Gordon W. Fredrickson: CHRISTMAS IN THE VILLAGE, 2011

Volunteers at the the Dakota City Heritage Village near the fairgrounds in Farmington, MN, put on a great display of Christmas cheer by decorating the historic buildings that make up the village. The lights are lit and the buildings are open for two weekends, and the event is called "Christmas in the Village."

This year they were open from 1 PM to 8 PM on December 3 and 4, and will be open again next weekend from 1 PM to 8 PM on December 10 and 11. It's a great place to go on your own or take that special someone. Bring the kids to give them a treat from Christmas in the past.
Admission is free for kids under 3 years old, $2.00 for kids 4-12, $4.00 for adults 13 and up, or $12.00 for a carload.
Most of the buildings are open, including the print shop, the blacksmith shop, the depot, the drug store, and, of course, the Confectionery where they sell candy and gifts. You won't want to miss it.
Also, visit Nancy and me in the storage building across from the print shop where we sell our books and give away free stickers.

Last weekend lots of visitors enjoyed the mild weather with some snow

on Saturday afternoon and evening.

If you get tired of walking or just want to sit and enjoy the light display, you can enjoy free horse-drawn trolley rides, which pick up riders by the depot among a number of other stops.

It may not be a one-horse open sleigh, but it is a thrill, just the same, for kids and adults of all ages.

Also, Nancy and I are in a cozy little building across from the print shop where we sell our books and sweat shirts. Please stop by for a short visit. We offer free stickers for kids and adults for as long as they last, which is usually the whole event because Nancy makes a lot of them.

The volunteers decorate the buildings inside and out, but they let Nancy and me decorate the inside of this one. We put up the tree, the Santa, and the garland along with the sleigh and reindeer on the counter in the back. Well, OK, Nancy did all of the actual decorating, but I helped carry stuff.

We try to make the place look inviting, both on the inside (above) and on the outside (below).

So there is one weekend left of this fun event. I hope you can stop by.

Be sure to visit the volunteers in the Gift Shop/Confectionery.

Visit the Harris House.

The afternoon and evening will give you plenty of time to visit all the interesting places in the village.

I hope you can stop to visit us. We are in the storage building across from the print shop.

Nancy and I thank everyone at Dakota City Heritage for inviting us to use the building for our book sales, especially Mary Hendricks for always helping us arrange our visit. All the volunteers need to be commended for their dedication and work.

Of course, we especially thank our customers and others who just stop by to visit.

Below are a series of pictures of some happy kids and adults who purchased one of more our books. Nancy isn't always free to snap a picture, so we apologize to the many customers we were not able to photograph, but feel welcome to come back, bring your book, and we will take a special photo.