Kathleen Backer makes sausage the old-fashion way at the Kiesling House. The old hand crank machine requires a good deal of upper arm strength. This is the second time the Kiesling house has held this program. Backer said it was easier to work the equipment the second time around. Staff photos by Clay Schuldt

NEW ULM — Christmas came early to the Harkin Store. Sunday, the historic general store hosted a Scottish “Christmas in July” celebration.

Site Manager Ruth Grewe said the Christmas in July program was a long standing tradition at the Harkin Store. It started as a way to honor the Scottish heritage of Alexander Harkin, the store’s founder. Years ago, a program at the historic site featured bagpipe music. The music had a Christmas quality to it, and the staff decided to make the program Christmas-themed.

The program specifically emulated the Christmas traditions a Scotsman would follow.

Volunteer Robin Grewe said Christmas in the 1870s would have been a simple occasion featuring good food and family. In honor of the occasion the Harkin store put out a table full of Christmas cookies and warm wassail punch.

It’s been a good season for visitors at the Harkin Store. This is the second weekend of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant in Walnut Grove. The pageant attracts visitors from all over the state and many choose to stop at the Harkin Store on the way to the event or on the way home. Normally, the Harkin Store is a little over an hour drive from Walnut Grove but the recent detours have created a long road trip.

Despite the detours visitor numbers remain high. In fact, programing at the Harkin Store has also begun attracting non-human visitors.

On Friday, Harkin Store staff found a kitten living under the porch. Grewe said they heard the cat meowing and were able to locate it.

“We are looking for a home for him,” Grewe said. “No one claimed him on Saturday.”

The black-and-white kitten has remained onsite this weekend as an unofficial greeter. During Sunday’s program, volunteer Jojo Leighton had the difficult task of preventing the feline from jumping on the table full of Christmas cookies.

The staff hope to find a family for the animal soon. Leighton expressed strong interest in adopting the kitten.

At the historic Kiesling House in New Ulm, visitors were treated to afternoon of sausage preparation. Using a meat grinder and hog intestine for casings, visitors could try their hand at making sausage the old-fashioned way.

Kiesling House Site Manager Kathleen Backer gave an overview of the process. She said in the 1800s the sausage would have been made from either hogs or beef. The first step would have been to grind the meat and the second to add seasoning. At the time seasoning was limited to salt, mustard seed, corn pepper and maybe garlic.

Since there was no refrigeration, the sausage would need to be cured or smoked to prevent spoiling.

The activity proved popular with visitors. Many of the guests were familiar with the sausage-making process and offered tips on making the perfect link. The techniques of today are not too different from methods used 150 years ago, but the old-fashioned hand cranked meat grinder does require a greater amount of arm strength, compared to the newer machinery.

Backer said the Kiesling House averages 10 to 15 visitors a day, but the guests are those interested in history and come with questions about the US-Dakota War and early days of New Ulm.

The historic programing will continue next Sunday. At the Harkin Store visitors will learn about historic games, such as pick-up sticks, dominoes, graces and rolling hoops.

The Kiesling House will host a program on making shoes and a wool-spinning demonstration.