Written by Kaden West, Staff Writer
Downtown Kenosha has been get- ting into the Christmas spirit through the Kemper Center. Volunteers have come together in order to reimage the Durkee Mansion into a Christmas wonderland. Volunteers have decorated the mansion in an 1860s fashion to stay true to his- tory, creating toys and ornaments similar to those made when the mansion was built.
“I learned to repurpose and recycle a lot of items,” said volunteer Mary Wirch.
The volunteers involved in the deco- rating of the mansion work the whole year in order to find material to hand make the ornaments. There are several breath-taking rooms all fully decorated with unique knick knacks that you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else.
“You could go through the room 20 times and find something new every time,” said volunteer Robin Ingrouille.
The volunteers are interested in visitors coming to the mansion, not only for the scenery, but also to learn about the Durkee Mansion’s history. There are podiums outside of the rooms giving a brief history about the mansion and those who lived in it.
“It’s a very good historical location,” said volunteer Julie Iorio.
For those interested in learning a bit more about Kenosha as well as viewing unique Christmas scenery, the Christmas at Kemper event is the place to be. Enjoy some cocoa, buy some raffle tickets for the fundraiser, and support local artists down at the Kemper Center. The event ends this weekend and the mansion hours are from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.