Windmill restoration project under way; donations needed

    ELK HORN -- To put the Danish Windmill simply, “it’s a good thing,” according to manager Lisa Steen Riggs.
    In more elaborate terms, the Danish Windmill signifies home to Elk Horn Mayor Stan Jens. It is tradition that adds to the Danish foundation the town is built on. And, aside from sentiment, the windmill has created economic development in a town that was losing businesses before it arrived in November 1975.
    Fully assembled in March 1977, the Danish Windmill has spent 40 years in the United States, although not all of them have been spent in one piece.
    Currently, the windmill needs a major amount of mending. The 67’ long sails, wind shaft, brake wheel, fan tail as well as the friction drive pulley need either repair or replacement. Aside from the sails, all other parts – including the wind shaft and brake wheel – date back to the 1848 construction of the windmill in Nørre Snede, Denmark.