We’re in the thick of it now and Troll Traffic has been steady through June. This month we had 3,208 guestbook entries compared to 2,285 last year and those numbers are partly reflected in our revenue for the month as well.

This past month included the completion of our authentic postkasse exhibit at the windmill which is now free to admire in the entryway of the gift shop. We took this opportunity to update some of the longstanding signage about the windmill at the same time, and as a result, ended up with a completely new wall that features the postkasse and a mural of the windmill from a 1952 aerial photograph taken over Nørre Snede. Not wanting the postkasse to go unused, we have since turned it into a donation box. This is tricky since it says write on the front cover (in Danish) not to leave money inside, so we had to create a special envelope to let our supporters know their donations are safe with us.

Also happening in June, Shaun took a vacation! He and his wife made a short trip to Lindstrom, MN - which ever so coincidentally might be best described as the Swedish version of Elk Horn. The quaint town doesn’t have a windmill, but they do have a coffee pot for a water tower that steams at 10 and 3 for “fika time.”

While Shaun was away, we received a very abrupt notice that Governor Reynolds would be visiting. She and her family arrived with a camper on 6/29 to explore Prairie Rose State Park and take in the Museum of Danish America, Fjord, and the windmill. Naturally, a tour of one institution merits another, so we gave our guests Phyllis Hoegh who gave a wonderfully thorough tour to Reynolds and her grandchildren.

In other news, we have a new staff-member for the Summer months. We were pleased to add Aubrey Koch to our team, Sioux City native, college student, and beloved granddaughter staying in Elk Horn for the Summer. Aubrey has fit right in and has been a huge help for us during our busy season, particularly on weekends. She’ll rermain with us until mid-August when she returns to college.

Local troll enthusiasts, Mike and Lou Howard, are currently in Denmark with family. The entourage includes an extended stay with Mike’s son, Steven Howard, who accepted a position with LEGO as a product designer in Billund, DK last year. The group has been exploring Jutland and even spent a day at Erik Batenburg’s farm in Løgumkloster. Our closest supporters might recall that Erik is the millwright we’ve been working with on our windmill these last few years and he currently has our new millstones which are airing out in his barn. The stones were on display during the family visit which included smørrebrød and a tour through Erik’s recently-built wind-powered sawmill. A good time was had by all.

Speaking of millstones, Shaun met with Erik and Morten virtually to discuss the next steps for the millstones. These stones were constructed to be used with our existing iron hardware and housing, so they are actually ready to be shipped at any time. We don’t exactly have the funds to do that right now, but we’ve been assured that there is no hurry to get them out of Erik’s barn. As far as we can tell, we’re not so sure he wants to let them go. They came out beautifully, and we have an article coming in the next issue of The Breeze on their origins, written by none other than Erik’s mother, Johanna Batenburg.

Meanwhile, work on the Education & Preservation Center is progressing slowly. Slow funding has limited our ability to acquire equipment, especially since we have to be very careful in budgeting the next few months so we can manage to pay for another shipping container from Denmark. That being said, there are some things on the to-do list to get done before RAGBRAI.

Finally, we have some new items in the gift shop that might be of interest for those looking to show off their Elk Horn pride. We have new magnets of the windmill with lapel pins on the way. Just as well, we have new t-shirt designs including our first ever windmill toddler t-shirt (2-5T). Stop in and check them out!