Swedish face-lift

The giant straw goat at the Highway 218 entrance to Swedesburg got a face-lift last week thanks to the Iowa Wesleyan art appreciation class.

Half a dozen students and their teacher, Lisa Santiago, spent the afternoon adding straw to the goat and reshaping the straw that was there.

“Doing this for art application is so much more fun than sitting in a classroom and listening to a lecture,” Santiago said.

According to Patricia Woepking, the Swedish goat is called a Julbock. The 15-foot tall figure is an invitation for passing motorists to visit the Swedish American Museum and Historical Society in town.

This month, the museum reopened for visitors by appointment on Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 319-254-2317 to schedule a tour.

The students had a couple of models to use as they stuffed straw and tied it into place with twine.