Can I Get a Hollah For the Dala?

Lindsborg, Kansas is known as "Little Sweden," because it was settled by Swedish immigrants in the late 19th century.  The community embraces this heritage, and it's their love for the culture, as well as their passion for the arts, that makes Lindsborg one of the coolest little towns in the Midwest.

After our very majestic lunch, we went downtown and discovered that everything you lay eyes upon is either artsy fartsy or Swedish.  Loved it!

But first...coffee.  Mothers and Mongas alike need coffee after lunch in order to make them "happy."  Once we handled our addictions, we were then able to resume our tourist duties.  So where does one go after they have sipped their coffee?  Why, the local roastery down the street of course.  Blacksmith Coffee Roastery is a mircroroaster located inside one of the oldest buildings in town, and if you step inside, you can still see much of the original Blacksmith shop.  That and you get to smell the coffee.  History and coffee combined?  Heavenly.

Right outside the Blacksmith Roastery is a Swedish phone booth called the Tala Dala.  Because that makes perfect sense.

Then we were off!  There was artwork of all kinds to be seen and wild dala horses to find.

Tiles and ironwork adorned many walls along Main Street.

"The Chase" by Steve Allan Scott

 

"The Dude" by Mark and Wendy Rice

Oh the Wild Dalas.  In 2000, the city of Lindsborg decided to create a wild herd of Dalas to roam around the city.  Not only is it great fun finding each one, but the local artistry on each Dala is fabulous.  And don't tell Dale, but they were a great way to keep him walking down the street.

 

 

Each Dala represents a different theme involving history or the arts or local groups.  My favorites were "Salvador Dala" and "Hello, Dala!"  Yet, I certainly did adore "The Old Gray Dala Mare."  There was just something about it...

 

 

Searching for all those Dalas exhausted us.  There was only thing that could help keep us going.

 

Yes of course I got coffee!

 Recaffeinated and ready for round four hundred, we headed to the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery.  An artist from Sweden, Sandzen immigrated to Kansas in 1894 and made Lindsborg his home.  I am drawn to his art.  Maybe it's because my Grandfather passed down Sandzen art to me, or maybe it's because Sandzen is a Kansan, or perhaps it is our connection to the Rocky Mountains that ties me to him.  In any case, I am drawn to Sandzen's work, and I was ecstatic to finally visit this gallery.

 

 

Fingers crossed that our children would remain happy and blissfully unaware that there were no toys at the museum, we quickly circled the gallery in search of art to refresh our souls.  Ahhhhh.  And it worked.

 

One of my favorite Birger Sandzen pieces, "Sunset" (Estes Park, Colorado) 1921

 

Hiding in the back of the gallery was a Henry Varnum Poor special exhibit.  Bonus!  I adore Henry Varnum Poor's work, and I had no idea he was born in Kansas until we visited this exhibit.

 

"Portrait of a Red-Headed Woman" 1937, Henry Varnum Poor

 

Inside a museum or out on the street, it doesn't matter.  There is art everywhere in Lindsborg.

 

 

 And there's some pretty fabulous architecture too.  Bethany Lutheran Church was built in 1879 and really is one of the prettiest little churches I've ever seen.  We just happened to be in Lindsborg on the day the freshman from Bethany College did their traditional walk from the church to the campus in order to honor the school's heritage.

 

 

A beautiful day! 

A Place to Share

A Spanish style castle outside a Swedish town in Kansas?  This must be America.

 

Just outside Lindsborg sits a castle overlooking the plains of central Kansas that was built in the 1930's as part of the Works Progress Administration.  The bluff on which it stands is called Coronado Heights, named after the Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, who is allegedly said to have stood on this spot in his search for gold in 1541.  I used the castle as an excuse to get my children there.  The real reason to visit here is for the amazing 360 degree views of pure Kansas awesomeness.

 

We had a marvelous peanut butter picnic, and then we were ready to explore the grand castle of the Kansas plains.

 

A castle AND picnic tables?

Hi Dale and Daddy!

The princess finds her castle.

 

I loved that there was soft sandstone at the top of this hill.  From the base to the top of Coronado Heights, 230 million years of geological history is shown in the rocks.

 

"A Place to Share"

 

 

*Thanks to the City of Lindsborg website for some history info.

A Lovely Day in Lindsborg

August 18, 2012

 

I have wanted to get to Lindsborg for years.  Every time we drive south to Wichita, we pass the exit for Lindsborg, and I have always wondered about that little town that boasts Dala horses and Sandzen art.  So when we had a free weekend up for grabs, I quickly filled it with an excursion to this fun pretty town in the middle of Kansas.

 

We packed the day with little bits of quirk and started early at the Old Mill Museum and the Smoky Valley Roller Mill.  The current old flour mill was built in 1898 and was powered by the river for much of its history.  Until 1955, this mill converted wheat to flour that was sent worldwide.  The best part about this place is that it can still run!

 

The museum was bizarre and fun.  Although I didn't learn anything at all, because we spent most of our time staring at dead stuffed animals and sticking our heads behind these cutouts.

This mill itself was a blast to explore.  Every machine was pure artwork, beautifully crafted, and each floor gave way to more and more of these pieces.

Dale was done before we even got there, so that was fun, although Rose did enjoy herself.  But I think the only reason she was happy was because she was wearing her cowgirl boots and feeling all cute.

 

Hello gigantic tree.

We spent a lot of time on the grounds surrounding the mill and museum.  The trees were huge, the river was near, and the stone was rampant.  It was all very Kansas.

 

Across the street from the Museum is Heritage Square, where you can explore buildings from the late 1800's and early 1900's.  We had a great time pretending we lived there.

 

The main attraction there is the Swedish Pavilion, which was built in 1904 for the St. Louis World's Fair and then moved to Bethany College in Lindsborg.

 

 

At the schoolhouse, Dale was a star pupil for his teachers.

 

Rose got bored being a student.  Girlfriend wanted to lead!

 

 No, Dale still wasn't his usual happy self.  I bribed him with candy for this cute little smile.

 

In the general store, Rose went straight to the shoes.  Then she turned on the charm just in case Daddy wanted to buy them for her. 

 

Smart girl.