Giants of the Earth Heritage Center

05/26/2026

Peonies in bloom in our garden! Stroll through anytime.

05/26/2026

It's getting to be the time of year when you may be hoeing a small garden in your backyard. Our forebearers once used very similar tools as they grew the food necessary to their survival, as this sculpture of an early settler reminds us. Do you know where at Giants this sculpture is located? If you do, you can claim a candy prize in our gift shop 🍬🍭 Must be present to win.

05/23/2026

Our gift shop is full of trolls! These little creatures come in all shapes and sizes, and they love to hide and cause mischief when no one is looking. We have them on towels and wine corks, as cuddly plushes, and in books--you can buy a troll of your very own, if you can catch them! 😉

If you have kids between the ages of 7 and 17 who want to learn more about creatures from Norwegian folk tales like trolls, consider signing them up for our Norwegian Camp June 15-19. We'll be covering all manner of folk tales, fables, and fantastical creatures, and learning Norwegian vocabulary along the way! 🇳🇴

05/22/2026

This article mentions our journey designing the Spring Grove Bunad! Stop in at Giants to vote and learn more about the elements going into our bunad design.

The Minnesota denim bunads express a connection to both Norway and the United States.

(Link to the article below, in the comments.👇)

05/22/2026

We are in the process of designing an official Spring Grove Bunad, and we want to hear from YOU about how it should be designed! It will include a denim folk dress with patterned braid edging in addition to a jewelry line, our own versions of the Norwegian Bunad folk costumes and sølje jewelry. Our goal is to unveil the full ensemble during Spring Grove Homecoming next year. Stop by Giants to cast your votes on your favorite of three different designs for both sølje and braid patterns.

The solje jewelry designs are by Liz Bucheit of Lanesboro's Crown Trout Jewelers. The ribbon designs are AI-generated drafts, and the winning design will be used as inspiration for a professional (human) graphic designer.

The designs will be on display at Giants through the summer for you to study and vote on, except during Norwegian Ridge Language and Culture Camp: Folk and Fairy Tales . Online voting will open later this summer.

Thank you to everyone who already voted at Syttende Mai! 🇳🇴

05/22/2026

On this , we've got an old donut recipe for you! This potato doughnut recipe was submitted by Mrs. Gena Quinnell. I don't know about you but I've never heard of potato donuts. Would be interesting to try. If you have a modern family recipe you'd like to submit and you're descended from the original Dorcas contributors, please fill out the form that's linked in our bio.

POTATO DOUGHNUTS

2 c sugar
2 c potato (mashed)
1 c milk
3 eggs
5 t B. P. (rounding)
1 rounded T shortening
5 or 6 c of flour

Beat eggs and mix with sugar. Add milk and potatoes which have been put through a potato ricer. Add dry ingredients and lastly shortening. Fry in deep fat

—Mrs. Gena Quinnell

05/21/2026

We had a wonderful Syttende Mai parade this past Saturday! Many parades have graced our streets over the years, including this Homecoming parade from the 100th anniversary of our town back in 1952. What's the first parade you remember seeing in Spring Grove?

05/19/2026

On Syttende Mai, we were excited to reveal a very special plant growing in our garden--the "Karen Gray" peony! Thank you to Hidden Springs Peony Farm
who generously gifted us this lovely and fortuitously named cultivar of peony from Ohio, which will be a beautiful and meaningful addition to our gardens honoring our longtime board chair Karen Gray.

05/19/2026

This doggie and its bone are somewhere on one of our murals. Can you find them? Don't forget to stop by the gift shop to get your treat 🍬 after you find them.

05/16/2026

Today until 6pm!

05/16/2026

Happy Syttende Mai!

Stop on in for flags and Syttende Mai Sløyfe before and after the parade.