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https://www.npr.org/2025/12/09/nx-s1-5629014/nutcracker-museum-washington-leavenworth>
“Tucked into the Bavarian-esque town of Leavenworth, Wash., at the foothills of
the Cascade mountains is a two-story jewel of whimsy and, some might say,
obsession. It's the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, the nation's largest
nutcracker collection, which houses an array of more than 9,000 handcrafted
nutcrackers, one dating back to at least 200 AD.
Presiding over it all is Arlene Wagner, usually perched on a stool at the
museum's entrance wearing a pearl necklace and traditional German dirndl dress.
(Think Julie Andrews in the
Sound of Music.) While diminutive – she stands at
just 4 ft. 10 inches — the "Nutcracker Lady" is a spitfire of an entrepreneur
who just celebrated her 101st birthday.
"I had no idea it would turn into this," Wagner proudly told
NPR, primping
her white halo of curls. What started out as a one-off acquisition has become a
legacy, she explained.”
Via Muse.
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
