FREEMAN, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) Heritage Hall Museum & Archives has a full slate of activities planned during Schmeckfest 2025. That includes artisans who will demonstrate traditional crafts and “Heritage Pickers,” individuals with interest and knowledge who will share short programs about artifacts and exhibits in the museum.
Schmeckfest will be held on the campus of Freeman Academy, located adjacent to the museum, on Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5. The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday with admission good for both days. Most special programming begins at 1.
In addition, the museum is offering special activities for youth including a “20 Questions” scavenger hunt, coloring sheet, a model train display, ropemaking and letterpress printing.
The museum is also debuting several new exhibits and other improvements, including new LED lighting in the Kauffman Wing. An updated exhibit in the Natural World Gallery showcases the rocks and fossils that have been part of the museum for more than a century. A vintage television exhibit has been added in the Kauffman Wing and a new exhibit in the Unruh-Tieszen Wing features Freeman Implement, a local International Harvester dealership that traces its roots to 1909.
Artisan demonstrations run from 1 to 6 p.m. and include:
- Basket Weaving with Viki Graber and Susan Harder
- Leather Tooling with Vanessa Barondeau
- Letterpress Printing – Hands-on Activity with museum staff; 1-3 p.m.
- Loom Weaving with Crystal Mensch Nelson and Jess Nesseim
- Rope Making – Hands-on Activity with Caleb and Tim Epp
- Spindle Weaving with Jess Nesseim
- Spinning with Barb Nesseim
Here is the schedule for the HHM&A Heritage Picker programs. They include eight 10-minute and two 30-minute* presentations.
1:00: Dan Flyger – “Time Travel; Repatriating the 1868 Mandtler Clock”
1:20: Vanessa Barondeau – “Tooling Creations; A Study in Leather”
1:40: Brad Gering – “All Things Red; The Freeman Implement Story“
2:00: Jerry Merkouris – “Television Comes to the Prairie”
2:20: Caleb Epp – “The Twisted Tales of Rope Making”
2:40: Brad Schardin – “Rural Electrification; Flipping the Switch”
3:00*: Donna Zeeb – “Egg Beaters; More Precious Than Gems”
3:40: Thor Aanenson – “Rocks, Fossils and Minerals, Oh My!”
4:00*: Joan and Lisa Mueller – “A Child’s Perspective: Katy’s Story”
4:40: Kevin Waltner – “When Bales Were Small and Square”
Other activities include Artisanal Ice Cream Tasting/ with Berrybrook Dairy Nook from 1:30 to 3 and a showing of the 80-minute HHM&A movie, “Three Groups, One Story” at the Bethel Church at 5.
As in recent years, the museum is using wristbands that provide come-and-go access for both days of Schmeckfest and they are available in advance; visit the museum or call 605-925-7545.
You can learn more about the museum’s activities during Schmeckfest at https://heritagehallmuseum.com/museum.
Details about Schmeckfest are available at https://schmeckfest.com.
