The following article was written by Barbara Bundy-Jost, the President of Manitowoc Aluminum Kitschmas Inc.
Christmas in July is widely believed to have started in the United States as a summer camp celebration in the 1930’s. Since then, the idea gained further popularity through movies, retail promotions and the desire to celebrate all the traditions of Christmas in warmer months.
Locally, our Christmas in July celebration started on a cold December night with a shivering man from North Dakota. His wife decorated an Evergleam tree in their home each holiday and she desperately wanted to go on our Evergleams on Eighth walking tour. They booked a tour and made the trek to Manitowoc to immerse themselves in the gleaming sparkle of our annual display. As luck would have it, they also immersed themselves into some cold Wisconsin weather!
The windchill that night was in negative numbers and the wind off the lake made the air so frigid that you’d swear the mist from your mouth solidified into tiny ice pellets! We all shivered but remained resolute, popping into any open business that would provide some brief relief from the elements. As the tour wrapped up, Mr. North Dakota approached me with a request…actually… more of a plea than a request.
“Could you maybe do this during the summer? Winter weather is too unpredictable for this!”
Barb Bundy-Jost
From that comment MAKi’s Christmas in July idea was born! Not only to honor a man’s commitment to his wife’s desire, (which was commendable!) but to acknowledge that summer weather on the lakeshore can make traveling and touring a delight rather than a challenge.
Mid-Mod Manitowoc (or Manty if you want to be the hippest of the HIP) is a summer celebration of Manitowoc’s mid-century modern era. From the 1940s through the 1960s design on the lakeshore showcased clean lines, organic shapes and functionality. Just a few examples to note: Aluminum trees sprouted from Aluminum Specialty, and Medallionware emerged from Mirro. These companies along with National Tinsel and Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry employed scads of community members to help this city thrive.
Christmas promotes goodwill, which we should celebrate all year. However, a mid-year reminder isn’t a bad thing…especially when you can view sparkling trees on display, attend a vintage market FULL of Mid-Mod treasures, tour a Mid-Mod home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, learn all about Lakeshore aluminum history from Kerry Trask, or choose to talk Jello recipes with Jordan!
That’s not all my friends! Vintage cars, food trucks, Christmas in July sales all over town, a Susan B. Komen HOT PINK pressure cooker raffle, printing a poster as a memento of your visit. And a hip and happenin’ Luau Tiki party to wind the whole shindig up!
Get your retro fashions out for this weekend of unabashed Mid-Mod time travel and mark your calendar for July 25 and 26 at the Inn on Maritime Bay! Check out evergleams.org for the scoop!
Hope to see you there! Who knows? YOU may be modeling your wear in a groovy fashion show at the MAKi Mid-Mod Luau! You just HAVE to be there to find out!
