Celebrate The Holidays With Your Family & Friends
At The Third Annual Victorian Holiday Weekends at LeDuc
December 1-2 & 8-9

Quality time with your family. Great food by Chef Rachel Rubin. Live music & entertainment.

Experience all this and more at one of Minnesota's most beautiful historic homes on the first two weekends in December. The LeDuc Historic Estate welcomes you and yours to step back in time to a simpler, more elegant holiday season with readings from Charles Dickens, tours of a Gothic Revival home adorned out for Christmas, and food that will take you back in time. If you are still looking for that perfect gift, you may just find it in the museum store.

Victorian Holidays are held on the weekends of December 1-2 & 8-9 at the LeDuc Historic Estate in Hastings. Holiday tours start at 10, 11:30, 1, 2:30 and 4 on December 1 & 8, and the museum store is open 10-5 daily for shopping. Tours on the Sundays of December 2 & 9 are reserved for brunch and dinner guests, though if you call ahead some spaces may be available.

Holiday brunch and dinner are served on Sundays, December 2 & 9. With these meals come readings from Dickens' A Christmas Carol, a screening of the renowned LeDuc object theater, music, shopping, and tours.

Reservations are required at least one week prior to your meal.
Please call 651.437.7055 to make your reservation today.

Brunch
Served at noon for $27.95

Smoked trout cake
with hollandaise sauce

Big Woods Blue quiche

Organic greens salad
with dried cranberries, apricots and sunflower seeds

Roasted pumpkin and squash tart
with poached fruit compote

Dinner
Served at 5:30 p.m. for $32.50

Roasted root vegetable soup

Slow cooked beef roast
with clay pot roasted farm carrots and potatoes

Chocolate flan custard

Staff Changes at LeDuc Historic Estate Hastings, MN- August 3, 2007

On August 19, the woman who has been the face of the LeDuc Historic Estate for the past three years will be stepping down from her role as Program Manager to pursue a new opportunity in Stillwater, Minnesota. Joan Mathison joined the Dakota County Historical Society to help open LeDuc and has managed its programs and operations since it opened in May 2005.

During Mathison's tenure she helped establish a guided tour program, brought together and trained a cadre of capable tour guides, developed a series of memorable special events, and played a key role in building a volunteer program that now has nearly 100 participants.

Mathison was offered the Executive Director position at Arcola Mills in Stillwater. Mathison said, "It was a difficult decision but I know the excellent staff and amazing volunteers will continue the good work we've started. With their commitment, the LeDuc Estate has become a real asset to the community. I want to thank them all for being real partners in this venture."

Chad Roberts, Executive Director of the Dakota County Historical Society had this to say: "Joan has been a valuable contributor to the LeDuc's success for the past three years. Her energy and creativity will be missed. We all wish her well in this new venture; it is always gratifying to see staff and friends move up to tackle new opportunities and this is an exceptional opportunity for Joan."

The Society will maintain the remainder of the 2007 LeDuc schedule. Heidi Langenfeld, Retail & Office Manager-LeDuc, will take over as the interim manager of the site. The Friends of LeDuc of Historic Hastings may take on a more active role as well. The Society is holding off on hiring any new staff pending the finalization of the Society's 2008-2010 strategic plan.

The new media contact for the LeDuc Historic Estate is Chad Roberts, Executive Director. Local Artists Explore Past, Present and Future

The Dakota County Historical Society will host "Watercolors - Past, Present and Future" from June 9 through July 20, 2007 at the Lawshe Memorial Museum in South St. Paul.

The exhibition honors the memory of Ginnie Adams, local artist and teacher, who passed away in 2006. The opening reception will be on Saturday, June 9 from 1 - 3 PM. Ginnie's artwork will be featured, as well as works by 20 local artists who were her art students. Also showing art this year will be grandchildren and young friends of the artists.

The Dakota County Historical Society is located at 130 Third Avenue North in South St. Paul. The exhibit is free but suggested donation is $2.

Original art will be available for purchase, as well as prints and cards in the gift shop. The Historical Society is open Wednesdays and Fridays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

LeDuc Historic Estate Opening for Third Season
After a busy off-season, the Dakota County Historical Society is preparing to open the LeDuc Historic Estate in Hastings for its third tour season. All tours are being updated and revised, thirteen special events are planned and two new exhibits are opening this season.

A new exhibit on George Daniels, freed slave and friend of William LeDuc, opens on opening day. Focusing on the story of this remarkable man and his family, the exhibit follows Daniels from his time as a slave, enlistment in the Confederate army, service to LeDuc, and his life after he struck out on his own. This is part one of a two-part exhibit examining African American history in Dakota County. Part two will delve into broader themes and will open in 2008, adjacent to the Daniels exhibit.

The second new exhibit, presenting historical modes of travel, opens in August. Before the automobile became the norm, individuals traveling just about anywhere had to consider far less attractive travel options. This exhibit explores how very different travel was before 1900 and visitors will gain an understanding of what it was like to travel by horseback, steamboat, railroad, or stagecoach.

The icehouse has been filled with ice from Lake Rebecca as the Society tests just how well the historic process of harvesting and storing ice worked. All visitors will have a chance to learn about the ice harvesting industry and guess how long the ice will last.

Opening day on June 16 is also Founders Day, a Hastings Sesquicentennial event celebrating the 150th anniversary of Hastings.

LeDuc Historic Estate 2007 Tour Season
June 16 - October 28
Fridays & Saturdays 10-4, Sundays 1-4
Admission Rates: $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and military personnel, $3 for students ages 6-17, and free for members of DCHS and children ages 5 and under.

LeDuc is available for private events, meetings, weddings and similar events year-round. Group tours are also provided year-round by appointment.

School Tour Program
DCHS launched a pilot school tour program this spring that drew more than 300 students from local schools. Sponsored by Intek Plastics of Hastings, this program provides free admission and tours for classes that want to visit the Estate. Tours are customized based on grade level and themes being discussed in each class. The program has received overwhelmingly positive responses from educators and students. Sponsors are being sought to allow full implementation of the program for the 2007-2008 academic year.

Seasonal and Local Food Festival
On Saturday, April 28 the first Seasonal and Local Food Festival was held at the LeDuc Historic Estate, hosted by the new Northern Heartland Food & Wine Learning Center. Seventy attendees participated two wine & cheese pairings featuring locally produced artisan cheeses and Bailly Vineyard wines. An outdoor market of foods for sampling and sale featured a wide range of Minnesota agricultural products. The Northern Heartland Food & Wine Learning Center is a collaborative effort by several non-profit, food-oriented organizations and the Dakota County Historical Society. The Center provides education and programming related locally produced and organic foods. Several additional food festivals are scheduled and a number of programs at other LeDuc events will be provided by the Center.

Historic Homes Tour of Hastings
More than 260 visitors joined the Friends of LeDuc of Historic Hastings on Saturday, May 5, for a tour of some of Hastings' most interesting historic properties. This benefit for LeDuc raised more than $5,000 for the Estate.

Mother's Day at LeDuc
On Sunday, May 13, the LeDuc Historic Estate hosted its second Mother's Day meals event. Four seatings were offered this year for brunch, two lunches and dinner, drawing nearly 100 guests. Each guest enjoyed a multi-course meal and tour of the Estate.