It is finally May and visitor traffic is hitting a stride. Despite some weird weather, April proved to be a busy month for us. We had over 1,000 visitors at the Mill and 483 travel groups. We had visitors from 46 different states and at least 6 foreign countries. We also have some new local products in the store including Elk Horn and Kimballton mugs featuring the windmill and mermaid respectively. Both designs were done locally by Deborah King and we sourced the mugs through MyWay Design in Audubon. We love finding ways to support local businesses and the mugs have been added to our growing ‘shop local’ section in the gift shop. We’ve also finally restocked our Iowa souvenirs.

            In April, we held our first It Takes A Village fundraiser. Every Sunday of the month we donated all of our tour admissions for the day to our local Kids in the Village daycare center. We opened the windmill early, had it running all day, and partnered with local food vendors that were willing to devote a Sunday each of their own time for the cause. After some bad weather on 4/28, we held our final session on Sunday, May 5 and altogether we raised $1,147 towards the daycare. We want to thank Kringleman Pastries, Norse Horse Tavern, Master Griller Catering, and Hungry Spartan Pizza for their cooperation. We also want to thank those in town, even members that typically enjoy free admission, who came out in support. It is our hope that the windmill may continue to be used for this purpose and that we continue finding creative avenues to help support other vital organizations in town. In our eyes, that is why the windmill was brought here, and we’re more than ready to keep that vision going.

            And speaking of community engagement, another Earth Day has come and gone. This year we had 10 high school students and two teachers join us at the windmill to plant flowers and prepare the grounds for Spring. The weather was windy and a little wet, but that played to our advantage with Atlantic’s 3^rd grade class trip happening at the same time. Every class got to see the millstones grind and the sails turn, and we still stopped the mill for a moment to let each group do a lap of the catwalk. The kids and chaperones alike were amazed to see the windmill going. For many of the teachers that have been making the trip for years, it was their first time witnessing it.

            It might seem hard to believe, but Tivoli Fest is almost here. This year we fully intend to run the windmill and the millstones all weekend long. Our new exhibit panels are installed in the windmill and we’re ready to demonstrate to the crowd just what our intrepid machine can do. We will also have our folk dancers again this year and an enhanced live Viking encampment with dozens of Vikings pillaging around the area. You can find all the information for Tivoli over at our new website: tivolifest.com. The festival schedule will also be posted there once available. The windmill will be selling the new Tivoli Fest t-shirts throughout the festival except Friday night after closing when they will be available for purchase that evening at the Elk Horn Fire Station. The shirts are also available on our website and we’ve even had people from Denmark order them already. Get yours while we have them because they are going fast.

            Finally, we do want to assure our friends and supporters that newsletters are going out soon. April was a busy month between the fundraiser and Tivoli preparations, and it is difficult to find the time to write and design it during business hours. Nevertheless, it will be going out soon, and we think the feature article will pique everyone’s interests. In the meantime, we will continue filling up the gift shop and decorating the store for Tivoli Fest. If you’re driving through Harlan, Exira, Atlantic, Denison, or Carroll, you might even see one of our billboards.