A German tradition with a bit of Fargo flair

Culture | December 2nd, 2015

Folkways and Twenty Below Coffee Co. join forces for Christkindlmarkt

This year the folks behind Alley Fair and Folkways are collaborating with Twenty Below Coffee Co. to put a Fargo spin on an old German tradition. In Germany, the Christkindlmarkt is a month-long holiday event in which onlookers walk the streets and enjoy the sights and sounds of a holiday street fair.

The Christkindlmarkt has been a symbol of holiday cheer since the Middle Ages. The Christkindl herself is a flaxen-haired angelic figure in German folklore. She is also the pre-St. Nick bearer of gifts.

The idea to create a Christkindlmarkt in Fargo stemmed from Melissa Haugrud experiencing the Kristkindl markt firsthand. While she and her husband were dating, they found themselves at a Christkindlmarkt in Germany, and, needless to say, she was so enchanted that when she and her cohorts at Twenty Below Coffee Co. were trying to think of a new and unique holiday event her experience provided some inspiration.

“It’s about experiencing the holiday cheer and enjoying the winter season,” says Haugrud. The space behind the coffee shop will be transformed into a small-scale holiday market with heat lamps, plenty of lights and wreaths for ambience.

Traditional German fare will be available, complete with coffee cookies and desserts provided by Twenty Below, bratwursts from Wurst Bier Hall and mulled wine aka gluhwein -- a Christkindlmarkt tradition.

“We’ve joked that the Christkindlmarkt would be like if Alley Fair and the farmer’s market had a German baby,” says Joe Burgum, one of the masterminds behind Alley Fair and Folkways. Burgum adds, “The idea behind Alley Fair was to activate the alleyways in Fargo with food, music and art, so it is very much akin to that.”

Ralph Mehnert-Meland, a blacksmith hailing from Germany, will be there to provide blacksmithing demonstrations all three days of the event. A small number of vendors will be selling their wares, and Ty and Mike (the proprietors of Twenty Below) are building stylized wooden booths that open and close and can withstand the elements. Games will include hammerschlagen and giant Jenga. Also, The Dakota Dutchmen, a polka band based out of Lankin, N.D., will play on Saturday afternoon from 1-5 p.m.

“We’ll start small and let it grow annually,” Burgum says.

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