Channel 58 CBS out of Milwaukee paid a visit to the Elkhorn Area Chamber of Commerce to dig into the history of the Christmas Card Town legacy.
Mark your calendar for the morning of Christmas Day to catch the 7 a.m. news on Channel 58 as it broadcasts the highlights of Elkhorn – Christmas Card Town.
Why is Elkhorn called the Christmas Card Town? The title dates back to 1952, when the March of Time television series chose Elkhorn as the setting for one of its shows to feature a small American town during the Christmas season. In 1958, the Ford Motor Company commissioned New York artist, Cecile Johnson, to paint a series of six watercolor paintings to illustrate an article for its company magazine.
Johnson, who had recently spent Christmas in Elkhorn, chose the town for the setting of her paintings, being inspired by its small town charm and spirit. Ford donated one of her original paintings to the City of Elkhorn, and four more of the original watercolors were eventually purchased by the city.
The sixth painting has never been found. Later, a major publisher chose five of the six paintings as artwork for Christmas cards, which have been printed and reprinted by the hundreds of thousands.
Local artist, Jan Castle-Reed, was later commissioned by the Elkhorn Chamber to continue the yearly tradition through oil paintings that depict the Christmas spirit of Elkhorn. Jan Castle-Reed completed her series of 15 paintings in 2011. In 2012, a new artist, T. James Carson, took over the Christmas card paintings starting with his rendition of the 1887 Building and working in his own renditions of Elkhorn history and landscapes. All original artists’ paintings are on display at the Matheson Memorial Library.
In addition, the Kiwanis Club is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of its production of commemorative Elkhorn Christmas ornaments started in 1991.
The Elkhorn Area Chamber of Commerce is home to all the ornaments and Christmas cards past and present. Stop in this holiday season, weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the Uncle Hunk’s Junk Building located at 203 E. Walworth Street in Elkhorn.
For more information call the chamber at (262) 723-5788 or email: jenna@elkhornchamber.com.
