LA CROSSE — The Rush County Historical Society and Kansas Barbed Wire Museum will host the annual Old-Fashioned Christmas on Friday, Nov. 26, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the museum complex in La Crosse.
Visitors can browse the five unique museums beautifully decorated for the holidays: the Historical Museum in the 19th Century Timken Depot; the Post Rock Museum, one of the seven wonders of Kansas Customs; the Nekoma Bank Museum, a restored 1916 rural bank; the Pleasant Point School Museum; and nationally recognized Kansas Barbed Wire Museum. There will be live musical performances including piano and organ. Visitors can enjoy hot cider, homemade cookies and popcorn, or roast their own marshmallows over an open fire. There will be a take-home crafts project for kids.
Santa Claus will arrive at 6 p.m. on the fire truck and hand out candy sacks to the kids in front of the bank museum. For kids of all ages, La Crosse Fire District #4 will be serving hot dogs and chocolate milk or water.
There will be a one-night only display of antique toys in the recently restored Pleasant Point One-Room School Museum. The century-old school is a time capsule of early 20th century rural education with nearly all of its original furnishings and books. In the Barbed Wire Museum, visitors can view models and schematics from the Fort Hays State University Exhibits Design class project to renovate and expand the museum’s galleries.
Events begin at 5 p.m., Friday, November 26 at the museum campus on the south edge of La Crosse on West First Street. To ease congestion, visitors are asked to park north of the creek on Third Street across the bridge. Visitors can access the complex by the footbridge in the park. Persons with mobility issues are welcome to park in the museum parking lot.
All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Rush County Historical Society on Facebook, on the web at www.rushcounty.org/RCHS or call 785-222-2808.