Holiday history, holiday fun to be had at Glidden Homestead

DeKALB – Take time to relax and immerse yourself in holiday history.

The annual Holiday Event at Glidden Homestead will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5. Enjoy holiday goodies, hear recorded historical Christmas music, tour the Glidden home and be inspired by the history of Christmas past.

At 2 p.m., special guest Bill Cummings will give an overview of Christmas history. Cummings is a retired Northern Illinois University professor of accounting and has convened a class about Christmas Traditions for the NIU Lifelong Learning Institute.

“Familiar Christmas stories are special to all of us, but what is the history?” Rob Glover, executive director of Glidden Homestead, said in a news release. “You can learn about these stories at Glidden Homestead, a place that has seen 160 Christmas celebrations. Everyone is invited to come to discover new traditions and to recall their own traditions.”

This year’s theme at Glidden Homestead is “A Treasure at 160″ since 2021 marks the 160th anniversary of Joseph Glidden’s home. A National Register of Historic Place, it is the home where Glidden lived when he invented barbed wire. The home was extensively remodeled in 1910 by a prominent architect and continued as a Glidden family residence until it became a museum in 1998.

A full season of programs highlighting “A Treasure at 160″ ran at the Glidden Homestead in 2021. A program listing will soon be available for 2022 at www.gliddenhomestead.org/events.html. Programs are made possible in part by the Mary E. Stevens Concert and Lecture Fund.

The Glidden Homestead, located at 921 W. Lincoln Highway, is taking reservations for tours. Admission is $4 per adult and free for children younger than 14.

For more information, visit www.gliddenhomestead.org, email info@gliddenhomestead.org or call 815-756-7904.