Presidents' Day Candle-Dipping- Windsor Historical Society
*The event has already taken place on this date: Mon, 02/17/2020
Please help us keep this calendar up to date! If this activity is sold out, canceled, or otherwise needs alteration, email mindy@kidsoutandabout.com so we can update it immediately. If you have a question about the activity itself, please contact the organization administrator listed below.
When you’re finished candle-dipping and are looking for another fun family activity, color some colonial coloring book pages, explore calligraphy, or craft your own three-dimensional art with toothpicks and marshmallows.
Attendees from our 2019 candle dipping event make some marshmallow-and-toothpick sculptures.
Candles are largely decorative today but have been used as a light source for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians and Romans used candles. In the middle ages, tallow (fat from cows and sheep) was saved and used for candles which were smoky and smelly. Chandlers or candle –makers would go from household to household, trading for tallow to make their candles. Beeswax was also used in the middle ages to make a candle which burned brightly and with a sweet scent, but it was rare and expensive. In the late 18th century, clean-burning whale oil candles began to replace the old-fashioned and smoky tallow candles and in the 1850’s, paraffin, a by-product of petroleum, became the candle-making material of choice. Very soon, the kerosene lamp and the light bulb (invented in 1879) would begin to put candles out of business. By making a candle the old fashioned way, you’ll be participating in a time-honored tradition.
$6 adults, $5 seniors, $4 children, $3 WHS members, or $12 per family. A parent or guardian must accompany their children.
Snow date: February 18
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.