Pioneer Christmas

The 29th annual Pioneer Christmas at the Forest City Stockade will be held on Saturday from 10-to-4. Admission is just $5 for adults and it’s free for children 12 and under.

Bob Hermann says they will have all of the usual fun activities such as wagon rides, pioneer crafts, Christmas music, a visit from Santa, and the trading post above the barn, and you’ll want to dress warmly. He says they have lost three of their members this past year – Chuck Litzau who ran the trading post; Ross Haggen whose family has provided music at Stockade events; and Willis Chase who has done several sketches of Stockade buildings and scenery – and his prints have been compiled in a booklet that is available for sale.

Hermann says two red oaks have been planted at the Stockade this year – one in memory of Mary Root and the other in memory of Don & Shirley Rick. He says there will be a lady from New York City at the Stockade on Saturday who is working on a documentary about Laura Ingalls Wilder so she will be filming at the Stockade to get some pioneer footage for her project.

Mike McGhee says they will have their usual food items at the Stockade this Saturday including fry bread, homemade ice cream, root beer and cream can stew.

McGhee says a winter encampment will be set up east of the Stockade and visitors are welcome to check out the tents and see how warm they are inside. Richard Dollerschell says all of the cabins at the Stockade will be heated with their wood-burning stoves. He says visitors will want to see his model railroad.

Dollerschell says the railroad never made it to Forest City – until he built his model railroad! He says the railroad went through Litchfield which is why it became the county seat rather than Forest City. He encourages people to attend the Pioneer Christmas on Saturday at the Forest City Stockade to experience what it was like for our ancestors as they celebrated Christmas.