Art, Music and So Much More!

Lindsborg Street Dance

September 20

Photo credit: Jay Richardson

King Midas and the Muflers will once again fill the night air with classic tunes for your dancing and listening pleasure. Kick back and get your groove on!

Come early to enjoy a fundraiser for Smoky Valley High School After Prom of pulled pork nachos. The meal begins at 6:00pm with suggested donation of $10. The fundraiser meal will be located in front of the USD 400 District Office. They will serve until sold out.

The music starts at 8:00pm and lasts until 11:00pm. Bring your lawn chairs to the 100 block of S. Main Street for this family-fun event.

Many thanks to the following sponsors for providing this FREE music event:

Öl Stuga, Fuqua Insurance Group, First Bank Kansas, Farmers State Bank, Peoples Bank and Trust, and The Bank of Tescott.

John Whitfield Retrospective

Ending August 31

A retrospective exhibition of artwork by John Whitfield is currently housed at Smoky Valley Arts and Folklife Center through Sunday, August 31. A public reception for the exhibit is scheduled for Sunday, August 31, from 2:00-4:00pm. 

During the 1960s, Whitfield visited Lindsborg several times to meet with Lester Raymer and other area artists. In 1985, John and his wife Evelyn moved to Lindsborg, where they renovated a home on north Washington Street, adding a studio and meditation chapel that featured carved doors, sculptural elements and incorporated treasured pieces.

Today, his work continues to enrich the Lindsborg landscape. Local highlights include the Välkommen Trail sculpture, the sculpture at the Lindsborg Community Hospital, the St. Lucia sculpture at Swenson Park, and many wind vanes around town, including the one at First Bank Kansas. 

Read more about Whitfield and his lasting contributions to the Lindsborg art culture by clicking on the Visit Lindsborg blog.

Smoky Valley Arts and Folklife Center is open 1:00-5:00pm, Friday through Sunday. The exhibition is free with donations appreciated. 

Magic at the Mill

September 20

Gather at the Old Mill for the yearly Magic the Gathering tournament at historic Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum. Part of the proceeds from every entry will go to support the Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum.

Celebrate with Spelbok Games & Comics the release of Spider-Man with a Prerelease kit. Build a deck and challenge other players using only cards from this new standard set and compete to win prizes including a box of play boosters. Price includes a guided tour of the historic 1898 Smoky Valley Roller Mills building with its restored original equipment and a prerelease pack containing:  

• 6 Marvel's Spider-Man Play Boosters
• 1 Traditional Foil Rare/Mythic with a year stamp
• Spindown life counter

The Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum is located at 120 Mill Street. Hours are Monday-Saturday, 9:00am-5:00pm. Spelbok is located at 106 S. Main Street. Hours are Monday-Thursday, noon-8:00pm, Friday-Saturday, 10:00am-10:00pm.

Practical In Her Art: Women Artists of the 1930s & Other Exhibitions

Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery

Through October 19

Ally 112 by Harley Elliott

Five exhibitions at the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery are on display through October 19. They feature Practical In Her Art: Women Artists of the 1930s; paintings by Karen Matheis of Lawrence, prints by Juana Estrada Hernandez of Providence, Rhode Island; mixed media works by Harley Elliott of Salina; and Swedish art from the Gallery’s permanent collection. A reception for the exhibitions will be on Sunday, August 4, 2:00-4:00pm, with exhibition talks beginning at 2:30pm.

For the exhibition Practical In Her Art: Women Artists of the 1930s, curators around the state have collaborated to highlight the careers of key Kansas women artists and the progress they made enlarging the field. The show includes work by Mary Huntoon, Margaret Whittemore, Avis Chitwood, Sue Jean Covacevich, Clara Hatton, Norma Bassett Hall, and Anna Keener.

Karen Matheis’ exhibition, Constructive Landscape, explores the reinterpretation of the Midwest landscape with a focus of human interaction with nature.

Juana Estrada Hernandez' exhibition, Nuestras Historias (Our Stories), utilizes her experiences growing up in the US to create prints that addresses social and political problems surrounding her migrant communities.

Harley Elliott will be exhibiting mixed media pieces from his Ally series.

The final exhibition honors Lindsborg’s biennial Svensk Hyllningsfest celebration, happening this year on October 17 & 18, by having an exhibition of Swedish and Sweden American art from its permanent collection.

Details about each artist and his/her work are found by clicking on the link to the Visit Lindsborg 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 click here.

Spend Grandparents' Day in Lindsborg!

September 7

Grab those grandkids and spend the day in fun-filled Lindsborg! Start early and explore the coffee shops for the get-up-and-go the adults need and hit Smoky Valley Bakery for one-of-a-kind pastries for the kids (and maybe the adults too!).

Explore the galleries and museums to create stimulating conversations. Take in the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum for a trip to yesteryear, and give the grands all kinds of stories from your childhood.

The Lindsborg Community Library has a play area for pre-school age children while the older children can explore the books, puzzles, and games. Don't forget to grab a group photo in front of the beautiful book mural on the back of the library! The library also houses a used book store worth a visit.

A great stop for purchasing books is found at Small World Gallery. Housing book collections for grown-ups and young ones, Small Word Gallery holds delights to discover.

Drop the exuberant children at the bottom of the stairs while driving to the top of Coronado Heights. The kiddos can expend tons of energy on the stairs, atop the castle, and hiking the trails while spending quality time with grandma and grandpa. The Välkommen Trail is a bicycle and pedestrian path that journeys through town in case a flat paved trail is more to grandma and grandpa's liking (more about Välkommen Trail is found below).

Come back into Lindsborg to partake of something sweet and refreshing such as ice cream (Indigo Moo'd or Barnyard Creamery) or cotton candy found at the candy store, So Sweetish. You may even find some of your favorite candies from days gone by to share with your grands!

Need a fun souvenir? Trollslända Toy Store fits the bill! A fantastic toy store for all ages to explore! Right across the street is Hemslöjd where more souveniers can be found, especially Dala horses. While at Hemslöjd, rent a quad cycle and pedal Lindsborg with the grands! Smiles and laughter are always seen and heard when these bikes are out and about.

After store hours, try your hands at the Swedish Scavenger Hunt or the Wild Dala Hunt!

End the day at Viking Valley, the fantastic play area found in Swensson Park. Slides, climbing areas, a Viking boat, and an area for small ones fill the play space with the entrance replicating the bright yellow 1904 Pavilion. Snap another photo of the grands in front of the Viking boat mural on the south side of the Swensson Park public restrooms.

Don't forget to grab some take-home treats and a cool drink for the drive home. Leave Lindsborg full of great memories for years to come.

Gayle Doll, Artist-in-Residence

Red Barn Studio Museum

September 8-12

The Red Barn Studio Museum welcomes back Gayle Doll, a painter from Manhattan, Kansas, as Artist-in-Residence from September 8-12.

Working in watercolor and acrylic, Doll will focus on a portrait project titled Self-Portrait, inviting people to submit selfies that she’ll use in a series of expressive paintings. Some will be combined into a quilt-style installation.

Visitors are encouraged to stop in, learn about her process, or even contribute a selfie. More information about Doll, her work, her process, and her ideas are found by exploring the Visit Lindsborg blog.

The Red Barn Studio Museum is located at 212 S. Main Street. The museum is open Tuesday-Friday, 10:00am-5:00pm and Saturday-Sunday, 1:00-5:00pm. The Raymer Society's Artist-in-Residence program is sponsored in part by the Kansas Creative Arts Industry Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, contact the Red Barn Studio Museum at 785-227-2217. Admission is free with donations appreciated.

Poetry Readings

Red Barn Studio Museum

September 14

Sunday, September 14, the Red Barn Studio Museum hosts a reading of local and regional poets. Each of nine poets will read recent works, and some will have copies of their books available for purchase. The event will be held at 3:00pm in the Red Barn Courtyard.

Poets performing at the 2025 reading will be: Jackie Ash, Lori Brack, Charles Fox, Linzi Garcia, Caleb Braun, Aubrey Streit Krug, Greg LeGault, Linda Lewis, and Kristin Van Tassel. Their topics range from political satire to memoir; styles vary from traditional to experimental.  

The Red Barn Studio Museum is located at 212 S. Main Street. The museum is open Tuesday-Friday, 10:00am-5:00pm and Saturday-Sunday, 1:00-5:00pm. Admission to the museum and the event is free with donations appreciated.

Piano Duet Recital 

Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery

September 21

Pianists Slawomir Dobrzanski and Alfonso Hernandez will be performing selections by Mozart, Schubert, Ravel, and more at the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery on Sunday, September 21 at 2:00pm.

Slawomir Dobrzanski currently serves as Professor of Piano at the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at Kansas State University. Originally from Poland, he is a graduate of the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and the University of Connecticut.

Alfonso Hernandez earned a Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Maryland and an MBA in Arts Innovation from the Global Leaders Institute in Washington, D.C. Hernandez also earned degrees from the University of Houston, Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.

Further information on both musicians is found by clicking on the Visit Lindsborg blog link.

The Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery is located at 401 N. First Street. There is no charge for the concert, however, donations are appreciated.

Daylong Poetry Event Featuring Kansas Poet Laureate

Red Barn Studio Museum

September 27

The Red Barn Studio Museum is excited to announce a new poetry event on Saturday, September 27, featuring a day of workshops and a public poetry reading with three Kansas-based poets: Caleb Braun, Wanderer (Cydnée A. Reese), and Traci Brimhall, the current Poet Laureate of Kansas.

The event will include three workshops throughout the day, a lunch for participants, and an afternoon poetry reading that is open to the public. Registration opens September 3. Contact the Red Barn Museum to register either by email or phone call: 785-227-2217

Cost is free for students and $10 per workshop (or $20 for all three workshops) for the general public. Lunch will be provided for all workshop participants.

Information on the poets and schedule for the day is found by clicking on the Visit Lindsborg blog.  

The Red Barn Studio Museum is located at 212 S. Main Street. The museum is open Tuesday-Friday, 10:00am-5:00pm and Saturday-Sunday, 1:00-5:00pm.

Svensk Hyllningsfest

October 17 & 18

The party that is so big it only occurs every two years is getting ready for you! Svensk Hyllningsfest will happen only at The Best Square Mile on Earth on October 17 and 18. This Swedish Honoring Festival gives visitors opportunities to see Swedish costumes, taste Swedish foods, dance Swedish dances, and much more.

Smörgåsbord tickets are on sale now, but have sold out of two seatings. The 7:00pm seatings on Friday and Saturday evenings still have tickets available, but you need to act quickly! Purchase yours by clicking on this link.

Svensk Hyllningsfest buttons are available for purchase too. These buttons are a fun way to support the free festival. There is no admission fee for being at Svensk Hyllningsfest. The purchase of a button helps support this mission of the festival. If you purchase one now, the cost is $5 from Hemslöjd, First Bank Kansas, or White's Foodliner. After October 16, the buttons will be for sale at the Svensk Hyllningsfest Information Booth for $10--if any remain!

Come to Lindsborg for a true Swedish experience and see why Lindsborg is called Little Sweden, USA!

Välkommen Trail

A perfect fall hike

Fall weather creates the perfect atmosphere to get outside and enjoy the Välkommen Trail. The Välkommen Trail is a beautiful 4.5 mile all-weather bicycle and pedestrian path which was converted from the abandoned Missouri-Pacific and Union Pacific rail beds.

Want to ride a bicycle on the trail, but don't want to have to load yours into the vehicle? Lindsborg has a bike rental program that is the perfect solution! BikeShare has three stations in town and can be rented by the hour at a resonable rate. Click the BikeShare link to get more information.

The trail, which meanders through Lindsborg, connects to Meadowlark Trail at the southern-most point. Meadowlark Trail, a smooth crushed limestone surface, is a work in progress along a former Union Pacific railroad corridor stretching for 12.6 miles between the cities of McPherson and Lindsborg. 

Find more information on the progress of Meadowlark Trail here.

Visit Lindsborg on Substack

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Mountain Man Fall Rendezvous

Maxwell Wildlife Refuge

September 19-21

A 3-day event featuring 1800’s re-enactment with Mountain Men, trappers, traders and flintknapper demonstrations will be located on the grounds of Maxwell Wildlife Refuge. Experience life as it was on the Kansas prairies. Black powder shoot, knife and hawk throws, and archery each day.

Enjoy bison tours provided by The Friends of Maxwell each hour on the hour starting at 10:00am with the last tram leaving at 1:00pm. Individual prices are $15 for adults and $7.50 for children. Tour reservations not required but strongly suggested for larger groups by emailing the reservation desk at maxwellwildliferefuge@gmail.com.

Bluegrass music will be provided Saturday at 11:00am and 1:00pm with concessions provided by the Friends of Maxwell.

A benefit auction of elk sheds (elk and deer annually "shed" or drop their antlers--click here for a great article from US Fish & Wildlife Service about sheds and antlers) and other donated items begin Saturday at 3:00pm. Proceeds will go for The Friends of Maxwell, a non-profit organization that provides the tours and events for the refuge.

Gates open each day at 9:00am with free gate entry.

Kansas State Fair

September 4-15

In January of 1873 - when the prairie town of Hutchinson was barely one year old - a group of businessmen met and organized the Reno County Agricultural Society. On September 23 and 24 that year, the society hosted a fair which was held in a small wooden livery stable behind the town's only bank on the northwest corner of Sherman and Main.

Today the Fair has far outgrown its humble beginnings. Gather in Hutchinson to celebrate all things Kansas for the 2025 Kansas State Fair, held September 5-14.

What is there to do? Browse the schedule of events, page through the visitor guide, and purchase tickets for a variety of activities ranging from concerts to rides on the Midway. General admission includes a multitude of exhibits and activities.

Overnight lodging difficult to find? Try staying in Lindsborg. Lindsborg offers easy access to the fair and a relaxing overnight. Click here to see lodging options for a quiet evening's rest in Lindsborg.

Saturday, October 18, take part in the annual Coronado Heights Run! Details about the 15K, 5K, 2-Mile Walk, and 1-Mile Youth Fun Run are found by clicking the link below. Registration begins at 6:00am.

The annual motorcycle rally held in Marquette is September 20. The day starts with a pancake feed and ends with a live band. Enjoy the day in beautiful downtown Marquette and book your overnight in Lindsborg, just 10 miles away.

The Falun Classic is an October 5 bicycle ride that starts and ends in Lindsborg at Swensson Park. The ride is sponsored by Mac Town Enduro, a new sponsor to the ride. Click the link below for details. Registration ends October 1.

September's Smoky Valley Historical Association's program features Erik Peterson, bee keeper. This free program begins at 7:30pm on September 9.

Recitals at Bethany College

September 23 & 30, Bethany College hosts two recitals, both beginning at 7:30pm and both in Pearson Chapel, located in the Mabee Welcome Center on Bethany College Campus.

FALL in love with all things Fall at The Good Merchant in Lindsborg! Join staff on September 6 for tastings, the newest fall decor, prizes, and more!

Starry, Starry Night

Starry, Starry Night returns to Coronado Heights October 25. Follow Visit Lindsborg on Facebook for details as this fantastic partnership with the Cosmosphere get finalized.

Explore some practical approaches and new tools for putting great information to work for your family research. September 13 at 1:30 online through Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum.

Play Music on the Porch Day

On August 30, the Red Barn Studio Museum will take part in Play Music on the Porch Day, an international celebration that invites musicians of all ages to step outside and share music.