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DES MOINES, IOWA, Feb. 7, 2017 – More than 23,000 visitors attended the inaugural Christkindlmarket Des Moines in downtown Des Moines last December. Building on this success, the Des Moines European Heritage Association (DMEHA), which created and produces the event, is launching a new logo and branding scheme for the market’s 2017 marketing and communications campaign.

“We were absolutely amazed by the turnout in our first year,” says Suzanne Hull, DMEHA president and founder. “We always believed that people in Iowa and beyond would support and enjoy this type of culturally based holiday event, but the attendance and enthusiasm was incredible. It certainly spurs us on to make it even bigger and better this year.”

The 2017 Christkindlmarket, slated for Dec. 1 to 3, will take place again at Cowles Commons in downtown Des Moines. To help enhance the promotion of the three-day market’s planned improvements in 2017, the association collaborated with the locally based advertising agency, Lessing-Flynn, to help create a stronger visual identity.

“The new logo and overall new look for our branding will help us convey what the market represents – excitement and warmth of the holidays in Iowa’s capital city,” Hull says. “The ‘Christkind’ angel is central to a German-inspired Christmas market and the rich gold color with a dark blue accent also helps set us apart from the traditional red-and-green motif used by so many others.”

For Lessing-Flynn, partnering with a local non-profit organization is nothing new. “As a creative agency, we believe it’s essential to support local opportunities to experience art and culture,” said Lessing-Flynn Vice President, Jessica Held. “Events such as Christkindlmarket Des Moines, which promote diversity and education, are always a worthwhile investment for our community.”

The DMEHA continues to seek volunteers to assist in all of its year-round activities, as well as the. Hull encourages anyone interested in volunteering or becoming a sponsor to visit www.christkindlmarketdsm.com or the group’s Facebook page.

Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2017 sponsors include: Modern Woodmen of America, Centennial Warehousing Corporation and Grand View University.

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The Des Moines European Heritage Association (DMEHA) is a 501c3 tax-exempt non-profit that connects Iowans with European traditions, language education and cultural experiences and that provides resources and tools to other cultural heritage organizations.

2016 Christkindlmarket Des Moines Entertainment Schedule

Friday, December 2, 2016

11:30 – 2:00 pm Geneviève Salamone: The One Woman Symphony

2:00 – 3:00 pm Victoria & Albert: Dickens Era Royalty

5:00 – 5:45 pm Glastonbury Revelers

6:00 – 6:30 pm Opening Ceremony

6:30 – 7:00 pm East High School Advanced Handbell Ensemble

7:30 – 10:30 pm Malek’s Fishermen Band

Saturday, December 3, 2016

11:00 – 12:00 pm Central Iowa Wind Ensemble

12:00 – 12:30 pm Victoria & Albert: Dickens Era Royalty (strolling)

12:30 – 1:30 pm Inna Larsen

1:30 – 2:15 pm Central Iowa Wind Ensemble Chamber Groups

2:30 – 3:30 pm Heartland Youth Choir

4:00 – 5:00 pm Inna Larsen

5:15 – 5:45 pm Foy School of Traditional Irish Dance

7:00 – 10:00 pm Brian Brueggen & the Mississippi Valley Dutchmen

Sunday, December 4, 2016

11:00 – 12:00 pm Metro Brass Quartet

12:00 – 12:30 pm Victoria & Albert: Dickens Era Royalty (strolling)

12:30 – 1:30 pm French/International Dancing

2:00 – 3:00 pm Top Hat Carolers

3:00 – 3:30 pm Des Moines Chantant

Des Moines European Heritage Association connects Iowans with European traditions, language education and cultural experiences; and it provides resources and tools to other cultural heritage organizations.

We’re pleased to showcase the following vendors during the inaugural Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2016.

Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2016 Gift and Specialty Item Vendors

Worldly Goods

Worldly Goods is a Fair Trade nonprofit gift store located in Ames since 1987.  Our unique Fair Trade gifts are handmade from over 50 developing countries.  Volunteers share artisan stories.

Offering: Fair Trade items from around the world focusing on Christmas ornaments and decorations. Additional items that have a European heritage theme including Fair Trade stocking stuffers, coffee, tea, chocolate and other Fair Trade foods that are prepackaged.

TeaGeschwendner

Tea shop with natural and organic teas.

Offering: Premium loose leaf teas and tea accessories: Christmas teas: Black Christmas tea, Snowman greet teas, including Spices for Glühwein, herbal teas. Link to the teas:http://shop.tgtea.com/. Also tea accessories: Cast iron teapots, ceramic teapots, mugs and infusers.

The Red Door Press

The Red Door Press is a Des Moines based letterpress print shop that specializes in prints, cards, and letterpress ephemera. We use traditional print methods, antique printing presses, and up-cycled materials.

Offering: Letterpress prints, cards and other goods.

Chocolaterie Stam

Chocolaterie Stam, Fine European Chocolates since 1913

The Museum of Danish America

Offering: Danish / Scandinavian gift items:  jams, jewelry, note cards, hand towels, Christmas die-cuts, papirklip

Andy Klindt – Chainsaw Carvings

Andy Klindt Chainsaw Carver

Offering: Chainsaw Carvings

Pickle Creek Herbs

At Pickle Creek Herbs, we use organic herbs we grow ourselves on our Iowa farm to handcraft artisanal herbal products, including infused olive oils and vinegars, jams, teas, soaps, salves, salts, and balms.

Offering: Herb-infused olive oils and vinegars, herbal fruit jams, dried herbs and herbal teas, herbal soaps, salves, salts, and balms

Paisley USA

French Needle Work from recycled Marino wool

Offering: Fiber art pieces and tea cozies

Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2016 Food & Beverage Vendors

Glühwein

Glühwein (roughly, “glow-wine”, from the hot irons once used for mulling) is popular in German speaking countries. Glühwein is prepared from red wine, heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, cloves, star aniseed, citrus, sugar and at times vanilla pods.

Iowa Beer Bus/Paulaner/Exile

Stella Cidre, Exile Ruthie, Exile Hannah, Exile Gigi, Kölsch, Paulaner Hefeweizen, Paulaner Münchener Lager, Lion Bridge Brewing Company Workman’s Compensation, Turner Alley Czech Village Pilsner, Breckenridge Christmas Ale, Budweiser, Bud Light

Royal Mile

The Royal Mile will be selling Scotch Eggs and Cornish Pasties (both traditional dishes of the U.K).

Offering: Scotch eggs and Cornish pasty

Mucky Duck Pub

The Mucky Duck Pub is a full service, British-style public house (pub) located in Ames.  At the Mucky Duck we are pleased to welcome people of all ages and from all walks of life – we believe that drinking, eating and having fun together is a very important part of life!  We have a great selection of beer from the UK, the USA and Iowa.  We also serve some classic British dishes such as fish and chips and bangers and mash but we are also well know for our burgers and tenderloins.  At the market we are pleased to be serving some British Christmas classics such as mince pies and Christmas pudding, along with some of the staples from our restaurant.

Offering: Mince pies, English Christmas pudding, fish and chips, bangers and mash, hot tea (chai, regular black and green), Christmas crackers (retail items), Turkish Delight (retail item), Tubs of assorted chocolates (Roses or Quality Street) (retail item)

Salt & Pretzel

Salt and Pretzel Co. is family-owned and operated in Ames, Iowa. They started the business in 2015 with the idea of bringing unique, soft pretzels to the community. Each pretzel is carefully crafted with the best ingredients and produced with state of the art equipment to create exceptional pretzels. All of their are made in their FDA-inspected bakery that meets all food safety and GMP requirements.

Offering: Traditional German Sausages. German pretzels with mustards and sauces. Rye breads and other baked products, including Gingerbread Cookies.

Top of the Hill Nuts

Offering: Cinnamon and maple flavored roasted almonds, cashews, and pecans.

Hessen Haus

Willkommen! Iowa’s favorite German Bier Hall, with the largest German Bier selection in the world!

Mars Cafe

Des Moines European Heritage Association connects Iowans with European traditions, language education and cultural experiences; and it provides resources and tools to other cultural heritage organizations.

Did you miss Suzanne Hull on Insight on Business “the News Hour with Michael Libbie” on Tuesday, October 27th?? Click the link below to listen to the podcast during which they talked about Christkindlmarket Des Moines and Des Moines European Heritage Association.

Read about the show and download the podcast if you missed it here

Insight on Business the News Hour with Michael Libbie is the only business broadcast in the Des Moines Metro and a production of Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications a full service advertising agency based in Des Moines. Connect with them on Twitter @IoB_NewsHour and, for more, here is their Facebook Page.

Des Moines European Heritage Association connects Iowans with European traditions, language education and cultural experiences; and it provides resources and tools to other cultural heritage organizations.

German Christmas Market Set for Downtown Des Moines

Event to Feature European Culture, Food, Music, Gifts

DES MOINES, IOWA, Sept. 15, 2016 – The first-ever German Christmas-themed market, known as Christkindlmarket Des Moines, is set for Dec. 2 to 4 in downtown Des Moines at Cowles Commons just across from the Des Moines Civic Center. Produced by the Des Moines European Heritage Association (DMEHA), a local non-profit organization, the inaugural event will offer attendees an authentic outdoor Christmas market experience with food, music and unique gifts that has been a holiday tradition which began in German-speaking Europe nearly 700 years ago.

“We’re thrilled to offer an experience like this for Des Moines and all of Iowa,” said Suzanne Hull, president of the DMEHA and a founder of Christkindlmarket Des Moines. “We hope people will mark their calendars for the first weekend in December to join us downtown for good food, fun and a bit of European holiday tradition here in the Midwest.”

Village-like huts decorated with holiday lights and garlands will house a variety of vendors from across the Midwest offering wares such as hand-dyed scarves, baked goods, teas, hand-knitted items, knives, and much more.

Aside from the holiday treats and gift items, marketgoers will enjoy a host of local and statewide music ensembles from high school choirs to professional entertainers – all with a holiday theme or twist.

A highlight of the Christkindlmarket Des Moines, like all German Christmas markets, will be the hot, spiced mulled wine known as Glühwein (gloo-vine), literally “glowing wine” in German. Those who attend the event early enough can purchase a collectible Glühwein mug featuring original artwork by a German artist to commemorate the inaugural Des Moines event. To ensure the purchase of the limited edition mugs, Hull advises pre-ordering them at the DMEHA website or at www.christkindlmarketdsm.com with a gift of $25 or more.

“We know the Glühwein mugs will be a big hit, so we’re urging people to make a donation of $25 or more now to ensure that they’ll get one of these great one-of-a-kind mementos,” Hull said. “The Christmas season will be here before we know it and we hope that Iowans will help make Christkindlmarket Des Moines a new part of their holiday tradition.”

Christkindlmarket Des Moines sponsors include: Darcy Hines Designs, Drake University, The Museum of Danish America, Gail’s Photography and Designs, Action Electric, Greater Iowa Credit Union, Iowa Sister States, Ingersoll wine & Spirits. For a full list of sponsors, visit www.christkindlmarketdsm.com.

Christkindlmarket Des Moines community supporters include: Patty & Jim Cownie Charitable Fund, The Deb and Paul Hayes Charitable Fund.

Des Moines European Heritage Association connects Iowans with European traditions, language education and cultural experiences; and it provides resources and tools to other cultural heritage organizations.