Art sale a reminder of city's bygone days
<p>A glass ornament from the Czech Republic on display on Tuesday at the Conrad Mansion.</p>
<p>Reproduction glass ornaments by Christopher Radko add vintage flair to the decorations at the Conrad Mansion.</p>
<p>Carol McElwain, left, of Columbia Falls, helps Kathy Mercord of Lakeside, add a string of lights to the draped greenery on Sunday afternoon at the Conrad Mansion.</p>
<p>Conrad Mansion Executive Director Mike Kofford, lower left, along with museum staff and crew from the Snow Line Tree Company carefully lay out the 18 foot Grand Fir tree on Friday, October 21, as they prepare for the annual decorating of the mansion.</p>
<p>Don Bauder of Bigfork adds another string of lights to the 18 foot Grand Fir tree on Sunday afternoon at the Conrad Mansion.</p>
<p>Rita Fitzsimmons of Kalispell works on arranging toys and presents at the base of the tree on Tuesday evening at the Conrad Mansion in Kalipsell.</p>
<p>Reproduction glass ornaments by Christopher Radko add vintage flair to the decorations at the Conrad Mansion.</p>
Today is the last day to see the Conrad Mansion decked out as it would have been in the days of Charles and Lettie Conrad.
The Christmas at the Mansion 28th Annual Artisan and Gift Bazaar, which started Friday, will wrap up today at 4 p.m.
Twenty-seven vendors selling everything from chocolate truffles to vintage hats and carved wooden toys will be at the mansion today starting at 11 a.m. There will also be musical performances throughout the day by community musicians playing in the Musician’s Arch.
Admission to the event is $5 for adults and $2 for children.
Christmas was an important holiday for the Conrads. There are two permanent tributes to the Christmas season in the house. Lettie Conrad believed the Christmas spirit should be a year-round ideal.
The Conrads often invited members of the community who had nowhere to go to celebrate Christmas with them. After Charles’ death Lettie continued the tradition for the remainder of her life, although she changed it a little. The Christmas season became a more children-oriented event, as children were invited to the annual celebration for the remaining 21 years of Lettie’s life.
The celebration looks much different now, but the Conrads’ spirit lives on.
Every year a team of volunteers comes together under the direction of Nikki Sliter to decorate the mansion for the annual Christmas at the Mansion event. She has been in charge of organizing the volunteers for all 28 years the bazaar has taken place.
According to Executive Director Michael Kofford, the decorating, which takes about two-and-a-half days, has become a separate tradition of its own. Kofford said some of the volunteers for this event only volunteer for this event.
After this weekend, the 18-foot grand fir tree will have its lights and ornaments taken down and stored for another year. The tree itself cannot remain in the mansion as it is a fire hazard. A smaller tree will be brought in and decorated for the upcoming Christmas tours, which will begin the weekend after Thanksgiving and continue for four weekends.
For the mansion, this is more than just another community event. This is the carrying on of a Conrad tradition.
“This is the major fundraiser for the mansion,” Kofford said.