A Christmas gathering at the home of George L. Storer in Madison, 1894. Photo reprinted courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Reprinted courtesy Wisconsin Historical Society

Christmas festivities at three of the Wisconsin Historical Society's historic sites will shed light on how 19th-century Wisconsinites celebrated the holiday in three regions of the state during different decades. Old World Wisconsin, near Eagle in Waukesha County, Villa Louis, on the banks of the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien, and Wade House in Sheboygan County's village of Greenbush, all have elaborate holiday events planned.

Country Christmas Cookie and Craft Sale in Lebanon, December 6-7

Wisconsin Native Calendar Highlights

Holiday: Dickens of a Christmas in Ripon, December 4-7
Victorian Ripon will be dressed for the holidays with "Living Window" displays in the historic downtown, carolers, Historical Society Open House, holiday tour of homes, breakfast with Santa, Dickens of a Quilt Show, Enchanted Forest, and musical entertainment.

DNR's online diagnostic information can help you learn why your drinking water is brown and possible fixes./DNR PHOTO by Chuck Fitzgerald

Courtesy Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

The drinking water doctor is in.

Wisconsin’s private well owners who want to check on their drinking water can now go online to get advice if they notice that their water smells, tastes or looks bad, or strains their laundry or bathroom fixtures.

Sample excerpt from our weekly e-mail newsletter.

Registered users at WisconsinNative.com are automatically added to the mailing list for our weekly e-mail newsletter.

Your Letter From Home provides a weekly slice of Wisconsin life and provides you with quick links to some of the latest feature, photos and blogs.

Each week, you'll get tips for how to spend your weekend in our Eight Greats From Around the State, which lists highlights from the WisconsinNative.com Calendar.

Green Bay Botanical Garden - WPS Garden of Lights in Green Bay, November 28 - December 28

Wisconsin Native Calendar Highlights

Holiday: Santa Arrives in Chippewa Falls, November 28
Each year Santa comes to town in a new way, he has come by helicoptor, space ship, donkey, horse drawn sleigh and in a storybook. Frosty talks to the children while they wait for Santa and handmade ornaments and candycanes are given out to each child.

Photo illustration by Gary Knowles

For more fun and insightful tales of Wisconsin, check out the Dennis McCann blog.

Big Foot Beach State Park: One of the 2008 Gold Seal Award Winners for Best View of a Sunset in a Wisconsin State Park

Two state parks share this year's award for best view of a sunset, one on the banks of the Fox River, the other on the shore of Lake Geneva.

Every year, visitors to Wisconsin State Parks and Trails are asked to vote for their favorite park or trail in 10 categories. The votes have been tabulated and the 2008 Gold Seal Awards have been announced. The Gold Seal results were acquired throughout the 2008 summer season using an online survey that was available on the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks website.

For the latest entry, go directly to the Go Green Travel Wisconsin blog.

Wisconsin has always been a leader in environmental protection and its people have been leaders in raising awareness for environmental causes.

Truman Lowe, Ho-Chunk and a UW-Madison art professor, helped curate the new show.

Courtesy National Museum of the American Indian

A UW-Madison professor of art has helped create an important new retrospective on the work of the late artist Fritz Scholder.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian recently opened "Fritz Scholder: Indian/Not Indian." It is being shown concurrently at NMAI's museums in Washington, D.C., and New York City.

Barn replicas, built by Charles Watson from old barn boards and handcrafted with actual stones, are among the featured art.

WHITEWATER – A replica of the historic bed and breakfast Victoria-on-Main is among the featured pieces in an exhibit running until Dec. 15 at the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center.

Also included are model barns, a Santa Claus collection, art by Whitewater Arts Alliance members, holiday cards and more.