This coming weekend is one that I look forward to every year. It’s the weekend of the Stockholm Art Fest.
No, not that Stockholm — Stockholm, Wisconsin.
This year will be the 45th year of the fest and it’ll be my 11th (I think) with my mother. It’s my favorite tradition. While I spend a fair amount of time with my mother on a regular basis, there’s something to be said for spending the whole day together at a regularly anticipated event. It’s like the holidays without all the hullabaloo and it’s a remarkably wonderful way to keep track of time and life events.
When we first started going to the festival, I was in my early-mid 20s and still working as a bartender, so we generally left later in the morning to accommodate my late night work schedule (and possible hangover). I was single and debating my future, knowing my at-the-time path wasn’t for me. A couple years later, I was back in school and after I graduated, we shifted our time slot up to leave around 8 am to obtain better parking and to avoid the mid-afternoon heat. Since then, I’ve purchased holiday gifts for now in-laws and dreamed that one day I’d be able to buy a rattle for a child from a vendor who made beautifully handcrafted wooden items. Two years ago, I was finally able to make that purchase.
So every year when I hop into the car, I’m reminded of the milestones Mom has seen me through, the life events we’ve discussed on the annual drive, and am grateful for the relationship we’ve grown over the years.
And the tradition has me excited for the future when my daughter will be old enough to enjoy the day along with us, a little sad for the one-on-one mother-daughter time that will be lost when that occurs, and excited to see what kind of other traditions my daughter and I will pick up along the way.
That said, I’d love to hear about your mother-daughter traditions. And if you’re ever near Pepin, WI on the third weekend in July, swing by the Stockholm Art Fest. There are so many beautiful talents there to see.
— Funky Crunchy Mama
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