Exclusive Screening of PBS Wisconsin’s Jerry Apps: Home for the Holidays

Event Details

Saturday, Dec 5, 2026 | 4:30 PM–6 PM* 

Relive Memories of Old Farm Country Christmases Past

Celebrate Midwest Christmases past with nostalgic stories, recipes and traditions brought to life in a new film by the late beloved author and rural historian Jerry Apps. PBS Wisconsin’s Jerry Apps: Home for the Holidays brings to life the world of Old Farm Country Christmas, a celebratory book co-authored by Apps and his daughter, Susan Apps-Bodilly, which explores the rural farms, one-room schoolhouses, snowy fields, delicious recipes and iconic traditions of idyllic Midwest winters during the mid-twentieth century.  

*Before the screening, join us at Wade House from 1 PM–3:30 PM for a book talk, food samples, craft making and a Q&A session with Susan Apps-Bodilly on the stories and traditions behind Old Farm Country Christmas.

What You’ll Experience

• An exclusive early screening of PBS Wisconsin’s Jerry Apps: Home for the Holidays, which invites viewers to relive the memories, crafts, traditions, recipes and stories of Midwest Christmases from the Great Depression to the 1950s
• A film introduction and post-screening Q&A session led by PBS Wisconsin producer Mary Pokorney-Donelan
• Join us before the screening for a book talk, food sampling and Q&A session with Susan Apps-Bodilly, co-author of Old Farm Country Christmas and bestseller Old Farm Country Cookbook

Cost

Free and open to the public*

*A suggested donation of is recommended

Advanced registration is highly recommended

 

About the Location

Wade House Stagecoach Inn was constructed conveniently between the cities of Fond du Lac and Sheboygan, along a well-used stagecoach trail. This made the 27-room Greek Revival hotel a popular resting point for weary travelers. Three generations of the Wade family resided on the Wade House property, with the stagecoach inn operating until around 1872. The Kohler family and the Kohler Foundation purchased Wade House in 1950 and began a top-to-bottom restoration. The site became property of the Wisconsin Historical Society and opened to the public in 1953. Here, visitors can journey back to the horse-powered world that existed before planes, cars, and trains. The site features the stagecoach hotel built and owned by Sylvanus and Betsey Wade, early settlers of Greenbush, as well as a blacksmith shop, sawmill, and the Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum, which houses Wisconsin’s largest collection of carriages and wagons. Visitors can enjoy horse-drawn wagon rides from the visitor center to the historic core and back again. 

Wade House Historic Site & Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum 

PO Box 34

W7965 State Highway 23 

Greenbush, WI 53026 

 

Know Before You Go & Accessibility 

• The community screening of PBS Wisconsin’s Jerry Apps: Home for the Holidays follows a book talk, food sampling, craft making and Q&A discussion with Old Farm Country Christmas co-author and Apps’ daughter, Susan Apps-Bodilly, from 1 PM–3:30 PM. Advanced registration for the book talk is highly recommended.
• An introduction to the film and follow-up Q&A session will be hosted by PBS Wisconsin producer Mary Pokorney-Donelan.
• While attendance for the screening is free and open to the public, a donation is recommended. 

Have Questions?

For more information, please contact the box office at 608-264-4848 or [email protected].