Near Lake Kegonsa, the Holiday Season Keeps Returning to One Lodge Hall on South Page Street

A carved dragon named Folkvar sits on the roof of a former church at 317 S. Page St. in Stoughton. Inside, above the stage, there is a hand-carved replica of Norway's Urnes Church, and the stained-glass windows draw visitors from across the state every Syttende Mai weekend. The building belongs to the Sons of Norway Mandt Lodge, which was organized in Stoughton on Oct. 20, 1926, and spent this fall marking its 100th year.

For households around Lake Kegonsa, that hall is where Stoughton's 2026 holiday season gets its fixed dates. Three of the season's most specific events take place there: a bake sale, a Christmas concert and a family morning with Santa. The rest of downtown fills in around them.

A building paid for with baked goods

For its first 44 years, Mandt Lodge had no home of its own. Meetings moved between rented rooms above downtown stores, most often the halls above First National Bank, until a 1966 fire destroyed that block. In 1970 the lodge bought the South Page Street church, first home to a Norwegian Methodist congregation and then owned by Calvary Free Church, for $16,500. The first meeting there was held on May 7, 1970.

The $12,500 mortgage was paid off by 1979, and the lodge held a mortgage-burning ceremony that Sept. 8. According to the lodge's own history, the purchase and the remodeling that followed were paid for largely through fundraising events, including the Syttende Mai meals served on Saturday and Sunday of that weekend. The building now has a lift serving all three levels, a commercial kitchen and upgraded air conditioning. The same history says Mandt is the only lodge left in Sons of Norway District 5, which covers Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, that still owns its own building.

So the lefse table is more than a holiday sideline. Food sales are part of how this lodge has kept its hall, and the lodge's next date after its centennial open house is one of them.

Saturday, Nov. 21: the fall sale

The centennial itself was marked with a free open house on Sunday, Nov. 1. The Stoughton Chamber of Commerce listing promoted it with a 2:30 p.m. history program, scrapbooks, photos and building tours.

The Fall Bake and Vendor Sale runs Saturday, Nov. 21, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the lodge. Admission is listed as "per item." The District 5 event page divides the day into two kinds of tables.

• Lodge items: lefse, donuts, Norwegian and American baked goods, rømmegrøt, cookbooks, and frozen meatballs to heat at home
• Member vendors: alpaca and honey products, quilts and sewing, Norsk and genealogy items, and handmade soaps

The lodge's flyer also lists postcards. It says lodge items are available "while they last" and that vendors ring up their goods separately from the lodge. The sale falls the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

The week the rest of downtown opens

One week after the lodge sale, Saturday, Nov. 28, is when downtown Stoughton starts its own season. Two things begin that day.

Innovation Center Stoughton hosts its first Makers Market at 421 E. Main St., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with free admission. The Chamber's annual Hometown Holidays promotion also starts that day and runs through Saturday, Dec. 26. Shoppers earn one entry for every $25 spent at participating businesses, up to eight entries per visit, toward baskets of goods from area businesses. Drawings are held on Mondays in December, and winners are announced on the Chamber's Facebook and Instagram accounts.

You can also enter without buying anything. One entry per week is available at the Chamber office, 144 E. Main St., Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. That address is new this year. The Stoughton News reported that the Chamber held a ribbon-cutting at its new office on Oct. 29.

On Sunday, Dec. 6, the music starts at the Stoughton Opera House, 381 E. Main St. Festival Choir & City Band runs from 4 to 6 p.m. with sacred music and a carol sing-along, and admission is a free-will offering.

Dec. 10 and Dec. 12, back on Page Street

The lodge history includes a detail about its founding night in 1926. While a committee stepped out to pick the lodge's name, the minutes record that "The Greig Chorus from Madison entertained the members." The members chose the name Mandt after Targe G. Mandt, who founded the Mandt Wagon Works and the Stoughton Hub. In its 100th year, the hall again has a Grieg chorus on its calendar.

The Edvard Grieg Chorus Christmas Concert is Thursday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. at the lodge. It includes a sing-along, refreshments afterward and a free-will offering for the chorus. The Chamber's listing says the evening runs until 8:30 and that the carols are sung in both Norwegian and English.

Two days later, the lodge holds its Norwegian Family Christmas Event on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Admission is free. Here is the morning by the clock:

1. 8:30 a.m. Doors open. A limited lefse, donut and bake sale starts, and children's craft demonstrations and take-home kits are available all morning.
2. 9 to 11 a.m. Free photos with Santa. The lodge takes pictures, and families can bring their own cameras.
3. All morning A "Kid's Only" shopping area where children buy $1 gifts for family members.
4. 11:30 a.m. The event ends.

The lodge asks guests to bring items for the Stoughton Food Pantry. Park on the street or in the public lot behind the Stoughton Senior Center. The lodge asks that guests not park in the Livsreise lot that day because Livsreise is open. The building's lift is on the south side.

The December bake sale is described as "limited," which makes Nov. 21 the bigger chance to stock up for the holidays.

The season on one page

After Dec. 12, the season moves back to Main Street. The Opera House lists the Harp Twins Rockin' Holiday Concert for Friday, Dec. 18, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. It is a family-friendly Christmas program followed by a free meet-and-greet. Hometown Holidays drawings continue on Mondays until the promotion ends on Dec. 26.

Depot Hill Creative is a Stoughton art space with a pottery studio and art studios. Director Kara Kasten-Olson told Channel 3000 it is meant for both experienced artists and beginners, and the station reported it is expected to fully open in January. The Page Street hall has belonged to the Mandt Lodge since 1970.

At Susan Sutton Homes, we follow the Stoughton and Lake Kegonsa calendar because it shapes what a year near the lake is like. If you own on Kegonsa and want to know what your home is worth, we'd be glad to put together a Complimentary Home Valuation & Concierge Plan. Our timeline can start after the lefse sale.