Steele County Historical Society Celebrates the Season

Cookies! Cookies! Get your Christmas cookies this week. The Steele County Historical Society (SCHS) is hosting a carryout fancy cookie sale Wednesday, December 2 through Friday, December 4. SCHS is also presenting a Holiday Lights Cruise that began Thanksgiving Day and continues throughout the holiday season. The also announce that the gift shop is open.

The cookie sale is at the Wenger Room at the Steele County History Center at 1700 Austin Road. You can call ahead (507-451-1420) and the cookies will be taken out to your car. In a news release, the society asks that you have cash ready for your purchase. Cookie plates are $5 each.

Hours for the cookie sale are as follows:

• Wednesday, December 2 from 1 to 7 pm
• Thursday, December 3 from 1 to 8 pm
• Friday, December 4 from 10 am to 4 pm

The Junction Gift Shop inside the history center is open through noon on Christmas Eve, December 24. In a news release, Mary Anne Higgins, the Volunteer, Tours, and Events Coordinator, states, "We are participating this year in the Owatonna Business Partnership Program Shop Owatonna for the Holidays 2020."

The SCHS Facebook page indicates hours are 10 am to 4 pm Tuesday through Friday and 10 am to 3 pm Saturday.

"We welcome everyone to come and register for a $2,000 give away while supporting local businesses this holiday season...We will be giving away free SCHS key chains to everyone who purchases shop local t-shirt or cloth bag and you will be able to enter into the prize drawing."

Higgins says the "County Junction Gift Shop features a wide array of locally crafted gifts, in all price ranges, for your holiday gift list." New this year is "hand-made jewelry and cards crafted by Owatonna High School student entrepreneurs as well as baskets, Namarya soaps, Christmas ornaments and decor, wooden bowls, mittens, scarves, quilted table runners, fancy dish towels, and paintings by local artists," the news release goes on to say.

The Holiday Lights Cruise features homes around the county. For a $10 donation you can obtain a map at the History Center, Tri-M Graphics or Kottke Jewelers in Owatonna, Steve's Meat Market or Lerberg's in Ellendale, or Prairie Home in Blooming Prairie.