Homestead
Happenings
Newsletter of the Stahl-Conrad Homestead
www.HistoricHalesCorners.org
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9724 W. Forest Home Ave., Hales Corners, WI 53130
November, 2014__
Holidays at the Homestead
Learn about German Christmas traditions at this special holiday event.
Decorated Christmas trees, a Christmas raffle, baked goods and more
will be featured from noon to 3:00 p.m. on November 29 & 30,
December 6 & 7 and December 13 & 14. This will be a wonderful
opportunity to get some goodies for gifts or holiday entertaining.
Cookies, fruit cake, Mary’s delicious baklava, and yes, even homemade
dog biscuits will be available. Admission is $3 per person or $5 per
family.
The Homestead’s annual Christmas tree sale is also taking place so it is
a great time to pick up your own tree for decorating. Hours for the tree
sale are 3:30 to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 8:00 p.m. on
Saturdays and Sundays. Hurry in for the best selection because they
sell out fast! Decorative swags and other arrangements made by the
Hawthorn Garden Club are also available.
Happy Holidays and many thanks for your support of the Homestead!
Save the date for Chocolate!
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Homestead will feature Dawn
Scher Thomae’s program called Chocolate! This tasty presentation will
cover the fascinating history of one of the world’s favorite morsels.
Learn fun facts by playing the Chocolate Game where you can test your
knowledge by answering questions on chocolate history, the cacao tree
and chocolate in popular culture. At the end of the presentation, there
will be a few varieties of national and international chocolate samples to
try. Dawn is Curator of Anthropology at the Milwaukee Public
Museum and a life-long chocoholic.
The program will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 8, 2015. It is
free and open to the public. There will be refreshments in addition to
the chocolate samples, so mark your calendar and be sure to join us!
Board members and officers
Three board members were
reelected at the annual meeting in
September, 2014. Bette Arey,
Delene Hanson and Mike
Jedrzejewski will serve three year
terms. Mike Kochis resigned
earlier this year to pursue other
interests and we thank him for his
service. We are still looking for
someone to fill the remainder of
his term that expires next
September. If you are interested
in giving the board a try for a few
months, please talk to any board
member or leave a message on
the Homestead phone. Officers
who were elected at the October
board meeting are: Delene
Hanson, president; Jim Bruening,
vice president; Betty Braun,
secretary; and Mike
Jedrzejewski, treasurer.
New front porch roof
The front porch of the house has
been replaced and we are grateful
to an anonymous donor who
covered most of the cost. As
mentioned in the last newsletter,
the barn roof was also inspected
and we have been told it will need to be replaced within the next couple
of years. Donations toward this capital improvement would be most
welcome!
Time to renew memberships
The end of 2014 will be upon us soon and the start of another year
means it is time to renew your Homestead membership. Dues are very
reasonable at only $15 for an individual and $25 for a family. A return
envelope is enclosed for your convenience.
It is also a good time to think about year-end tax planning. A gift of
appreciated securities can save you taxes and provide needed funds for
the Homestead. You can even designate how you would like your
donation to be used, i.e. capital improvements, debt reduction, etc.
Please consult your tax advisor to see how such a gift might fit your
situation.
Exhibit
We are grateful to the Dunn County Historical Society for lending us
their very informative exhibit about African American baseball this past
summer. It is evident that much research was put into the exhibit and
we commend them for their work. Many thanks also to the individuals
who allowed their baseball artifacts to be displayed.
Acknowledgements
Dara Chappie---design of poster for Christmas event
Maureen Kozmatka---gift of antique spinning wheel
Sherman & Sally Stock---picture of 1888 Benz Motorwagen
Jim Bruening & Mike Jedrzejewski---new shed doors
Tom Ueberroth---buckthorn removal
Jim Bruening & Tom Ueberroth---lawn mowing
Conrad Family---gingerbread house for Christmas event
Mike Jedrzejewski & Sybil Grandeck---Brewers tickets for raffle
Ron Noeske & George Berger---deer protection for apple trees
Summer Raffle
Congratulations to Jeff Weber, the winner of two tickets to a Milwaukee
Brewers game. We hope you enjoyed the game. Many thanks to
everyone who bought raffle tickets and we wish you better luck next
time!
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The mission of the Stahl-Conrad
Homestead is to create a museum
focused on transitions in the land in
Hales Corners and its environs from
presettlement into the future and to
preserve the Stahl-Conrad Homestead as
a remnant of a bygone
lifestyle.
The Homestead’s vision: The land is
restored and the buildings are renovated
to accommodate changing exhibits and
public events.
The Homestead is a nonprofit 501 (c)
(3) organization. Your donations and
in-kind gifts are tax deductible as
allowed by law.
Officers and directors are: president,
Delene Hanson; vice president, Jim
Bruening; secretary, Betty Braun;
treasurer, Michael Jedrzejewski;
directors: Bette Arey; George Berger,
Ron Noeske, and Dave Zepecki.
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