Little Sweden, USA, welcomes you to browse the unique shops,

participate in events, enjoy restaurants and coffee shops,

relax in outdoor spaces, and explore the culture and history of the area.

There is always something good going on in Lindsborg!

Lindsborg Cultural Crawl

January 2-February 7

The Cultural Directors of Lindsborg invite you to the Lindsborg Cultural Crawl 2026, an event celebrating and promoting the vibrant cultural scene in Lindsborg. Spanning January 2-February 7, residents and visitors alike are invited to pick up a Lindsborg Cultural Crawl Passport at participating organizations and stamp their way into a drawing for one cash prize of $250, two cash prizes of $150 each, and a children's gift basket worth $250.

The Cultural Crawl showcases six prominent organizations, encouraging participants to learn, explore, and engage with local nonprofits and cultural activities. The more stamps you collect in your passport, the more chances you have to win a prize! Get all the details and rules by clicking here for the Visit Lindsborg blog.

Don't miss this opportunity to explore and support your local cultural organizations. The Lindsborg Cultural Crawl is your chance to discover the treasures in our community and win exciting prizes, the greatest prize is avaiable for all: the world that opens as you explore artists, history, and more in Little Sweden, USA!

Participating organizations: Red Barn Studio Museum, Smoky Valley Arts & Folklife Center, Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery, Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum, Lindsborg Community Library, and the Lindsborg Arts Council. Hours for these venues vary so be sure to visit their websites for that infomation. 

Shin-hee Chin, Artist-in-Residence

Red Barn Studio Museum

December 8-January 31

Shin-hee Chin will once again be the Raymer Society artist-in-residence from December 8-January 31.

Shin-hee, a Professor of Art at Tabor College in Hillsboro, will prepare for two upcoming exhibitions, the first one November 6-27, 2026, at Harvester Art Center in Wichita, and the second exhibition May 7-July 23, 2028, at the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery in Lindsborg.

"During this time, I will review my past works and explore new directions for my practice. I aim to move away from an approach driven by “labor” and “filling,” and instead embrace contemplation and emptiness—a slower, more deliberate way of seeing and making. This residency will serve as a space for that transition."

Read more about Chin's residency and her artist's statement on Visit Lindsborg's blog by clicking here.

Shin-hee may not always be working in the studio during business hours, so please call 785-227-2217 before coming for a visit.

The Red Barn Studio Museum, located at 212 S. Main Street, is open Tuesday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm and 1:00-5:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit redbarnstudio.org.

A reception at the Red Barn Studio Museum on January 18 from 2:00-4:00pm will be held for Shin-hee as the featured event of the Lindsborg Cultural Crawl.

The Working iPhone Online Workshop

Jim Richardson

January 14 & 15

Discover how to unlock the full potential of your iPhone in Summit Workshop’s online class, The Working iPhone with Jim Richardson. The sessions are all about helping you get those thrilling images and come away looking like a pro.

This class is two evening sessions online, Wednesday and Thursday, January 14 & 15. Sessions are recorded in case you want to refer back to them (or have to miss a session). Join Richardson for two fun evenings of instruction and down-to-earth advice.

Register by clicking on this link.

128th Annual Midwest Art Exhibition

Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery

January 25-April 19

We Only Borrow This by Tim Stone

Five new exhibitions comprise the 128th annual Midwest Art Exhibition, which opens at the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery on January 25 and continues through April 19.

The shows include paintings by Tim Stone and prints by Marco Hernandez, both of Wichita; woodcarvings by Glenn Knak of Salina; mixed media pieces by Genevieve Waller of Denver; and selections by Gretchen Elliott’s art students at Smoky Valley High School. The opening reception for the exhibitions will be on Sunday, January 25, 2:00-4:00pm, with exhibition talks beginning at 2:30pm.

The Midwest Art Exhibition was founded in 1899 by three local Lindsborg artists – Birger Sandzén, Carl Lotave, and G. N. Malm – as a complement to the annual Messiah Festival held at Bethany College. Today, it represents the longest running annual art exhibition in Kansas and features works by artists invited by the Sandzén Gallery or from the Gallery's permanent collection.

The Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery is located at 401 N. First Street. Hours are 10:00am-5:00pm Tuesday-Saturday, and 1:00-5:00pm on Sunday. Admission is free, with donations appreciated.

Docent tours for groups are available by two-week advance appointment. For more information about Birger Sandzén, the Gallery, and these exhibitions click here or phone (785) 227-2220.

First Day Hike

Kanopolis State Park

January 1

What better way to start 2026 than to get outside and be active! Join staff at Kanopolis State Park at 10:00am for a hike of the Split Boulder Trail. This 2-mile trail is of moderate difficulty. Leashed pets are allowed to join.

Be prepared for a January hike by wearing weather appropriate clothing (hat, gloves, heavy coat) and hiking shoes. Other items to bring include water, snacks, a hiking stick, and a camera. Hikers may see deer, birds, eagle nests, and unique rock structures. 

First Day Hikes is a national program sponsored by America’s State Parks that offers offer individuals and families an opportunity to begin the New Year connecting with the outdoors. First Day Hikes offer a great way to get outside, exercise, enjoy nature and welcome the New Year with friends and family. There are hundreds of scheduled First Day Hikes across the United States. For more information about the First Day Hike program and other hikes around the United States visit, http://stateparks.org. A list of all of Kansas parks offering First Day Hikes can be found here. Unless otherwse stated, a vehicle permit will be required.

Real Men Sing

Bethany College

January 27

The Bethany College Music Department will be hosting "Real Men Sing" on Tuesday, January 27. This workshop hosts approximately 500 fourth grade through senior high age young men with the hopes to foster a continued love for singing in our Kansas youth.

At the conclusion of the workshop, the young men will celebrate with a performance at 1:45pm in Presser Hall, located on the campus of Bethany College, 335 E. Swensson Street. All are invited to enjoy and encourage the participants.

Tickets for 145th Messiah Festival of Arts

March 27 & 29

Tickets for the 145th season of the Messiah Festival of Arts are on sale!

This year’s festival celebrates the powerful connections between tradition, community, and contemporary artistic expression.

Performances include Handel’s Messiah on March 29 and Bach’s St. Matthew's Passion on March 27.

Early bird tickets: $25 (price increases to $30 on January 5)

View the full schedule and purchase ticketsby clicking on the Messiah Festival website link.

The Messiah Festival of the Arts is a celebration of music, art, and culture at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. The weeks-long event is held each spring, and includes art exhibits, music performances, theatre productions, spiritual development programming, and more.

Legacies: Jim Richardson Exhibition

Small World Gallery

Through March 21

Sea wind buffeted Lawrence MacEwan, Laird of the Isle of Muck, and his trusty sheep dog

Celebrating a 60-year photographic career, Jim Richardson will offer a new print show at Small World Gallery called “Legacies.” In the show, Jim will reflect on the wide range of subjects he has covered, both here and around the world, for National Geographic Magazine. 

Richardson said, “It has been fulfilling as I develop my archive to gather images into coherent bodies of work. But it was also rewarding to recall all the people who aided me in their production: farmers, scientists, archeologists, pilots, gamekeepers, fishermen, ranchers. the occasional friendly sheepdog and landscapes from the Great Plains to the Moors of Scotland. 

"Many of their legacies are to be found here, too. Every story was a new world.

“At first it may seem that subjects in ‘Legacies’ are diverse and disconnected, but in each story I almost always found links back to my roots in Kansas — my formative years on my mom and dad's farm and early photography in rural Kansas.” 

Richardson’s show runs until Saturday, March 21, 2026. Signed and numbered prints will be available for order, and 5- by 7-inch greeting cards featuring his works from the show will be available for purchase. All of Richardson’s prints and cards are made by him.

Since 2002 he has displayed his work at Small World Gallery on Lindsborg’s Main Street. 

Having his own gallery changed the way Richardson looked at the art of printing his own photographs, said his spouse Kathy.

"It is a rare thing — a photographer of Jim’s background dedicated to one small storefront for so many years. While Jim’s work has been temporarily displayed in many more distinguished forums by other organizations, Small World Gallery in Lindsborg has remained his North Star."

The timing of “Legacies” also coincides with the re-opening of the Kansas History Museum in Topeka that occured on November 22 after a three-year renovation. The renovated museum will include several huge display photographs by Jim plus an exhibit of Jim’s vintage equipment. 

Read about Richardson's beginnings, his work with National Geographic, and more by going to the Visit Lindsborg blog.

Small World Gallery is located at 127 N. Main Street. Hours are 10:00am-4:00pm Tuesday-Saturday.

Holiday Gift Show, Maleta Forsberg, Lester Raymer, and Tattoos

Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery

Through January 11

The Three Joeys by Lester Raymer

Four exhibitions fill the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery through January 11. They feature a memorial exhibition of paintings by Maleta Forsberg; works by Lester Raymer, tattoo samples from regional shops; and the annual Holiday Gift Show. 

Lindsborg artist Maleta Forsberg passed away in August of this year, and the Gallery is honored to be able to present a special exhibition of her paintings. As an artist, she was primarily self-taught – taking classes at the Kansas City Art Institute, and workshops with other artists throughout her life. Maleta once said, “Being an artist is an ongoing learning process. There is always something new to try.”

Lester Raymer (1907-1991) was born in Alva, Oklahoma and also spent time growing up in Colorado. He completed academic courses at Northwestern University in Alva, and studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, graduating in 1935.

After a very successful career, he died in June of 1991, leaving to the Raymer Society the task of promoting his life, exhibiting his art, and developing the Red Barn Studio Museum in Lindsborg.

Marked: Art That Lives on the Skin, features tattoo designs from True Love Tattoo and Rogue Collective Tattoos & Piercings in Salina, along with selections from Tenfold Tattoo in Wichita.

The Gallery's popular Holiday Gift Show completes the selection of new exhibitions. The work of over 40 invited artists are represented in the show and include paintings, prints, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, mixed media pieces, and more.

Read more about Forsberg and Raymer and their invaluable contributions to Lindsborg and beyond in the Visit Lindsborg blog. More about the tattoo exhibition and additional photos are also found on the blog.

The Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery is located at 401 N. First Street. Hours are 10:00am-5:00pm, Tuesday-Saturday, and 1:00-5:00pm on Sunday. Admission is free, with donations appreciated. Docent tours for groups are available by two-week advance appointment. For more information about Birger Sandzén, the Gallery, and these exhibitions visit www.sandzen.org or phone (785) 227-2220.

Live music at the Stuga! January 17 beginning at 8:00pm.

The Stuga will have normal hours on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

The 32nd Art Lovers Affair & Auction is celebrating

the Golden Jubilee of the Lindsborg Arts Council!

February 7

Register your 1st- 5th grade student for an art class that meets the 1st Saturday of EVERY month Each month is a new project with a different instructor! Snacks are provided.

Striving to create a community gathering space, Spelbok offers themed nights of games and more.

Check the schedule of events to join.

Freeze Your Buns Off (FYBO) Photography Tours

are private tours at Maxwell Wildlife Refuge

for experienced photographers.

Reservations needed.

620-628-4455

Next tour is January 31.

Get that Midsummer's plan in your calendar today!

Lindsborg's Midsummer Festival will be held on June 20.

All day fun for everyone!