Celebrate Christmas in July at the P. J. Ahern Home
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Join the Texarkana Museums System on Saturday, July 23, for “Canned Christmas” from 2-4 p.m. at the P. J. Ahern Home, 403 Laurel, in historic downtown Texarkana. Create canning jar Christmas gifts and learn how to start your own delicious Rumtopf for the Holidays! Tickets are $25 per person or $20 for TMS Members. Tickets are on sale now at TexarkanaMuseums.org/Events or call TMS at 903-793-4831 for more details. Deadline for purchasing tickets is Thursday, July 21.
The Texarkana Museum System presents a workshop featuring two activities using vintage canning jars from the P. J. Ahern home. Participants will make recipe kits with decorative lids, then start their own Rumtopf, which will be ready to eat by Christmas!
Have you ever heard of Rumtopf? This delicious fruit concoction is an Austrian, German, and Danish dessert of mixed fruit and alcohol traditionally eaten around Christmas. “Rumtopf” literally translates to “rum pot,” referring to the crock in which the fruit is aged.
“Layers of seasonal fruit are added to the crock with rum to start the aging process,” explains TMS Board President, Velvet Cool. “More fruit is added over the following weeks and the result is a delicious sauce. My family always ate it over ice cream. It is so good!”
Participants will also prepare a recipe kit in a jar by assembling dry ingredients, adding a recipe card, and decorating the lid. The result makes a great stocking stuffer or Secret Santa gift. There will be multiple recipes and decorative designs to choose from.
Basic supplies, including fruit; vintage canning jars and lids; and craft materials will be provided. Guests should bring their own rum or vodka (100 proof or higher) for use in the Rumtopf. Participants will receive reminders over the summer and fall months to add fruits as they come into season.
The Texarkana Museums System operates the P. J. Ahern Home, Museum of Regional History, Discovery Place Interactive Museum, and the Ace of Clubs House in Historic Downtown Texarkana, USA. TMS hosts tours, programs, exhibits, and community events every weekend of the month. For more information about these or future events, please call 903-793-4831, visit TexarkanaMuseums.org/Events.
This program is made possible with funding from Humanities Texas and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the federal ARP Act. All opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.