this event and a full list of activities, visithttp://www.oldworldwisconsin.org.

About Old World Wisconsin
Old World Wisconsin is a 600-acre regional history attraction that features interactive environments and immersive stories of 19^th-and early 20^th-century Midwestern immigrant farm and rural life. It is one of twelve Wisconsin Historical Society sites and museums around the state. The site operates weekends in May, then daily Memorial Day through Labor Day, then Thursdays through Sundays September 10 through October 31. The museum offers guests hands-on activities, led by period-clad staff members, as they visit 10 working farmsteads, explore 12 heirloom gardens, meet heritage animal breeds and try historic crafts and skills. Old World Wisconsin is located on Highway 67 just south of Eagle, Wisconsin in the Milwaukee/Chicago/Madison triangle. For more information visit www.oldworldwisconsin.org or call 262-594-6301.

About Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visitwisconsinhistory.org.

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