Indiana German Heritage Museum - Carmel Monthly Magazine

Date: December 13, 2019 Submitted: City of Carmel. Contact: Nancy Heck (317) 571-2474 Carmel, IN – An extensive poll by USA Today’s 10BEST travel media group has named Carmel Christkindlmarkt the No. 1 winner in the 2019 USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice travel award contest for Best Holiday Market in North America. Now in its third year of operation, the Carmel Christkindlmarkt has garnered national awareness as one of the most authentic German-themed market in America. Today’s announcement places the Market on top of an impressive list of other Holiday markets. Read the story here: https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-holiday-market-2019/ “We are thrilled to get this recognition for our Christkindlmarkt, which we have designed to be the most authentic of its kind anywhere in America,” said Mayor Jim Brainard, who conceived the idea after seeing similar markets while traveling in Germany. “We took special care to send our Market Master to Germany to personally order the hand-crafted items that are feature in our huts because it was important for us to make sure our Christkindlmarkt was like none other.” The Christkindlmarkt opened in 2017 and in 2018 drew more than 325,000 visitors. This year, more huts were added along with more German food options and a new Indiana German Heritage Museum that describes German heritage and influence in popular holiday traditions such as the Christmas tree, gingerbread house and glass ornaments. “We have really worked hard to partner with several community groups to put on a Christkindlmarkt that is not just about shopping and ice skating but also about education and bringing a taste of old world music and the arts to our patrons,” said Maria Murphy, Market Director. “This honor shows us that we have created a fun and festive experience for our visitors and the residents of Carmel and we can’t wait to continue expanding and improving the Market for years to come.” Here is the complete list: 1. Carmel Christkindlmarkt 2. Bethlehem Christkindlmarkt 3. Georgetown Christmas Market 4. Old World Christmas Market 5. Mifflinburg Christkindl Market 6. European Christmas Market 7. Downtown Holiday Market 8. Vancouver Christmas Market 9. Christmas Village in Philadelphia 10. Kerstmarkt (Holland) About USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards The 10Best Readers' Choice Award contest launches new categories every other Monday at noon, revealing each category's 20 nominees. After 4 weeks of voting, the contest closes on the 28th day at noon. On the Friday after voting ends, winners are revealed. Rules allow the public the right to vote online for one nominee per category, per day. Nominees for all categories are chosen by a panel of relevant experts which include a combination of editors from USA TODAY; editors from 10Best.com; relevant expert contributors; and sources for both these media and other Gannett properties. The nomination panel for each award category is displayed on its associated contest page. All voting is digital and the 10Best Readers' Choice Award contest is accessible on the 10Best.com website.

USA TODAY’s 10BEST travel media group names Carmel Christkindlmarkt best Holiday Market in North America

USA TODAY’s 10BEST travel media group names Carmel Christkindlmarkt best Holiday Market in North America