Known for Danish Days, a four-day celebration to honor Danish heritage, Viborg is more than stegt lever and knee-breeches.
As 605 multimedia designer Yany Avelar and I pulled into town, we took notice of the plethora of Danish flags. Every other house was sporting red and white, which seemed like an appropriate introduction to our first stop at the Daneville Heritage Museum.
VIBORG WAS EST. IN 1893.
DANEVILLE HERITAGE MUSEUM
Walking into the barn-esque building, we were met by Richard Skola, lifetime Viborg resident and knower of all things Danish. He began to walk us around the two-building setup, explaining the history as we went.
“Our benefactor was Lester Lauritzen, one of the originators of the Daneville Heritage Association. Once he retired from farming, this was his baby,” said Skola.
Exhibits range from traditional Danish clothing to a wall of veterans from the Viborg area.
In the back building, which was the original site of the museum, there were even more artifacts housed, most of which were donated by local families.
“I love our chapel. We have things in there from churches that have closed, and I also love our glassware room,” said Skola. “We have so many unique things. For a small town to have all of this is absolutely astounding.”
After lingering in the Christmas village room and ogling over the local art, Yany and I made our way to the Viborg Public Library.
THE OLDEST ITEM IN THE MUSEUM IS A DANISH BIBLICAL REFERENCE BOOK COPYRIGHTED IN 1781.
WAS ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS DANEVILLE.
PUZZLED, SIGNED & SEALED
As much as we wanted to sit and read, we couldn’t help but notice the trendy signs decorating the walls of the library’s somewhat new addition.
Local artist and stay-at-home mom Catrina Walsh met up with us to talk about her business, its products, and the Viborg community.
“Puzzled, Signed & Sealed started as a personal project for my sons’ growth charts. I had seen them on other people’s walls and I thought I could do it,” said Walsh.
As a teacher, she had always saved quotes and comments from kids, and knew she wanted to write them down in a special way.
“My husband and I each have our specific niche in the business, with him using the CNC machine to carve, and me using my graphic design programs to design signs,” said Walsh. “We attract different clientele, but we can still come together to collaborate.”
Not only does Walsh sell her signs at the local library, but she also hosts classes, ships nationwide, and creates for other businesses in the town.
“We have done t-shirts for so many businesses, and we’ve realized that word-of-mouth is huge for us,” she said. “The community is so great, and that really shows when we get returning clients.”
Walsh finished convincing us we needed more signs (which wasn’t hard to do), and we drove the block and a half to our final stop of the day.
PUZZLED CREATES PRODUCTS LIKE:
» 3D WOODEN SIGNS
» CRIBBAGE BOARDS
» HAND-PAINTED SIGNS
» T-SHIRTS
VIBORG IS HOME TO THE OLDEST CONTINUALLY RUNNING MOVIE THEATER IN THE STATE.
DANEVILLE INN
From the outside, the Daneville Inn looks like a classic European pub, complete with exterior trim and dim windows.
Little did we know, this local gem had overcome more than a few slow nights.
“On May 23, 2018 our world changed forever. I was in the back and the building shook, and I walked out to see a truck in our dining room,” said owner Jeff Christensen. “The whole town came together to help us get back to normal, and we were open again by that Friday,”
Christensen went on to explain the plans they had for the restaurant in the coming months, including utilizing the Danish world of design.
“I just learned about the Danish term ‘hygge,’ which means to surround yourself with good friends and family, and comfort and coziness. That’s what we want for our restaurant,” said Christensen.
Eager to try the food and excited to see the open kitchen in action, Christensen started to make us a Schnitzel Sandwich, as well as his well-known Pepperoni Pizza.
“I’ve lived all over, including outside of Manhattan, and I can tell you the best pizza in the country comes from that area,” said Christensen.
After diving into the food, we sat and talked with Christensen for what seemed like hours, which seemed pretty on-trend with the rest of our day.
Danish by nature, and just 45 miles outside of Sioux Falls, this small town reminded Yany and me why we love meeting the different South Dakota communities, and why we need to eat more pizza.
