Photo by Karin Elton Lyon County Museum director Jennifer Andries hangs an ornament on a tree in a display window recently. The window is part of the current exhibit, Where We Shopped and What We Wore: Retail in Lyon County, 1870-1965.

MARSHALL

Those of you who just can’t get enough of holiday activities will want to stop in at the Lyon County Museum this month. In addition to the regular exhibits, there are a variety of Christmas trees, gift items and Christmas decorations throughout the museum to look at.

A holiday open house fundraiser is from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, at the museum, said Lyon County Historical Society director Jennifer Andries.

“We will have holiday cookies, wine samples donated by Steve Ritter from Valley Discount Liquor, a lefse-making demonstration and samples, gift wrapping — so bring your presents to wrap — and a station for children to make Victorian ornaments and cards,” she said.

Andries said Victorian ornaments and cards have “flowers and angels. They were very over-the-top, very ornate.”

Neal and Nancy Ingebrigtson, along with their son John Ingebrigtson, will do the lefse demonstration at the open house.

Of course no holiday gathering would be complete without Christmas music.

“One of the board members, Carol White, will play the piano,” Andries said.

The piano is located in the Heritage Room in the back of the museum. The Heritage Room has Victorian era furnishings and is decorated for Christmas as well.

The event is free and open to the public. Donations are appreciated and funds raised that evening will support programs, exhibits, and preservation for the museum.

The fifth annual Indoor Christmas Tree Walk is ongoing at the museum.

“Businesses, club and nonprofit organizations decorate a Christmas tree and people ‘vote’ by placing money in the presents underneath the trees,” said Andries.

The top three trees with the most money in their presents will win the Christmas Tree Walk contest. The top three organizations will win. First prize $150, second prize $100, and third prize $50 in Marshall Chamber Dollars. The funds raised from the contest will support the Lyon County Historical Society.

The trees are scattered throughout the first floor, and there is room for more, Andries said.

Samuel Lutheran has an old-fashioned tree suited to the primitive exhibits downstairs, which has a log cabin as its centerpiece.

“Trudy Madetzke helps with putting it together and the children made the ornaments,” Andries said. “This is the third or fourth year Samuel Lutheran has had a tree down here.”

Newcomers to the tree tour are Sunrise Rotary, Noon Rotary and Prairie Home Hospice. Prairie Home Hospice highlighted the various events and fundraisers that have taken place throughout the year including the current “Light Up the Night” one.

The Christmas Tree Walk formerly was outside in Memorial Park, but the wind was hard on the ornaments.

“Vandalism happened in the past as well,” Andries said.

The trees stay up through Dec. 30.

Helping Andries with the open house are LCHS board members: Andrea Hess, Neal Ingebrigtson, Nicole DeBoer, Caroline Koska, Steve Linstrom, Mary Jones, Carol White, Jerry Bottelberghe, John Marshall and county liaison, Rick Anderson.

In addition to the tree walk and the open house, the museum has holiday gift items for sale along with its regular gift shop items. Bags of marbles, yo-yos and books are among the stocking stuffers for sale.