Savage's Biggest Holiday Market Now Fits Into a Weekday

On Friday, Nov. 13, at 9 a.m., the greenhouses at Cal's Garden Center on Egan Drive open as a Christmas market. They stay open for the next 24 days straight, Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closing for the season at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6.

The market itself is familiar. It's Barn on the Hill's Christmas Market in the Greenhouse, which ran last season at Queen Bee'z Lawn & Garden in Prior Lake. The schedule is new. Prior Lake Events reported that last year's market was open on weekends only. This year it's open every day of its run, in a garden center that has been in Savage since 1961.

That one change affects the rest of Savage's season. The town's biggest holiday shopping stop no longer requires a free Saturday. It can be a stop on the way home, and everything else on the December calendar sits around it.

The math of a market that runs on weekdays

Lay the run out on a calendar. Nov. 13 is a Friday and Dec. 6 is a Sunday, so of the 24 days, only eight are Saturdays or Sundays. The other 16 are weekdays, all open until 6 p.m.

The Apple Dandies trailer on opening Saturday is serving Apple Dandies, caramel apple wedges, caramel apples on a stick, hot or cold apple cider and hot cocoa. For the time of the Santa visit on Nov. 28, check Barn on the Hill's show page before planning a photo around it.

Sunday hours are the one place to be careful. Cal's posts its regular Sunday hours as 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on its own site, but the market's posted Sunday hours end at 4 p.m. If the market is the reason you're going, plan on 4.

Why the location matters as much as the dates

Barn on the Hill is best known for the spring and fall boutiques it has run since 2009 in an old dairy barn in rural Prior Lake. Moving the Christmas market into a garden center puts the gift shopping and the seasonal greenery in the same place.

Barn on the Hill says you'll be able to buy Christmas trees, wreaths and porch pots while you shop for gifts. That covers three separate December errands at 6403 Egan Drive.

As of Oct. 30, about 50 handcrafted and vintage vendors had signed up, selling gifts, vintage finds, Christmas decor and home decor. Last year's market included mugs, ornaments, trays, handmade reindeer and snowmen, and gnomes. Barn on the Hill also plans pop-up vendors for parts of the run, so the mix should change over the 24 days. A visit in week one and another in week three won't necessarily turn up the same tables.

Here's what that means in practice:

• Porch pots and wreaths early. Porch pots and wreaths are for sale from opening day, Nov. 13.
• Gifts in more than one trip. With pop-up vendors rotating in, a quick weekday stop and a later return visit can turn up different finds.
• A quiet visit is available. A Tuesday or Wednesday before 6 p.m. is an option that didn't exist when the market ran only on weekends.

Cal's sells Christmas trees seasonally. To ask about a particular variety or size, call Cal's at (952) 447-5215.

How the city's calendar falls around the market

With the market covering daytime shopping for more than three weeks, the City of Savage's own holiday events are short and tied to specific times. After a tasting the night before the market opens, the rest of them fall in its final week or after it closes.

Thursday, Nov. 12: the season's first evening out

The day before the market opens, Savage City Liquor holds a Food and Wine Tasting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at McColl Pond ELC, 13550 Dakota Ave. It's six wine pairings with small plates for $20, ages 21 and up, according to the city's event listing.

Thursday, Dec. 3: one address, two back-to-back events

The city's Tree Lighting Ceremony runs from 5:30 to 6 p.m. at City Hall, 6000 McColl Drive. It's free, no registration is needed, and the city lists hot cocoa, a bonfire and live holiday music.

As the lighting ends, Santa Cop Night starts at the same address, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Savage Police Department garage. It's a Toys for Tots gift drop-off, so bring a gift.

Put together, Dec. 3 is a two-hour evening at one place. It also falls in the market's last week, and the market stays open until 6 p.m. that Thursday.

Saturday, Dec. 5: kids shop, then the market's last Saturday

The Secret Holiday Shop runs from 9 to 11 a.m. at Savage Sports Center, 13450 Dakota Ave. Kids shop for gifts with volunteers, check in to register on arrival, and choose from items priced $1 to $15.

That's also the market's final Saturday. Grown-ups who still need to buy a tree or a wreath have until 6 p.m. that day, or until 4 p.m. on Sunday.

After Dec. 6, December moves to the Legion and The Savage Tap

Once the greenhouses close, Savage's holiday shopping moves to two local hosts on two weekends, according to the Prior Lake Events Christmas guide.

Sunday, Dec. 13. The Savage American Legion Auxiliary holds its Holiday Craft and Bake Sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Dan Patch American Legion Post 643, 12375 Princeton Ave. That afternoon, Southern Valley Alliance holds Holiday Plant Bingo at The Savage Tap.

Saturday, Dec. 19. The Savage Tap hosts a Christmas Night Market from 4 to 8 p.m.

The Night Market's 4 to 8 p.m. window starts and ends later than the greenhouse market's weekday hours. It's the only Savage holiday market on this list that runs into the evening.

When the holiday calendar ends, the rinks open

The City of Savage says its outdoor rink season is scheduled to start at the end of December and run through mid-February, weather permitting. The rinks are at Woodhill, O'Connell, Trost and Canterbury parks. The exact opening depends on the weather, so check that page once the cold settles in.

For year-round ideas once the rinks are up, our guides to Savage parks and trails and a local's weekend in Savage cover the rest of the map.

The whole season in date order

1. Thu., Nov. 12: Savage City Liquor Food and Wine Tasting, McColl Pond ELC, 6:30 to 8 p.m., $20
2. Fri., Nov. 13: Christmas Market in the Greenhouse opens at Cal's Garden Center, 9 a.m.
3. Sat., Nov. 14: Apple Dandies trailer at the market
4. Sat., Nov. 28: Santa and Mrs. Claus at the market
5. Thu., Dec. 3: Tree Lighting at City Hall, 5:30 to 6 p.m., then Santa Cop Night, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
6. Sat., Dec. 5: Secret Holiday Shop, Savage Sports Center, 9 to 11 a.m.
7. Sun., Dec. 6: Christmas market closes at 4 p.m.
8. Sun., Dec. 13: Legion Auxiliary Holiday Craft and Bake Sale, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Holiday Plant Bingo at The Savage Tap that afternoon
9. Sat., Dec. 19: Christmas Night Market at The Savage Tap, 4 to 8 p.m.
10. Late December: City outdoor rinks scheduled to open, weather permitting

If you're dressing up the porch at Cal's this month and thinking about a spring sale, a home's holiday look can tell you a lot about how it will photograph when the time comes. The Hancock Group builds production-grade photography and staging into every listing, and we're happy to walk Savage homeowners through it. Start with a free home evaluation whenever the timing is right for you.