Luverne to celebrate Winterfest

Luverne’s annual Winterfest celebration returns this weekend, live and in person following last year’s pandemic restricted events.
“We haven’t done it for a year, and people have kind of forgotten what to do,” said Chamber Director Jane Wildung Lanphere. “But we’ve had a lot of people step up, and we have added things to do.”
Many traditional Winterfest offerings will be on deck, including arts and crafts, Santa at school, the nutcracker scavenger hunt, Christmas Cantata, Hinkly House displays and others.
However, several new offerings join the Winterfest lineup this year, Lanphere said.
“Hats go off to the businesses and organizations – we’ve had people step up this year who haven’t before,” she said. “It’s nice that people are adding things to do.”
For example, an open house at St. John Lutheran Church Saturday will have on display more than 100 nativities at “Festival of Nativities.” Take 16 will host Vinyl Night and hotdish cookoff, the Eagles Club is adding a soup supper to its annual cribbage tournament, and Blue Mound Liquor will sponsor a Jack and Jill Beard Contest with its wine and beer tasting.
Lanphere said the pandemic prompted the loss of many longtime traditions, but it inspired new ones, such as the cookie contest and the library’s virtual puppet show.
“It’s wonderful to live in a community where we have everyone rowing the same direction and willing to give their time and talents,” she said. “We’re pretty blessed.”
The full lineup of Winterfest events and activities with times and locations are listed in the back-page ad and on the Chamber’s website, luvernechamber.com. The phone number is 507-283-4061.