Spring Fling (April 5-6) Come welcome spring and the beginning of the tourist season in Bishop Hill as various stores, museums and restaurants offer special discounts, events, and activities. Collect signatures from 6 businesses or museums and be entered for a gift basket drawing at the Colony Store. Call 309-927-3898 or email VasaArchivist@gmail.com for more information.

 

Exhibit Opening (April 5-6, 10-4) Kick off the 2025 season with the Vasa National Archives and Museum at our Opening Reception for Fraternal Legacy: Reviving 20th Century Art. Explore a stunning collection of masterworks and original creations by Vasa Order members, spanning multiple mediums. With so many incredible pieces, we’re showcasing them across both floors of the archive—don’t miss this unforgettable experience!

 

This is your last year to see Rocky Mountain Lodges exhibit. The Vasa Order established lodges in Colorado and Wyoming in 1911. Over the next decade lodges continued to blossom across the district. The success of District #11 spilled over into Utah where several district officers helped set up new lodges. Take a look with us as we explore the history of the rise and fall of Rocky Mountain District #11.

 

Valborg and Wiener Roast (April 25, 6 pm) Experience an ancient Swedish traditional bonfire as we welcome spring’s return at the Vasa National Archives. Yard games, activities, hotdogs, hot coffee and cocoa will be available. This event is free and open to the public. In the event of rain, we will be on the Vasa National Archive second level. Call 309-927-3898 or email VasaArchivist@gmail.com for more information.

 

Finnish Field Day: Hobby Horse Games (May 24, 1 – 4pm) Children and adults have been riding hobby horses, or stick horses, for centuries for play, to mock elites, and re-enactments. In 2017, hobby horsing competitions (where teenagers and young adults mimicked horse competitions) were introduced to the public through Selma Vilhunen's 2017 film Keppihevosten vallankumous (Hobbyhorse Revolution). Come make a hobby horse or bring your own and enjoy a day of jumps, races and dressage/dancing. Hobby horses are $10 each. Supplies are limited and reservations are suggested. Call 309-927-3898 or email VasaArchivist@gmail.com for more information.

 

Midsummer Respite (June 21, 10 – 4, during Midsummer) If you get too hot or dry while exploring Bishop Hill during this summer celebration, the Vasa National Archives invites you to take a break and enjoy fika with us. Fika is a Swedish custom of offering visitors a drink and a snack. To help pass the time while you cool off, we have a make-and-take clay sculpture station for you. Free and open to the public. Call 309-927-3898 or email VasaArchivist@gmail.com for more information.

 

Butter Making (Sept. 27-28, 10 – 5, during Jordbruksdagarna) Bishop Hill colonists, like many Swedes, were excellent butter and cheese makers. Stop by our booth in the Demonstration area to learn about butter making and make your own butter to take home. Free and open to the Public. Call 309-927-3898 or email VasaArchivist@gmail.com for more information.

 

Bargain Hunter Weekend (Oct. 11-12) Come celebrate the bounty of fall in Bishop Hill as various stores, museums and restaurants offer special discounts, events, and activities. Collect signatures from 6 businesses or museums and be entered for a gift basket drawing at the Colony Store. Call 309-927-3898 or email VasaArchivist@gmail.com for more information.

 

Gossiping Ghosts (Nov. 1, 4-7pm) Stop by the Vasa National Archives to hear spooky specters gossiping about the people and events during their time. Ghost will be in the VNA yard and surrounding areas. A small bonfire with marshmallows will be in the yard as well. In the case of bad weather, the ghosts will be inside the VNA on the first and second floor.

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Make and Take Dala Horses (Nov. 28-Nov. 30 and Dec 6-7, 10 - 4, while supplies last) During the holiday weekends, paint stations will be set up in the Vasa National Archive for painters to decorate their own wooden Dala Horse. Participants are welcome to leave their Dala horses at the archive to dry while shopping in Bishop Hill. Paint, brushes, and smocks provided.

 

During the week, the paint stations will not be available, but you can take Dala Horse kits home to paint. Each kit includes 3 colors of paint, a brush, and a Dala Horse.

 

The Dala Horses are available for a $5 for an ornament or $7 for a standing horse whether you paint here or at home. Painters can call or email to reserve horses to ensure supply. Call 309-927-3898 or email VasaArchivist@gmail.com for more information.

 

Closing Reception (Dec. 13-14, 6-9 pm, during Lucia Nights) Come say goodbye to the Vasa exhibit on Rocky Mountain Lodges. This is also a final celebration of the 2025 season. Cider and cookies will be available to visitors at the Vasa National Archives for the closing reception. Free and open to the public.  Call 309-927-3898 or email VasaArchivist@gmail.com for more information.

 

Game Nights (Jan. 13-Mar 31, 2026) Do you have board games, card games, or other games lying around the house that don’t get played as often as you’d like? Are you looking for a fun way to get to know your neighbors during the long winter nights? If you answered yes, come to the Vasa National Archive’s Game Nights this winter.

The Vasa National Archive will be hosting Game Nights on Tuesday evenings from 6-8 pm, weather permitting. The public is welcomed to bring their board games, card games or come by themselves to enjoy the fun. Feel free to bring snacks or drinks to share. Game nights will begin on January 13 and continue through March 31. Game Nights will be held in the archive’s second floor. Lift chairs are available for people with mobility issues.