New attractions this year include pancake, waffle breakfast; Museum’s restored antique tractor; Notable peak in arts & crafts vendors
Millfest returns to Lindsborg on May 2, 2026, bringing with it a blend of tradition and new experiences – including the largest lineup of arts and crafts vendors the festival has seen in recent memory, the debut of a rare restored tractor, and a breakfast event featuring a rediscovered taste of Lindsborg from 80 years ago.
For Adam Pracht, Marketing and Communications Director, keeping Millfest fresh each year is part of the mission.
“This year’s new features really highlight regional agriculture,” he said. “We’re featuring the reintroduced Traditional Pancake Flour based on an authentic recovered recipe from the Runbeck Brothers – the final owners of the Old Mill. And we’re especially excited about the museum’s OMC tractor, which volunteers have restored to working condition. Only a few dozen were ever produced in Salina before a major fire in 1954, so seeing one in operation is something special.”
At the heart of Millfest is the 1898 Smoky Valley Roller Mills – the only historic flour mill of its kind in the Midwest still capable of running. Once a year, during Millfest at the Lindsborg Old Mill and Swedish Heritage Museum, the mill roars back to life.
Visitors can experience all four stories of the 128-year-old structure as its intricate system of wood, steel, and leather machinery powers up once again. Guided tours run throughout the day, offering a rare, immersive look at a working piece of history.
Pracht says it’s the sensory experience that leaves a lasting impression.
“You don’t just see the mill; you feel it,” he said. “The floors vibrate, the belts and gears come alive with sound, and even the scent of wheat dust and oil fills the air. It’s about as close as you can get to stepping back through time into the 19th century.”
Tours run from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and cost $10 per person. All other museum attractions are available by donation. For safety reasons, mill tours are limited to those 13 and older while the machinery is running. After shutdown at 4:45 p.m., families with children 12 and under are invited to take a free guided tour.
This year’s Millfest also marks a new chapter for Executive Director Hayley Samford, who stepped into the role in March. Though she has attended the event in the past, experiencing it from behind the scenes has added a new perspective.
“Learning that my great-great-grandfather Rudolph once worked in this very mill made it even more meaningful,” she said. “You can feel those personal and community connections come alive when the machinery starts moving again.”
That sense of connection is reflected in a new temporary exhibit in the museum’s back gallery. “Anderson, Burnison & Ingemanson” traces Samford’s family roots in the Smoky Valley, offering a personal lens into the region’s history.
Kicking off the day is another new addition: a Pancake and Waffle Breakfast held at the Lindsborg train depot from 9 to 10 a.m. The menu features Smoky Valley Best Traditional Pancake Mix, a recipe once thought lost until an original notebook was donated to the museum. Working with Sunflower Food Co. in Lenexa, staff brought the flour back to life.
Guests can enjoy fresh waffles and pancakes during the one-hour breakfast window, with full waffles priced at $6, half waffles at $3, and mini pancakes available for $1 each.
Live music begins at noon on the museum front porch and continues through 3 p.m. The lineup opens with classic rock from local group Old Man Lingonberry, followed by traditional tunes from The Front Porch Pickers at 1 p.m., and concludes with Nile Johnson performing stripped-down folk and classic rock selections.
Throughout the day, visitors can explore a wide range of activities included with donation-based admission. The antique tractor show returns for its second year, hosted by the International Harvester Collector Club (Kansas Chapter 3). Also in its second year, FREE face painting by “Just Face It” of Wichita will be available from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Hands-on and family-friendly activities continue across Heritage Square, where guests can try traditional stick-and-hoop races or play Kubb, a classic Swedish lawn game. Lindsborg Folksdanslag will lead traditional Swedish dances at (or near) the Heritage Square maypole at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., inviting visitors to join in or simply enjoy the performance.
Demonstrations and exhibits add even more to explore. A quilt show by the McPherson Quilt Guild, live blacksmithing, woodcarving by the Salina Woodcarvers, and a wide array of handmade goods will be featured. This year’s festival includes more than 20 arts and crafts vendors – the highest number in recent memory – offering items such as pottery, crocheted animals, alpaca and llama fiber arts, and scrimshaw.
When it’s time to eat, Texas Red’s BBQ will serve smoked meats and sides on the main museum lawn, alongside additional vendors offering kettle corn, cookies, snow cones, and specialty drinks. Inside the museum gift shop, visitors can find snacks, toys, books, and limited-edition collectibles. This is also where visitors can buy namesake “Old Mill Mint” ice cream or take home a box of the restored Smoky Valley Best Traditional Pancake Flour for later.
For Lenora Lynam, Collections Manager and longtime Millfest organizer, the event remains a meaningful way to connect past and present.
“There was a time when more than 400 small flour mills operated across Kansas,” she said. “Today, this is the last one still standing and running. It takes a lot of effort to make Millfest happen, but seeing people experience that history firsthand makes it all worthwhile.”
Significant sponsorship for Millfest has been provided by:
- Grain Craft – McPherson, Kansas
- TACOL Thrift Shop – Lindsborg, Kansas
- CKA Consulting – Topeka, Kansas
- Kansas Wheat – Manhattan, Kansas
- Radio Kansas – Hutchinson, Kansas
- Ardent Mills – Denver, Colorado
- Bank of Tescott – Lindsborg, Kansas
- BE Wealth – Salina, Kansas
- CHS Refinery – McPherson, Kansas
- Dauer Welding and Machine – Lindsborg, Kansas
- Dröm Sött Inn – Lindsborg, Kansas
- Farmers State Bank – Lindsborg, Kansas
- IdeaTek – Buhler, Kansas
- Peoples Bank and Trust – Lindsborg, Kansas
- Pestinger Heating and AC – Lindsborg, Kansas
The museum thanks these businesses and organizations for their generosity and support of local history!
Millfest 2026
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday, May 2
Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum
120 E. Mill St., Lindsborg
$10 / person tours of the Old Mill in operation (ages 13+).
Admission by donation to all other museum attractions.
Food available for purchase on museum grounds from Texas Red’s BBQ (smoked meats, sides, and specialties) as well as snack treats and beverages from Sunshine Sips, Pop’s Kettle Corn, Frantz Cookie Co., and Kona Ice.
Confirmed arts and crafts vendors and demonstrators:
- Alpaca Fiber Crafts by Ebling Farm
- Alpaca & Scrimshaw Products by Debra Duntz
- Art Prints by Acacia Pracht
- Basketweaving by Janie Tubbs
- Blacksmithing by The Blackened Ring Forge
- Blacksmithing by Josh Womelsdorf
- Crocheted Animals & Beaded Bracelets by AJ’s Cutie Crafts
- Goat Milk Products by Wind River Farms
- Handmade Bracelets by Bracelets by Zoey
- Handwoven Crafts by Studio 91
- Homemade Soap by Prairie Home Soap
- The Land Institute
- Llama Fiber Crafts by Patti Morgan
- Origami Models & Jewelry by Eian Pracht
- Pottery by Auburn Pottery
- Quilt Show by McPherson Quilt Guild
- Resin Custom Creations by Boujee Rebel Co.
- Scentsy Fragrances by Jeanie Murphy
- Weaving by Carol Goering
- Woodcarving by Salina Woodcarvers
