Children Invited to Participate in Opening Ceremony Procession
Children are an integral component of any Christkindlmarket opening ceremony. Would your child (children) like to follow “Saint Nicholas” through Christkindlmarket Des Moines to participate in the opening ceremony?
Contact Dave Cox at [email protected] with questions and interest. We would like at most 25 children to participate.
Children and parents are invited to gather in the Entrance of the venue at 5:40pm on Friday, December 1, (please be on time) to receive a luminary and battery-operated candle. Please return the luminaries to a volunteer at the end of the opening ceremony if your child does not wish to take it home.
Des Moines Refugee Support | #CDM2023 Nonprofit Partner
Christkindlmarket Des Moines is pleased to partner with Des Moines Refugee Support as a Nonprofit Partner this year.
Des Moines Refugee Support and their team of volunteers will be managing a point of sale at the Glühwein Tent on Saturday and Sunday. All cash tips placed in their tip jar at their point of sale will go directly to their organization. The Iowa European Cultural Connection, the nonprofit that produces Christkindlmarket Des Moines, will also make a $500 donation as part of our partnership.
The mission of Des Moines Refugee Support is to identify and bridge gaps for refugee families, in particular refugee children, as they establish their new lives in America.
There are currently 26.6 million refugees in the World. 6.6 million of them live in refugee camps, which are meant to be temporary, but many people end up staying for decades. Less than 3% of refugees will return to their home country, and just over 2% of refugees will be officially resettled in a different country. Being chosen for resettlement is kind of like winning the lottery! Des Moines Refugee Support works to fill in the gaps for refugees who are chosen to make their new homes in the Des Moines metro!
German Taste | #CDM2023 Vendor
Tell us about your business
We are 3 veterans, who love to cook.
What inspired you to get involved as a vendor at Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2023?
We were invited to CDM 2022 and had so much fun. Many of our customers are already familiar with our menu and were excited we came to CDM.
What products will you be selling at Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2023 and why did you choose them?
Curry Brats are a tradition in Germany at every Christmas Market, and it is our best seller. You can enjoy our Curry Brats and Bratwurst with a bunor Käse Spätzle (German Mac & Cheese). We use an original German Bratwurst. You can get one with sauerkraut or as a tasty Brat Reuben sandwich.
Anything else you’d like to share?
As a German Chef, I know that the number one German street food is ” the Currywurst”. In Germany alone, 800,000,000 are served annually. Come try ours during the market!
Krampuslauf (Running of the Krampi) at #CDM2023
Krampi handlers and those participating in costume are asked to reserve a free ticket.
Help us celebrate Krampusnacht (Krampus Night, traditionally observed on December 5) a few days early with a Krampus parade at Christkindlmarket Des Moines on Saturday, December 2 starting at 6:30pm
A Krampuslauf (Running of the Krampuses) is a fun run or walk of celebrants dressed as the wicked beast. Dust off your Krampus costume and parade through the festival grounds. Led by Saint Nicholas and your handlers, take a turn through the Christkindlmarket Des Moines venue portraying traditional (and family-friendly) Krampi.
Where the parade takes you after Christkindlmarket Des Moines is up to you and your handlers. But do let the merriment continue!
Who is Krampus?
• Hear the proper pronunciation: Krampus is pronounced “krohm-poo-s” as in “con & puss,” NOT “kram-puh-s” as in “campus.
• Video: Top 5 Krampus Facts and Origin
• Video: Krampus parade in Hollabrunn, Austria
• Video: Who Is Krampus? | National Geographic
Don’t have a Krampus costume? Here are a few resources:
• https://www.krampusmasks.com/
• https://www.etsy.com/market/krampus_costume
• http://krampuslosangeles.com/austrian-suits-masks-for-sale/
• Amazon: http://ow.ly/G15B50u3HDn
Peverill’s Apiary | #CDM2023 Vendor
Tell us about your business
We are a family owned and run business established in 2016. What started out with 2 beehives in our backyard has turned into over 100 beehives through the city of Ankeny. We are considered 100% urban beekeepers with urban beehives. We offer local raw honey as well as beeswax candles, lip balms, paw palms, and lotion bars. Our candles are 100% beeswax and are individually hand-poured by us.
What inspired you to get involved as a vendor at Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2023?
We had seen the event advertised for quite a few years and someone involved with the market reached out to us advising we would be a great vendor to be in the market.
What products will you be selling at Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2023 and why did you choose them?
We will have beeswax candles and ornaments, honey and candle gift sets, and honey products. Typically, within Christkindlmarkts, handmade and local items are the main draw as well as mulled wine. Our products are all locally handmade by us. We will have nutcracker candles as well as Nativity candles and Advent Candle sets which are all traditionally found in German Christmas Markets.
Anything else you’d like to share?
When we say we are completely family owned and run, this includes our three children aged 16, 13, and 9. They have been a part of every single step along the way in some form. From pulling honey, to making creamed honey and honey lemonade, to being a “sales person” every Saturday at the Downtown DSM Farmer’s Market, they have grown right along with the Apiary.
Freedom Blend Coffee | #CDM2023 Vendor
Tell us about your business
It is well known that coffee has the power to free a person from the chains of grogginess, but this heavenly brew is even stronger than that. Enter Freedom Blend Coffee Trailer, the mobile café that not only serves Des Moines delicious, fair-trade, house-roasted coffee but also promotes empowering young adults with work training and life skills, a key part of their Freedom for Youth Ministries.
What inspired you to get involved as a vendor at Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2023?
We have heard great things about Christkindlmarket and are so excited to be a part of it this year!
What products will you be selling at Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2023 and why did you choose them?
You’re in for a cozy cup of joy! From our espresso-based Cafè Miel with steamed milk, honey, and cinnamon, to our London Fog tea, Early Grey with steamed milk, we serve coffee, tea, and more.
Dakota Tinworks | #CDM2023 Vendor
Tell us about your business
Founded in 2015, Dakota Tinworks is a family-owned business, specializing in traditional, handmade tinware and tin decorative items. Karl, the tinsmith in the family, uses mostly 19th century tinsmith’s tools in the creation of his tin goods. He trained as a historical tinsmith with Loren Miller at the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer in Grand Island, Nebraska, and with the late master tinsmith William McMillen at Historic Eastfield Village in New York. He’s also taken an advanced tinsmithing workshop co-taught at Historic Eastfield Village by Steve Delisle, head tinsmith at Colonial Williamsburg.
The work he produces is split between decorative tin items, like Christmas ornaments and tree tinsel/icicles, and authentic reproduction tinware, like pierced tin lanterns and other museum-quality tinware.
While he works mostly in tinplate, he’s also been doing some decorative work in copper.
As an aside, Karl also teaches traditional tinsmithing, most recently at the Museum of Making in Derby, England, in September 2022.
What inspired you to get involved as a vendor at Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2022?
We were invited to participate in CDM 2017, 2018, 2019, CDM Curbside in 2020, and again for CDM 2021 and CDM 2022, so we’ve been a part of CDM almost since the beginning. We’ve enjoyed being part of the Christkindlmarket family of vendors and look forward to being at the event every year. People seem to really like the tin goods we produce and sell. We enjoy meeting everyone who stops by our pop-up tents. We’re looking forward to this year’s Christkindlmarket. It’s our most exciting event of the year!
What products will you be selling at Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2023 and why did you choose them?
As always, our tin ornaments and tree tinsel remain very popular, so we will, of course, have plenty of those on hand. We also plan to offer pierced tin candle shades, with traditional designs, and pierced tin lanterns in two distinct styles. New this year will be some very special reproduction German cookie cutters, based on antique ones from the Erzgebirge region of Germany, along the Czech border. In addition to being a tin-mining region historically, the Erzgebirge are also known for their Christmas festivals. Another new item will be tin frames with Christmas scenes, featuring reproduction vintage images of German Santas and other Christmas-related themes. In addition to the new items, we’ll also have a full range of other tin items for sale, and several different ornaments made with copper, and sheet brass (also new this year). The colored tinsel we introduced at CDM 2021 (and sold again at CDM 2022) was extremely popular, so we’ll be sure to bring plenty more of that for CDM 2023.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Every year, we introduce some new products, so be sure to follow Dakota Tinworks on Facebook, so you’ll be informed of the latest things we’re creating in the workshop. We’re excited to be a part of this wonderful event once again. We hope people look for our red and white striped twin pop-up tents and come by to see a demonstration and check out our range of products! Our tent layout will be a bit different this year, as we are planning on modeling a tent layout we discovered at the Lucrezia-Markt in Regensburg, Bavaria. It’ll allow us to do better displays and make it easier for people to shop for our items.
Cajun Belle | #CDM2023 Vendor
Tell us about your business
Cajun Belle is a Southeast Texas-cuisine restaurant in the Des Moines, Iowa, metro area. We were founded in 2022 and offer a unique menu available through drive-thru at our storefront location in Johnston, Iowa, as well as catering and on-site event menu options. We provide authentic, fresh, Southeast Texas cuisine to the Central Iowa Metro and surrounding areas. Owner and head-chef Zack Hollier has been cooking this cuisine literally his entire life, he likes to call the Cajun Belle gumbo his ‘childhood in a pot’.
Cajun Belle is also more than just food, we strive to deliver the highest-quality of menu items by making all of the food items on-site daily and from scratch. The dough for the kolaches is literally hand-mixed by team members! We are committed to providing the most authentic and quality food in a convenient way to the bellies of those who seek it. COME ON & EAT Y’ALL!!
What inspired you to get involved as a vendor at Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2023?
One of my employees recommended the event to me and after looking over it, it seemed like a no-brainier. The reviews from the former vendors is what ultimately made the decision to participate for us.
What products will you be selling at Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2023 and why did you choose them?
We are happy to provide the most delicious File Gumbo, Jambalaya and Bacon egg & cheese Kolache!
Anything else you’d like to share?
Folks can look for the happy brown fella in the cowboy hat for a meal and a smile!
CDM 2023 Non-Profit Silent Auction Tree Participation now Open!
August 1st marks the opening of our Silent Auction Christmas Tree Participation Application. We invite Iowa non-profit organizations to fill out our application form to secure one of twelve trees available to decorate and auction at Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2023. Applications will remain open through September or until all 12 trees have been claimed.
As part of CDM’s community outreach, we encourage local non-profit organizations to decorate a tree that will be displayed through the duration of Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2023. As patron’s visit the market and marvel over the creativity of each tree, they are able to bid via a Silent Auction and take home the tree with all the trimmings when the event ends Sunday, December 3rd. All proceeds will go directly back to the participating non-profits.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please follow the link below:
Christkindlmarket Non-Profit Silent Auction Participation Form
Please send any questions to Missy Mootz, CDM Silent Auction Site Leader at [email protected].
* Cut trees are not perfect and will have a tendency to lean. We will present the trees in the most positive way given our circumstances. Please manage your expectations accordingly.
