Grand Opening Elcho Grange Hall Number 671

By Debi Mejak

On July 4, 2026, a wonderful event will be taking place in Elcho, Wisconsin. The opening of a museum in a historic building. Elcho Grange Hall Number 671 will officially open to the public. In honor of this momentous occasion, there will be a celebration. This event will not only commemorate the opening of the museum but also the semiquincentennial of the United States.

The museum dedication will begin at 9:30 a.m. at W10555 County K, Elcho. At 10:00 a.m. the museum will be open. Currently, work is being done to create displays. There will be a chainsaw shop as you walk in the door honoring John Jacobs who donated the building to the Elcho Historical Society. He had his shop in Grange Hall for many years.

The other display that is currently being designed is J.L. Kraft and Kraftwood. The Kraft family had a large presence in Elcho from the early 1920’s on. J.L. Kraft and Pauline Kraft created a beautiful garden which drew 50,000 visitors in a season and sometimes on a busy Sunday there were 200 visitors.

The gardens took 18 years to complete. The steady gardeners were Otto and Audrey Tiegs, Carl Boehnke and Phil Kalkofen. Tenants on the farm were: Maynard Schuh, Harry Peep and Louis Stogbauer. The gardens officially opened in 1938 and closed after J.L. Kraft’s death in 1953.

After the ribbon cutting and the museum is officially open, there will be music on the stage from 10:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Music will include piano from Mary Brendemuehl, the Elcho Ukulele Club, Harp by Dorothy Summers and Ted Popek will be playing the accordion. Bring your dancing shoes.

Raffle baskets will be on display and tickets will be 3 for $10 and 6 for $5 depending on the basket. The gift shop will be open as well with a nice selection of merchandise including a commemorative coin, T-shirt and mug honoring the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation and the grand opening. Stop by and take a look.

The Palace of Mirrors, Stovewood Museum and South Greenville Grange (Appleton, WI) will be on site to answer all your questions about historic properties and what the Grange movement was and still is to this day.

Back of Shirt Available for Purchase in Gift Shop

There will be a craft fair including vendors with home made items for sale. Also, Lamont Kraft will have his photos on display benefiting the Elcho Historical Society and the restoration of not only Grange Hall but also the C.W. Fish house which will be the next project for our organization.

Otto Tiegs - Slinger, WI

Mustache and Beard Competition.
If interested reach out to the historical society for more information. There will be cash prizes for first, second and third place. Photos will be due by June 15th. We will display photos day of the event and the general public will vote .

There will be a kids scavenger hunt and registration will be near the brat barn, Karen Parise who painted our beautiful mural will be visiting with her gypsy wagon. She will be using her talents to create beautiful works of art - face painting.

Mural created by Karen Parise in 2025. Located on the back wall of the stage in Grange Hall.

From 10:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. there will be a tractor, boat and car show. Ballots will be available for voting and trophies will be awarded at 3:00 p.m. In addition, each participant will receive a very patriotic dash plaque. There are spots available. Do you have a car, boat or tractor you might want to show? Please reach out to us at info@elchohistoricalsocietyinc.org for a registration form. There is absolutely no fee for any of the shows.

The churches in Elcho are also participating. Holy Family Catholic Church is hosting a bake sale and will have cold drinks for sale, UCC will have their chicken dinner, St. Luke’s will sell ice cream, and Upper Room will have cotton candy. The Bus Stop Coffee will also be on site serving handcrafted drinks.

In Elcho, there are many places to explore. There is a street dance and fireworks display at dusk sponsored by the firefighters. Also, Pelican Lake which is a short drive north on Route 45 (4 miles) will be having their festival for the 4th as well. See the activities schedule for more information. There is a map that will be forthcoming next weekend for precise locations and more information. Any questions at all, please reach out to us at info@elchohistoricalsocietyinc.org. We look forward to your visit on July 4, 2026. Let the celebration begin.

By Debi Mejak

A Continuation of the Feuerstein Family in Enterprise