Take in Stanton's Swedish traditions.
Take in Stanton's Swedish traditions.
Transcript
[Kohlsdorf] The communities along highway 34 share a thread of appreciation for the region's European heritage. The town of Stanton celebrates their roots at the Swedish Heritage and Cultural Center.
[Kohlsdorf] The Montgomery County community came into being in the 1870s, when Swedish pastor Bengt Magnus Halland brokered a deal with the railroad for land in southwest Iowa.
[Kohlsdorf] Today, over 600 residents of Stanton honor their heritage with the Swedish tradition of Midsummer's Day.
[Kohlsdorf] Children attend a week long class to learn about Swedish culture and history.
[Kohlsdorf] The week of learning culminates with a community gathering each year in June to watch the dancers and raise a celebratory maypole.
[Carroll Peterson] Of course, that's a long standing tradition in Sweden and it has carried over, and we've been doing it maybe into the 1800s.
[Kohlsdorf] Stanton is known for its iconic landmark, the world's largest Swedish coffee pot water tower. Designed in 1971, the landmark boasts a capacity of over 600,000 cups of coffee.
[Kohlsdorf] In 2015, the water tower reached the end of its lifespan and was dismantled to improve Stanton's water supply infrastructure. The iconic coffee pot was moved to the Swedish Heritage and Cultural Center as a historic landmark.
[Kohlsdorf] The center also honors the community's ties to America's favorite pastime.
[Carroll Peterson] Beginning in 1939, we started the Baseball Day, which that happened to be the 100th anniversary of baseball. But it became our own tradition, too.
[Carroll Peterson] It's another wonderful hometown. People know everybody, say hi and whatnot, help each other out. And when you do things together, there's a lot of cooperation here.