Lindsborg Posten: What to Do

Posten

October 2023

Svensk Hyllningsfest 2023!

Swedestock: Where the Herd Gathers

October 13 & 14

Svensk Hyllningsfest 2023 has arrived! Lindborg's Swedish honoring festival occurs in October of odd number years, and this year's dates are October 13 and 14.

Lindsborg residents, in traditional Swedish folk costumes, welcome visitors to celebrate the Swedish pioneers who settled the Smoky Valley in 1868. The festival features art and crafts, special foods, ethnic music, and other special entertainment while Swedish folk dancers and musicians add to the flavor of the festival. Folk dancing and folk music lend a unique character and spirit to Svensk Hyllningsfest.

The festival includes a variety of activities for everyone:

• Kubb and other Viking yard games at Heritage Square!
• Children's Tent with a drum safari, puppets and more!
• Pickleball in Riverside Park!
• Folk Costumes of the Smoky Valley exhibit at Smoky Valley Arts and Folklife Center!
• Hungry Vikings Food Court!
• Various history presentations!

The parade at 10:00am on Saturday morning, features area marching bands, floats, antique cars, and other entries, a favorite event for many festival-goers. You can find the full 2-day Svensk Hyllningsfest schedule here. Shuttle busses will be running on a 15-minute schedule between parking stops at White's Foodliner, Fredrickson Fitness Park, the Sandzen Gallery, Smoky Valley High School, and downtown Lindsborg. Parking is encouraged at these stops.

Festival buttons are available for sale the day of the event, for $10 at the Hemslojd (201 N. Main Street), White's Foodliner (215 N. Harrison) and First Bank Kansas (118 N. Main Street). If you're able to get to Lindsborg before the festival, the buttons are $5, at those same locations. Buttons support the festival, but are not necessary to attend all festival events.

Friday and Saturday 5:00pm Smörgåsbord tickets are sold out, but Friday and Saturday 7:00pm Smörgåsbord tickets are available and can be purchased at here, but hurry--they are running low!

See you in Little Sweden, USA!

Folk Costumes of the Smoky Valley

Smoky Valley Arts and Folklife Center

September 29-October 29

The Smoky Valley Arts and Folklife Center is excited to share the biennial exhibit Folk Costumes of the Smoky Valley. The exhibit showcases costumes created by the descendants of Swedish immigrants to the Smoky Valley. The costume project began in 2015 and has been showcased during the past four Svensk Hyllningsfest festivals.

The costume project was established to celebrate the community spirit that reflects the Swedish influence of the pioneer settlers in the Smoky Valley. This exhibit features both loaned and donated costumes that were developed, made, and worn by community members at festivals in Lindsborg over the past 82 years.

The exhibit will run from September 29 - October 29. A reception will be held on October 22 from 2:00-4:00pm, with a gallery talk commencing at 2:30pm.

Special Svensk Hyllningsfest hours on October 13 and 14 will be from 10:00am-5:00pm.

For more information about The Costume Project, please email the organization. Smoky Valley Arts and Folklife Center is supported by the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Raymer Society. Smoky Valley Arts and Folklife Center is open Friday-Sunday, 1:00-5:00pm and is located at 114 1/2 S. Main Street. For weekday appointments, please schedule by calling SVAFC at (785)-227-7034.

2nd Annual Courtyard Concert

Red Barn Studio Museum

October 1, 6:00-8:00pm

Gather in the Courtyard of the Red Barn Studio Museum at 6:00pm for the 2nd Annual Courtyard Concert, presented by the Raymer Society.

The tentative list of artists include Nile Johnson, Clark Cumbo, Mike and Laurie Hoag, Eleanor Gates, the Front Porch Pickers of Lindsborg, Steve Bowersox, and Greg Power and Bill Burrows.

Rain location is Smoky Valley Arts and Folklife Center, located at 114 1/2 S. Main Street.

Good friends and good music equals a relaxing evening at the Red Barn!

The Red Barn Studio Museum is located at 212 S. Main Street and is open Tuesday through Friday, 10:00am-5:00pm and Saturday and Sunday, 1:00-5:00pm, and by appointment. Please call 785-227-2217 to schedule an appointment.

Ellie Murphy, Artist-in-Residence

Red Barn Studio Museum

October 1-15

Ellie Murphy from Ridgwood (Queens), New York, returns to the Red Barn Studio Museum for her second residency October 1-15, coinciding with Svensk Hyllningsfest and her 40th reunion with the Lindsborg High School Class of 1983.

Drawing inspiration from the wind blowing through the tallgrass of Kansas, Murphy aims to evoke emotions of nostalgia, belonging, and awe through her art. During her residency, Murphy will create unique kinetic outdoor sculptures for the Red Barn Studio Museum. These sculptures will primarily be made from 6mm polypropylene macramé cord and non-woven fiber in various states of draping, unraveling, and fuzziness. Additionally, she will exhibit recent sculptures exploring solid monochrome, using the same materials, in the south studio.

Murphy's workshop, ¡Fiber—Free Form! will be held on Saturday, October 7, 1:00-4:00pm. In this workshop, participants will challenge the traditional norms of fiber art and use non-traditional, recycled, or repurposed items to create new objects, drawing inspiration from the materials to evoke form and feeling. The workshop will cover construction and de-construction techniques. Materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own fiber-like substance such as recycled paper, plastics, old clothes or any discarded material that can function as fiber.

The workshop is open to all ages, with children under 9 accompanied by an adult. The cost is $40 for members of the Raymer Society and $50 for non-members. Call 785-227-2217 or email for reservations.

Be sure to visit the Red Barn between October 1-15 to experience installations inspired by the Kansas landscape, the sky, the wind, and the sense of community with one's surroundings. Murphy's work pays tribute to her upbringing in Lindsborg, which instilled in her a love for art, craft, and community.

The Red Barn Studio Museum's residency program is sponsored in part by the Kansas Creative Arts Industry Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Red Barn Studio Museum is located at 212 S. Main Street and is open Tuesday through Friday, 10:00am-5:00pm and Saturday and Sunday, 1:00-5:00pm, and by appointment. Please call 785-227-2217 to schedule an appointment.

Painting with Pals Workshops

Lindsborg Senior Center

Join Painting with Pals at the Lindsborg Senior Center for some fun painting workshops!

• Oh My Gourd!--porch leaner, October 1 at 1:00pm
• Halloween Night Sky--canvas, October 6 at 6:00pm
• Hocus Pocus--porch leaner, October 8 at 1:00pm
• Sunflower Fence--canvas, October 22 at 1:00pm
• Halloween Night Sky--canvas, October 28 at 2:00pm

Canvas paintings are $30. Porch leaners are $40. All supplies are provided.

Visit Painting with Pals Facebook Page to see example photos of paintings and to sign up or call the Lindsborg Senior Center at 785-227-3983 (ask for Marion).

Lindsborg Senior Center is located at 116 S. Main Street.

Faculty Recital and More!

Bethany College

October 3; 7:30pm

The Bethany College Music Department's annual Faculty Recital will be held Tuesday, October 3 at 7:30pm in the Pearson Chapel on the Bethany College campus.

The program will showcase the talents of Bethany College Music Department faculty members performing solo pieces:

• Leslie Mangrum, Assistant Professor of Music (voice)
• Laura Black, Lecturer of Upper Strings (violin)
• Keith Dodson, Assistant Professor of Music (Alto Saxophone)
• Tyler Boehmer, Visiting Assistant Professor of Music (organist)
• Daniel J. Masterson, Professor of Music (piano)

The recital will offer diverse musical compositions, including works by Desenclos, Hummel, Saint Saens, and Schubert.

The recital is free and open to the public. Bethany College is located at 335 E. Swensson Street.

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Discover more opportunities to enjoy the Music Department of Bethany College:

• Sunday, October 15, at 3:00pm Bethany College Choir and Handbell ensemble will perform a concert as a part of the Homecoming and Svensk Hyllningsfest weekend in Bethany Lutheran Church at 320 N. Main Street.
• Tuesday, October 17, at 3:30pm Department recital will be held in the Pearson Chapel on the Bethany College Campus.
• Sunday, October 22, at 4:00pm Chamber Orchestra of the Smoky Valleyand the Bethany College Choir will perform a concert in Presser Hall on the Bethany College Campus.
• Tuesday, October 31, at 3:30pm Department recital will be held in the Pearson Chapel on the Bethany College Campus.

Coronado Heights Run

October 14

Photo Credit: Todd Deterding

Saturday, October 14, take part in the annual Coronado Heights Run! The 15K is composed of a flat, scenic country-road course with Coronado Heights hill (1 mile running distance up a circular, rugged road) at the heart of the race. This is a demanding course; please train accordingly. Aid stations (water) and split times will be provided throughout the course. The starting line will be at the intersection of Main and Lincoln streets (race will head north on Main Street); the finish line will in close proximity to the starting line.

Details about the 15K, 5K, 2-Mile Walk, and 1-Mile Youth Fun Run are found here. Registration begins at 6:00am

Chamber Orchestra of the Smoky Valley Concert

Presser Hall

October 22, 4:00pm

Join the beautiful sounds of the Chamber Orchestra of the Smoky Valley as they kick off their 2023-24 season at Presser Hall on the campus of Bethany College.

The program for the afternoon:

• George Handel- Music for Royal Fireworks: Overture
• Edward Elgar- Introduction and Allegro for Strings- Op. 47
• Joseph Haydn- Te Deum in C Major, Hob. XXIII with Bethany College Choir and Dolkoren Chamber Choir
• Wolfgang A. Mozart- Symphony no.41 "Jupiter"

Supported by Bethany College and the Lindsborg Arts Council, the Chamber Orchestra of the Smoky Valley is an auditioned regional ensemble of professional musicians that includes not only Bethany faculty members but players from Wichita, Manhattan, Salina, and Kansas City. Under the musical direction of Keith Dodson, Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Instrumental Studies, and led by concertmaster Ann Samuelson, the ensemble seeks to educate and engage audience members through the performance of orchestral masterworks.

Bethany College is located at 335 E. Swensson Street in Lindsborg. The concert is open and free to the public donations appreciated.

Artists' Portraits from the Emprise Bank Collection and Other Exhibitions

Through October 22

Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery

Flush Sky by Jim Simpson

Five exhibitions continue at the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery through October 22. The shows include Artists' Portraits from the Emprise Bank Collection; paintings by Wendy Tan of Hays; along with art by Jim Simpson of Wichita, Glen Ediger of North Newton, and Harley Elliott of Salina.

In 1997, Mike Michaelis began in earnest to collect artwork from artists that had a Kansas connection. The collection is known as The Art of Emprise and is displayed in the Emprise Bank headquarters in Wichita and the 32 branches of the bank. From pottery and sculpture to photographs and paintings, the collection includes art from 1885 to the present. It currently has over 3,500 works from over 850 different artists. The Sandzén Gallery will be showcasing a selection of portraits done by artists in the collection.

Hays, Kansas, artist Wendy Tan was born in Malaysia. She later lived in Hong Kong for over a decade. She holds a MFA in multimedia (sculpture) from Fort Hays State University and a BFA degree with distinction in painting from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia. She has received numerous awards throughout her artistic career and exhibited in prestigious galleries and museums internationally. Regarding her large poured paintings, she writes: "My art is about exploring, memory, and connection. I am fascinated with the complex and expansive space. By pouring the paint I can engage in the element of surprise through using a bright and intense palette."

Jim Simpson is a painter whose work primarily focuses on traditional themes like landscapes, botanicals, and wildlife, but in a bold, contemporary painting style that is uniquely his own (see above). Preparation for his show, In the Garden, started with the act of soaking up thousands of pieces of color, pattern, and unique forms. He writes: "This storehouse of inspirational fragments is reflected in my later work. I’m a lifelong lover of all things battered and worn. My process lets the image evolve on the surface…working up layers, destroying parts, letting other parts gleam through from underneath, carving into previous layers. These actions all contribute to a richer image with depth and texture."

Glen Ediger is a retired Director of Design at Vornado Air in Andover, Kansas, and has over 130 patents to his name and many international patents. He has developed a style he calls “environmental exposure" in which sheets of steel, copper, or wood are set outdoors with materials laying on top of them. The pieces are exposed to weather for days, weeks, months or over a year – creating abstract landscapes with the rust, dust, and patina. Regarding his work, he writes "Everything we do leaves an impression. Our actions, whether intended or not, create an effect on our environment and on our relationships. My art-form is an expression of that effect."

Harley Elliott will be exhibiting mixed media pieces from his Ally series. He began creating the series after a serious health crisis in 2014 and writes, "It’s a matter of recognizing allies more so than wanting allies. Creating some is also good because art is a process of discovery. I might discover an ally within myself that I didn’t know I had." Elliott uses basic materials for creating each work: a 16 by 20 inch illustration board, acrylic paint, Conte crayon, inks, colored pencil, and every once in a while a non-traditional medium. Elliott received his bachelor’s degree from Kansas Wesleyan University in art and English, then earned a master’s degree in painting from Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Early in his career, he worked as a book designer at Syracuse University Press from 1968-1970 and later went on to teach art as an assistant professor at Salina’s Marymount College for 13 years. After Marymount, he served as the education coordinator at the Salina Art Center for over a decade. Today he is an established Kansas visual artist and the author of 13 books.

The Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery is located at 401 N. First Street. Hours are 10:00am-5:00pm Tuesday through 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 the website or phone 785-227-2220.

Marco Hernandez: Reconectando con mis Raíces

October 2-27

Mingenback Art Center

Bethany College presents Reconectando con mis Raíces, an exhibition featuring the distinctive artwork of visiting artist Marco Hernandez. The show will be displayed at the Mingenback Gallery from October 2 to October 27, with a closing reception scheduled for October 20, 5:15-6:15pm.

Marco Hernandez is a Mexican Artist/Printmaker currently residing in Kansas. He holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Kansas State University and has a rich background as an educator in print media. His commitment to the art form and its power to convey cultural narratives reflects his work's national and international recognition and exhibition.

Hernandez's work explores issues associated with contemporary Mexican and Mexican-American cultures, drawing from his experiences as a Mexican immigrant. His artwork weaves together a tapestry of symbols, ranging from ancient Mesoamerican imagery to contemporary cultural icons, reflecting the complexity and depth of his Mexican heritage.

In his own words, Hernandez states, "The art of printmaking provides me with a flexibility of technique and process necessary for my content development. Experimenting in the studio is as important as historical research in my search for content and ideas." His work is a testament to the enduring power of art to communicate profound cultural and personal narratives.

The Reconectando con mis Raíces exhibition at the Mingenback Gallery is a unique opportunity to be immersed in the rich cultural tapestry of Mexican and Mexican-American experiences. The public is invited to explore Marco Hernandez's thought-provoking and visually captivating art.

The exhibition is free and Mingenback Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm.

Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to educate, develop, and challenge individuals to reach for truth and excellence as they lead lives of faith, learning, and service. At Bethany, students join a community of dedicated educators and caring mentors who walk alongside them as they discover, explore, and navigate the path to their purpose. Bethany College is located in Lindsborg, Kansas, the fine arts and crafts capital of the state.

Raymer Society Consignment Art Auction

Red Barn Studio Museum

October 28

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil by Lester Raymer

The Raymer Society will host its sixteenth in-house and online consignment auction on Saturday, October 28.

Auction bidding begins at 11:00am. Bidding can be done on the Red Barn's website, through bidspirit.com, or at liveauctioneers.com. In-person bidding will take place at Trinity United Methodist Church, 224 S. Main Street.

To preview the art exhibition, visit Red Barn Studio Museum. The exhibition will run from October 16-26. RSCAA accepts all original works of art in all disciplines and fine crafts created by local, regional, and national artists including Lester Raymer and Birger Sandzén.

The Red Barn Studio Museum is located at 212 S. Main Street and is open Tuesday through Friday, 10:00am-5:00pm and Saturday and Sunday, 1:00-5:00pm, and by appointment. Please call 785-227-2217 to schedule an appointment.

Shirley Malm, October Artist of the Month

Courtyard Gallery

The Courtyard Gallery is pleased to announce Shirley Malm as the October Artist of the Month.

“Shirley Malm is a perfect fit for the Svensk Hyllningsfest month. Her Swedish inspired art has been a favorite for many people for many years,” says Lori Shultz, Courtyard Gallery manager.

Malm, originally from Hutchinson, attended Bethany College in Lindsborg on a scholarship.

“I didn’t get involved in art; it got me involved. I’ve always had the idea of wanting to be an artist. My earliest memory of art is a kid sitting at our kitchen table with a Big Chief tablet and a big fat pencil. That was the greatest fun in my life,” says Malm.

Malm had her own art gallery, worked as a painter for Hemslöjd, and now has a small studio located next to her home.

Corey Peterson, owner of Hemslöjd, speaks fondly of Malm. “For years Shirley would enjoy visiting with guests as she painted. She would always let them know that while she wasn’t Swedish, she had been married to one for over 50 years,” said Peterson.

The Courtyard Gallery, located at 125 N. Main Street, is open Wednesday and Thursday 10:00am-4:00pm, Friday and Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm, and Sunday 1:00-4:00pm. Following Svensk Hyllningsfest (October 13 and 14), the gallery will post their winter hours.

Meadowlark Trail Work Day

October 7, 8:00am

The Meadowlark Trail Work Day is October 6. Join the Central Kansas Trails crew at the Rainbow Trail entrance at 8:00am

The section from Rainbow going south will be the continued work area. To avoid exposure to poison ivy, wear jeans or long pants.

If you have any questions, contact the Central Kansas Conservancy office at 620-241-3000.

All Aboard Lindsborg's Holiday Express!

Make Plans for Spending Christmas in Lindsborg

Like and follow the Christmas in Lindsborg and Visit Lindsborg pages for all the up-to-date announcements concerning holiday activities in Little Sweden, USA!

Lindsborg Five Star Stays

Five-Star Review for Tradhuset: Swedish Treehouse

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Perfect spot for a weekend getaway. We loved being able to walk right downtown for shopping, coffee and great food. The space was clean, comfy and lots of pretty little touches. We would recommend this spot to anyone visiting Lindsborg. Loved that Tisha called us personally to give us check in instructions and things to do around town before we even got there!" ~Mary K.

Camping, RV parking, motel, hotel, or vacation rentals--Lindsborg has options and all of them good! Find more information about your next overnight in Lindsborg here!