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News Article
For the love of a nutcracker: Museum highlights collectibles
By Barbara Miller Beem

LEAVENWORTH, Wash. – Who wouldn’t fall in love with a man in uniform, even if he had decidedly bucked teeth and was a bit, er, wooden? Certainly, Clara was enchanted when her godfather presented her with a nutcracker in the Tchaikovsky ballet by the same name. She isn’t the only one. Years ago, Arlene Wagner purchased a nutcracker as a prop for a production of the holiday favorite. One nutcracker led to a second one, a German soldier that the Leavenworth resident and her husband, George, bought for themselves. And two led to, well, thousands.

In 1995, the Wagners decided to share their collection with the public. Even though they had no previous experience in operating a museum, they pushed forward, donating their collection of nutcrackers and a building in which to house them. “We had been in retail for many years, so we knew a lot about organizing and display,” she noted.

Today, The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, the only “official” nutcracker museum in the United States, houses one of the world’s largest collections of nutcrackers in the world (“about 7,000,” Wagner estimated). Last year, more than 17,000 people visited what has grown into a 3,000-square-foot, handicapped-accessible museum; since its opening, visitors hailing from every state in America and every province in Canada, as well from over 75 other countries, have been amazed and delighted by the curious little tools.

A wide range of nutcrackers are on exhibit at the museum, Wagner continued. “We have displays of various holidays, sports, and special Leavenworth events. We have cases of antique lever and screw nutcrackers,” she explained, as well as “a display of nutting stone, betel cutters, and percussion nutcrackers.” On view are examples from all over the world: Russia, Austria, and Scandinavia, as well as Germany and America. Not just made of wood, nutcrackers at the Washington state destination include those made of ivory and bone, silver and silver plate.

With her kindly, grandmotherly looks, Wagner could easily be mistaken for Mrs. Claus. Not surprisingly, she has been nicknamed “The Nutcracker Lady,” a distinction that has its advantages. “Oh, my, it has been so much fun,” she said. Last year, she was honored locally as the Grand Marshal of Leavenworth’s Autumn Leaf Festival Parade. On a broader scale, she has been featured on television shows, including CBS Sunday Morning; a highlight that she proudly points to was a guest appearance on a show hosted by Conan O’Brien. Even after the passing of her husband, Wagner continues their tradition of annual visits to the Loechner family at the Neuhausen (Germany) nutcracker museum. All this as she prepares to celebrate her 94th birthday.

Funding for the non-profit organization is provided in part from the rental of retail space and apartments in the museum’s current home. A modest admission fee is waived for children five and younger, as well as to active military and their immediate families. The annual Leavenworth Ale-Fest and the museum gift shop, to which collectors can make donations of nutcrackers they no longer want, are also a part of the equation.

The museum reaches outside its walls to educate the public about nutcrackers. Power point presentations are made available to civic groups, and a website has been designed to encourage young collectors (KidsLoveNutcrackers.com). Next year, the museum will be expanding by 1,000 additional square feet, making possible a special room for the screening of a 14-minute DVD about the history of nutcrackers.

As for Christmas, Wagner said that every day is Christmas day at the museum. “We have a huge display of Santas in the museum, as well as those of the Nutcracker ballet, the Three Wisemen, A Christmas Carol, and a Christmas tree decorated with nutcracker ornaments,” she explained. Also, during every December, Leavenworth hosts three weekends of lighting festivals; the museum extends its hours to accommodate the “thousands who descend on our town at that time.”

“Definitely the ballet has increased the interest in nutcrackers,” Wagner concluded, speaking from experience. “And we must remember that nuts themselves are ’Christmas-y,’ because they ripen in the latter part of the year.” She asked, “Can you just imagine how many families have gathered around the fireplace and cracked nuts for those special treats?”

And yes, there is a “Nutcracker Man,” Glenn Crider of Virginia. But that’s another story. . . .

12/9/2018
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