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Asilomar

State Beach &

Conference Center

 

 

 

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Will Rogers

State Historic Park

 

 

 

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Palomar

State Park

 

 

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Bidwell Mansion

State Historic Park

 

 

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Rafting

Middle Fork

American River

 

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Folsom Lake

State  Recreation Area

 

 

 

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Sonora

 

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Calaveras

Jumping Frog

Jubilee

 

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Nut Cracker Museum

 

 by Ken McKowen

 

 You might just say that Arlene Wagner has a thing for nutcrackers.

 An accomplished dancer and ballet teacher who, coincidently, produced the Nutcracker Ballet for many years during the 1960s, Wagner fell in love with the holiday icon, just as the ballet’s main character, Clara, did. With the help of her hubby George, Wagner started collecting nutcrackers from all over the world, and in 1995, they opened the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum in Leavenworth, Washington. To date, the collection is one of the world’s largest with over 5,000 pieces spread throughout a 3,000 square foot, Bavarian-style building, located in downtown Leavenworth.

 Most of us probably visualize an oversized and toothy toy soldier when thinking about nutcrackers, and this collection has plenty of them from all parts of the world and in every finery possible. But what is visually intriguing about the collection is the non-traditional nutcrackers, which come in all shapes and sizes imaginable.

 “My favorite is Karl,” said Wagner, referring to a six-foot-tall soldier nutcracker made especially for the couple by the late Karl Roppl of Oberammergau, Germany. The nutcracker, with the exception of the handle, was carved from one piece of Linden wood.

 The museum does an excellent job of presenting the vast history of the nutcracker. One of the collection’s earliest pieces—a bronze Roman nutcracker—dates between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. According to Wagner, it was found in 1960 after being buried for over 1,800 years and is only one of three known to still be in existence.

 “All we know is that the archaeologists deemed it a nutcracker,” when asked further about the treasure. “Maybe it was found with nutshells, as nutting stones [similar to a pestle and mortar] were found with it.”

 Wagner loves nutcrackers so much that she even authored a coffee-table quality photo book of her collection—The Art and Character of Nutcrackers (Collector’s Press, $60). The perfect holiday gift for that nutcracker lover on your list, Wagner will even lovingly sign it from the “Nutcracker Lady.” Visit her website for more information.

 

Contact info:

What: Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, Leavenworth, WA, www.nutcrackermuseum.com, (509) 548-4573

When: May 1 through October 31, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., November 1 through April 30, weekends only, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.. Also open by appointment.

Admission: $2.50 adults, $1 students (ages 6-16), free for ages 5 and under