November 16, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For additional information, contact:
Carolynn Lee
(920) 458-1972
Carolynn.Lee@kohler.com

 19^th Annual Gingerbread Festival

KOHLER, Wis. – November 16, 2015 – Since the Great Gingerbread Festival began in 1997, more than 108,000 people have visited the Waelderhaus during the annual holiday event, and another 7,500 are expected this December. Beginning the weekend following Thanksgiving, Kohler Foundation welcomes visitors to the historic “house in the woods” in Kohler with extended hours and weekly free musical performances.

Delicious locally-made gingerbread creations will fill the Saal (the great hall of the Waelderhaus), and visitors are encouraged to look closely (but are asked not to taste) and vote for their favorites in each age category. These creations are on display throughout the month of December (1100 West Riverside Drive, Kohler). The classrooms and community groups whose hand-made houses (and boats, and barns, and stadiums, and sculptures) garner the most votes will receive cash prizes for first, second and third place. Complimentary gingerbread cookies will serve to protect the sweet creations from hungry visitors during extended holiday hours: Sunday through Friday, 1:00-5:00 p.m., and Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

While browsing the gingerbread creations, Waelderhaus visitors are welcome to rest a spell and enjoy festive seasonal music each Saturday and Sunday during the festival at 2:00 p.m. Performances by a variety of local groups including the Sheboygan Pops Concert Band Elves, Sheboygan Symphony Carolers, harpist Katherine Ray, Plymouth High School’s Junge Kameraden German Band, and the Kohler Madrigals will fill the hall with a joyful noise. A list of all the featured weekend performers is available on the Kohler Foundation’s website.

 Waelderhaus General Information

Admission to the Waelderhaus and the Gingerbread Festival, including the musical performances, is free. Tours are offered daily at 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. throughout the month of December (closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). Group tours are available by appointment. For more information, visit www.kohlerfoundation.org or call (920) 453-2851.

 The Waelderhaus is managed by the Kohler Foundation, a private, non-profit foundation that supports education, arts and preservation initiatives.

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