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BySuzanne Hull

Daughters of Penelope Zeus #38 | #CDM2023 Nonprofit Partner

Christkindlmarket Des Moines is pleased to partner with Daughters of Penelope Zeus #38 as a Nonprofit Partner this year.

Daughters of Penelope Zeus #38 and their team of volunteers will be managing a point of sale at the Glühwein Tent on Thursday and Saturday. 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 the Daughters of Penelope is to promote Hellenism, Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, Family and Individual Excellence.

The Daughters of Penelope was the realization of Alexandra Apostolides’ dream. Her desire was to create a woman’s organization and because of her perseverance and the encouragement of her husband Dr. Emanuel Apostolides, a devoted AHEPAN, she formed EOS Chapter#1 with 25 charter members on November 16, 1929, in San Francisco, California. She was elected the first Grand President of the organization in 1931.

BySuzanne Hull

Des Moines Children’s Museum | #CDM2023 Nonprofit Partner

Christkindlmarket Des Moines is pleased to partner with Des Moines Children’s Museum as a Nonprofit Partner this year.

Des Moines Children’s Museum and their team of volunteers will be managing a point of sale at the Glühwein Tent on Thursday and Friday. 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 Des Moines Children’s Museum’s mission is to build the foundation of lifelong learning by promoting the power of play.

We Value: Play, Connections, Creativity & Curiosity, Innovation, Research, Impressive Persistence, Inclusivity.

Our vision is a playful museum, always striving to be better, helping families connect with each other, community resources, and the world.

BySuzanne Hull

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.

BySuzanne Hull

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!

BySuzanne Hull

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!

BySuzanne Hull

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.

Krampus | Wikipedia

• 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

BySuzanne Hull

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.

BySuzanne Hull

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.

BySuzanne Hull

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.