Date: November 28, 2012
Contact: Jean-Pierre Anderson, 219-395-1882
INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE: Celebrate "Holiday Traditions in the Dunes" on Saturday, December 8, from Noon - 3:00 pm at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Enjoy live holiday music and dance, tour two historic homes decked out in their holiday finest, let the kids make some holiday crafts, and even get a free taste of some traditional holiday treats. You don't have to get chilled thanks to a free shuttle bus that runs between Chellberg Farm and the Bailly Homestead.
Tour the Chellberg farmhouse and Bailly Homestead between Noon and 3:00 pm and learn about the Christmas customs brought to this area by some of the early duneland settlers. At the Swedish farmstead, volunteers, in traditional dress, will share the legends of Jul Tomte (Santa) and Santa Lucia. Enjoy the holiday decorations while the children tell Santa their holiday wishes. In the kitchen, see if anything is cooking on the woodstove while you savor a Christmas cookie and see a display of a typical Swedish holiday feast. Then walk down the trail or take a free shuttle to the Bailly Homestead, a National Historic Landmark, to discover the French-Canadian holiday customs that may have been practiced by pioneer Joseph Bailly and his family. Listen to traditional stories and songs in the homestead, see a holiday food display and get a taste of Yule Log cake and warm up with some hot cider.
Stop by the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center at 1:00 pm for a special performance by the dance group Nordic Kids. Watch or join in on some dances that celebrate the Scandinavian heritage of some of our early dunes settlers. After the dancing, let the kids settle down by joining a ranger in making some traditional holiday decorations.
At the Douglas Center, green activities take center stage between 1:00 - 3:00 pm. Families can take photos and make greeting cards, create a new style of green wrapping paper, or craft a fun ornament to take home. After releasing that inner artist, take a brisk hike outdoors and then enjoy hot beverages inside the center.
For more information on this or other programs at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, visit the park website at www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit or contact our information desk at 219-395-1882.
www.nps.gov/indu
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is part of the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 398 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.
