Some exciting changes have been made at the windmill these last few days. Our first set of exhibition panels have been installed inside the mill, providing additional educational material and engagement opportunities for our visitors to learn about the mill and its history. These debuted last weekend, and we’re especially excited about the archive exhibit. Visitors can now view a map showing the location of mills that affected the placement of our own windmill in 1848, documents related to the fires of 1865-66, and a curated section of pages scanned from the Vestergaard ledger with notes and translation aids. The other subjects covered in these new displays are the millstones, the gear system, and the fantail. In addition to smaller signs being made to various smaller aspects of the windmill, we expect to complete a second set of panels coming soon that will cover the sack hoist, the science and nutrition behind cereal grains, Danish scientist Poul la Cour, and our own windmill’s history as an electrical powerplant.

               Most of these will be available for viewing during tours this month as we continue with our It Takes a Village fundraiser for Kids in the Village. Every Sunday in April, we’re donating all revenue generated from tours to the local daycare. It’s a great way to see all of the new things in the windmill for a wonderful cause. And don’t forget we’ve secured food options, too. We want to thank Kringleman Pastries for sponsoring our event last Sunday, and look forward to next Sunday featuring breakfast sandwiches and Danish hotdogs at the Norse Horse from 11 – 2. Regular admission into the windmill is $5.00 per person and members may contribute free-will donations for the daycare.

               Lisa and Mike Riggs represented the Danish Villages at the U.S. Rebild National Park Society’s annual meeting last week. A gift basket donated by the windmill fetched $180 at the auction with the top prize of $3,000 going for a horse halter belonging to American Pharaoh, the Triple-Crown winner from 2015. Altogether the auction raised over $8,000 which will go towards future programming for the United States Rebild chapter.

               In case you missed it. Iowa PBS is airing a new roadtrip series on the scenic byways. The first episode on the western scenic byway aired Wednesday April 3^rd and features interviews with Shaun Sayres (Danish Windmill) and Tova Brandt (Museum of Danish America). The episode can be viewed online via our Facebook page or by looking on the Iowa PBS website. You may learn something new about all of the interesting attractions in western Iowa.

               Finally, after some moisture tests in the video room, we’ve decided to finally put the Vestergaard logbook on full display. The book will be paired with an upcoming Danish Butter Cookie tin exhibit in the video room, and the mill artefacts currently displayed there will be relocated to the new display case inside the windmill. This case in the mill is also an update and features the display of both the US and Denmark flags presented by Senator Tom Harkin to the windmill board. We want to especially thank Gene Thomsen for building us a special box to display the retired Danish flag correctly. We’re always grateful for the local community members who support us through their own knowledge and craft.

*Correction: The original story misreported that the Rebild auction grossed $80,000. The actual sum was $8,000.00.