Volunteer at Gammelgården Museum of Scandia! There are many ways to share your talents:
Become a Tour Guide. Our tour guides are trained and scheduled at their convenience to lead groups, school children, or individuals through our historic buildings.
Assist with Children’s Programs and Activities. Help or teach children simple art projects, crafts, and other activities at public events and camp programs.
Be a Greeter. Welcome visitors to Gammelgården and answer their questions.
Help in the Butik. Arrange and style merchandise; assist customers in finding just the right item to remember their time at Gammelgården; and complete transactions. Contact Linnea in the Butik for more information at 651-433-5053.
Be on the Gammelgården Garden Team. Prepare, plant, and weed the museum’s vegetable, fruit, and herb garden; medicinal garden; and dye garden. Contact Ann for more information at media@gammelgardenmuseum.org.
Assist with events such as the Open House, Memorial Day Program, Midsommardagen, Spelmansstämman, Annie’s Coffee Parties, Lutefisk & Meatballs Dinner, and Luciadagen. Help with set-up and take-down, food, and activities.
To help with the demonstrations and children’s activities, see the “Assist with Children’s Programs” sign-up above.
Help with building and grounds maintenance. Please contact Gammelgården DIrector, Lynne Moratzka, at 651-433-5053 if you are interested in helping with special projects.
Questions? Contact us today! Call 651-433-5053 or email Lynne at director@gammelgardenmuseum.org
Stay Informed
We would love to have you part of our mailing list. Much of what we produce in way of communication will be sent by email (such as Kul News or event invites), but we also have a physical mailing list for our Tidskrift newsletter.
Fill out the forms below to be added to our mailing lists.
Subscribe to Kul News
Subscribe to Tidskrift
Opportunities for Artists and Students
2023 has many opportunities for artists (professional and hobbyists) and students (public, private, charter, and homeschool). See below for more information.
Artists & Crafters Fair and Demonstration Area at Major Events
Gammelgården Museum of Scandia would like to extend an invitation to individuals who would like to be demonstrators, sell their products, and/or have an information table for two of Gammelgården’s major events this summer:
– Midsommar Dag (June 24th)
– Spelmansstämman (August 19th)
You are welcome to do demonstrations, hands-on activities with guests, and/or sell items that are in the Swedish/Scandinavian folk traditions (e.g., blacksmithing, folk painting, weaving, spinning, embroidery, knitting, crocheting, candlemaking, coopering, tinwork, hide tanning, pottery, copperwork, woodworking, chip carving, sewing, quilting) or related to heirloom gardening and nature.
All the proceeds you make at the event are yours to keep…Gammelgården does not take a percentage of what you earn.
All participants bring their own tables, chairs, tent, and other supplies. Gammelgården provides the space.
The deadline for registering is June 1st. However, sign up as soon as possible if you plan to be at any (or all) of the events since registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Although there is no fee for being at any of the event(s), we appreciate it if you consider becoming a member of the museum.
Gammelgården Guidelines for Event Demonstrators and Vendors
Gammelgarden Artist and Crafter Fair and Demonstration Area Application
2023 Spring/Summer Internship
If you are a high school senior or college student looking to explore the field of non-profit management or work in a history museum setting, Gammelgården’s internship program may be worth exploring! Gammelgården selects one student each year to provide a workplace-based guided learning opportunity that gives a student hands-on experience in a wide range of fields.
Visit this link for more information: Gammelgarden Intern Job Description
If the internship sounds like a good fit, email Gammelgården’s Director, Lynne Blomstrand Moratzka, at gammelgardenlynne@frontiernet.net with your resume and letter of interest
2023 Junior Guides
Students who have graduated from 6th grade through college volunteer as assistants and historical characters at the many events at Gammelgården Museum of Scandia during the spring and summer seasons.
At the popular Opening Day Weekend (Saturday, May 6th) and Midsommar Dag (Saturday, June 24), Junior Guides involve visitors with 19th-century immigrant life on this small farm in Scandia. They provide guidance to children who are packing a trunk at the Stuga for their journey to America, assist with “milking” cows at the barn, show children how to make butter, help children carry water at the Immigrant Hus, and guide visitors as they learn how laundry was done at the parsonage. Junior Guides also teach visitors Swedish folk dances and school recess games, plus how to make flower wreaths.
In addition to festivals, Junior Guides participate in Girls & Dolls Tea Parties, Dalapalooza, and day camps during the summer. They can learn gardening skills by working in Gammelgarden’s many gardens, maintain the bluebird house trail, and help create videos for TikTok and Facebook.
For those wanting to volunteer during the school year, there are weekend events throughout the fall and winter including craft workshops, gingerbread house decorating, Annie’s Coffee Parties, and Lucia Dagen.
If this sounds like something you would enjoy, email Gammelgården’s Marketing/PR Consultant, Ann Rinkenberger, at media@gammelgardenmuseum.org to sign up as a Junior Guide and get more information.
Membership Options
Since 1972, members of the Gammelgården Museum of Scandia have provided support to help bring our mission alive. Through the generosity of our members, Gammelgården can honor the Swedish immigrants who founded the community.
Member support helps make the events, programs, and classes offered by the museum accessible and affordable to all. If you are not a member, please consider becoming a member today! As a member, you receive benefits all year long, including free guided tours, 10% discount at the Gammelgården Museum of Scandia Butik, special pricing for select events and classes, and more depending on your membership level.
Supporter
$45 – Individual
$60 – Family
• 10% discount at Scandia Batik
• Free guided tours of museum
• Member pricing for select events/classes/workshops
• Membership Appreciation Day
• Access to the Time Travelers Network
Sponsor
$90 – Individual
$120 – Family
• 10% discount at Scandia Butik
• Free guided tours of museum
• Member pricing for select events/classes/workshops
• Membership Appreciation Day
• Two free guest passes per year
• Access to the Time Travelers Network
Advocate
$130 – Individual
$170 – Family
• 10% discount at Scandia Butik
• Free guided tours of museum
• Member pricing for select events/classes/workshops
• Membership Appreciation Day
• Four free guest passes per year
• One free individual Supporter membership, per year, for family member or friend
• Access to the Time Travelers Network
Life
$850 – Individual
$1100 – Family
• 10% discount at Scandia Butik
• Free guided tours of museum
• Member pricing for select events/classes/workshops
• Membership Appreciation Day
• Eight free guest passes per year
• Annual Gammelgarden Christmas ornament
• Annual Director’s Gathering
• Two additional free individual Supporter membership, redeemable within first year of membership in the Life category
• Access to the Time Travelers Network
Artifact Donations
Gammelgården Museum of Scandia welcomes donations and appreciates your willingness to share artifacts and their stories. There are guidelines that help you (the donor) and Gammelgården in making the decision to donate. The artifacts we accept need to tell the story of Swedish Immigration to Minnesota, especially relating to the years 1850–1880 as that is our focus.
Often, artifacts are presented to us as gifts of love because they represent family members now departed, but much loved and revered. We always are honored to receive the artifact and the story.
Artifacts become the property of Gammelgården, and Gammelgården reserves the right to display and preserve them to the benefit of our mission.
When accepted, the artifacts are carefully described, catalogued, and marked. Donors receive a receipt letter of thanks and a record of items donated with their catalog numbers. Gammelgården does not attach a monetary value to artifact gifts.
The first step to donating an artifact to the museum is to call Lynne at Gammelgården at 651-433-5053 to discuss the item(s).
Monetary Donations
Would you like to make a monetary gift? Gammelgården is grateful for this support and encouragement of our mission.
Gammelgården has applied for a 501(c)(3) designation. In the interim, donations to Gammelgården will be handled by Elim Lutheran Church. Elim Lutheran Church will accept and acknowledge the donations, and then forward them to Gammelgården, who will acknowledge the gifts.
Please make checks payable to Elim Lutheran Church. In the memo line, put the word Gammelgården. Donations should be mailed to:
Elim Lutheran Church
P.O. Box 67
Scandia, MN 55073
Memorial Donations
Memorial gifts can be designated for specific purposes or added to the Gammelgården Endowment Fund which provides annual income in perpetuity for operation.
Please make checks payable to Elim Lutheran Church. In the memo line, put the words Gammelgården Endowment Fund. Donations should be mailed to:
Elim Lutheran Church
P.O. Box 67
Scandia, MN 55073
Each monetary gift is acknowledged with a thank you receipt for your tax records.
Wishlist – Products
Gammelgarden knows how to stretch a dollar and pinch pennies to make things happen, but sometimes the things we need to take it to the next level are just beyond our reach. We’ve made a list of some of the pressing things we need.
Accessibility
Mobility scooter so that all visitors to Gammelgarden can enjoy museum: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PV5NPCY/
ADA-accessible doors
Building & Grounds/Office
8 ½ X 11 White Copy Paper
8 ½ X 11 Color Copy Paper
Baby wipes
Disinfectant wipes and spray
Gift Cards To:
Wal-Mart
Target
Michaels
Joanns
Amazon.com
Menards
Office Supply Store
Prairie Restorations
Landscape Alternatives
Sherwin Williams
Ice melt
Kleenex
Postage Stamps
Trash Bags (45 Gallon/2 Ml)
Children’s Programming
Baskets with handles (20; large enough to hold 3 strawberry plants)
Fabric – historic fabric reproductions
Gunny sacks for potato sack races
Items for a nature-theme discovery bin:
- Animal skulls
- Animal tracks
- Magnifying glasses
Items for a quilting camp:
- Colorforms – https://www.amazon.com/Colorforms-Retro-The-Original-Set/dp/B000BNEODU/
- Pattern blocks – https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Pattern-Developmental-Double-Sided/dp/B00006JZCG/?th=1
- Wooden sewing cards – https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Alphabet-Double-Sided-Matching/dp/B00JM5G05I?th=1
- Wooden sewing cards – https://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Animals-Threading-Tracing-Activities/dp/B08LYZLQ3F/
Jump ropes
Old children’s games (e.g., marbles, ball & jacks, cup & ball, spinning tops)
Paper tubes – toilet paper, paper towel tubes
Potting soil (5 bags)
Prizes for children (for use at camp programs)
Rope for tug-of-war
Sensory table
Strawberry plants (60; needed in June)
Water handpumps (colorful) for a children’s activity
Weaving loom (Need 6) – https://www.amazon.com/Friendly-Loom-Hardwood-Weaving-Crafts/dp/B00000IVAB/
Documentation of Artifacts
Photo box for photographing artifacts and newspapers without glare
White backdrop for photographing large artifacts – https://www.amazon.com/Kate-Backdrop-Photography-Background-Headshots/dp/B082YY718R/?th=1
Backdrop stand and accessories for photographing large artifacts – https://www.amazon.com/Studio-Adjustable-Background-Backdrop-Support/dp/B00MTF6ZVC/
Events
Beeswax pellets – https://www.amazon.com/Howemon-Beeswax-Pellets-Filtered-Supplies/dp/B07YN9TX9W/?th=1
Beeswax sheets and candle wicks for making rolled candles (10 sets) – https://www.amazon.com/Beeswax-Candle-kids-12-Natural-Honeycomb/dp/B0BFGSH48R/?th=1
Historic trunks (in good condition)
Instruments that children could play at Bluegrass & Lemonade in the Shade (e.g., violins, violas)
Large round wooden spools
Jenga (large/yard size)
Oversized lawn games
Girls & Dolls Tea Parties
China sets
Cloth napkins (set of six – new)
Highchairs for dolls
Silverware sets
Tablecloths (new)
Teapots
White gloves (children’s sizes)
StoryCorps (New Program to Launch in 2023)
Airstream trailer to launch the museum’s StoryCorps program: https://www.airstream.com/travel-trailers/bambi/
Recording equipment for the StoryCorps program – microphone, etc.
Workshops
Coffee (ground)
100% wool sweaters of any size
Sewing machines in working order
A receipt for tax-deduction purposes will be provided with each donation.
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Wish list – Volunteer
Handyperson to repair the fence
Handyperson to make and install screens for the old church (a donor will pay for the materials)
Piano tuner to tune the museum’s upright piano
Woodworker to create photo props for public events
Artist/painter to repaint some of the items used in children’s programs
Employment Opportunities
Gammelgården Museum of Scandia has two employment opportunities in 2023:
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Caretaker
Please contact Lynne Moratzka at gammelgardenlynne@frontiernet.net for more information about the positions and to submit your resume.
For those not seeking employment but are interested in being involved with the museum, Gammelgården also welcomes adult volunteers and Junior Guides (6th graders-college students).