"To quote my mom, Haskell's was kind of a dive bar, and we're going to be a dive bar without dirt." John Farrell, Haskell's executive vice president of sales, told FOX 9 that on November 6. The station reported that the family was ready to start the foundation for a rebuilt Haskell's Port of Excelsior at the corner of Water Street and Lake Street.
Three weeks after that report, the Excelsior Lions Club holds its second Christmas in Excelsior on the same stretch of street. The official site lists the market's footprint as Water Street between Lake Street and Third Street. The north end of the holiday market sits at the corner Haskell's held for decades. This year, that end of the street stands empty, and the shops still open along Water Street carry the weekend.
What happened at Water and Lake
The Sun Sailor reported that the Excelsior Fire District was called at 1:30 a.m. on May 6. Crews from Minnetonka, Hopkins, Chanhassen, Shoreline and Golden Valley came to help. Firefighters kept the fire out of the liquor store side of the building, but Haskell's Wine & Spirits in Excelsior also closed for the foreseeable future. "It's a big loss to the community," Interim Excelsior Fire Chief Nate Basinger told the paper.
Owner Ted Farrell told WCCO that the family had owned and operated the place for almost 40 years. He said he planned to come back "better and stronger." The Haskell's locations page lists the Excelsior store as temporarily closed.
In November, FOX 9 reported that the plan includes:
- a second-floor open-air bar
- outdoor seating facing Lake Minnetonka
- the return of The Rail, the first-floor patio
- the return of the liquor store
- a signature tower the family hopes will act as a beacon for the town
Farrell said crews could start digging as early as the following week, and the family hopes to reopen by Labor Day 2027. That means this holiday season and all of next summer will pass with the corner out of service.
A market designed to send people into the shops
That gap makes the way the Lions set up the market more important. Before the first event in 2025, club president Jim Flattum told Lake Minnetonka Magazine that the club "purposely chose gift vendors (and not business vendors)." The goal was an artisan marketplace that "complements the merchants on Water Street" and doesn't compete with them. He also said downtown businesses were decorating and offering event specials, and that some retailers were bringing new products into the vendor marketplace.
The 2026 FAQ lists food trucks along with participating Water Street restaurants. Donations made at the event go to the Lions' local giving programs. The market is set up so that people spend money in the storefronts as well as at the vendor tables. This year, the storefront at the Lake Street end won't be part of it.
Friday and Saturday, by the hour
Both days run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the event is free. The activity schedule is the same on Friday, November 27, and Saturday, November 28. The animal and carriage times are much shorter than the full eight hours, so they are the part to plan around.
| Attraction | Hours, both days |
|---|---|
| Artisan Marketplace | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Santa, Santa's Workshop indoors, Frosty's Funland outdoors | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Adult games: Hammerschlagen, giant Jenga | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Red Stable Reindeer | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Silent Run Adventures Huskies | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Disney Princess | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Carlson's Lovable Llamas | Noon to 4 p.m. |
| Brand Valley Shires carriage rides | Noon to 3 p.m. |
| Face painting and hair tinsel | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Fire dancer | 5 p.m. |
Reindeer, huskies, llamas and carriage rides all overlap from noon to 2 p.m. Families arriving after lunch have that two-hour window to see all four. By 4 p.m., the animals and face painting are done. After that, the street belongs to the music tent, the roving carolers and the 5 p.m. fire dancer.
The music tent runs all day. On Friday, Neville White plays electric guitar Christmas from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., Lexi Chicoine plays Christmas pop and acoustic from 3:40 to 4:40, and Mazarine closes with Christmas rock from 5 to 6. Saturday's lineup in order:
- Julie Tuck, Christmas carols, 10 to 11 a.m.
- Jake and Josie, Christmas pop, 11:10 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.
- Ali Soul Shine, holiday harmony, 12:20 to 1:20 p.m.
- River City Rovers, Irish Christmas, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
- Tory Schaefer, ukulele reggae Christmas, 2:40 to 3:40 p.m.
- Declan and Katya, Christmas around the world, 3:50 to 4:50 p.m.
- Avery Rainey, Christmas classics, 5 to 6 p.m.
Santa visits at the Excelsior Masonic Lodge #113, 249 Water Street. Flattum told Lake Minnetonka Magazine that Santa has appeared at the lodge "for many years." The lodge also holds the indoor kids' activities, and Frosty's Funland sits just outside on Water Street.
Coming in from the Third Street end
The event FAQ lists two free places to park. One is the ramp between Second and Third Streets, and the other is the lot behind the brewery. Street parking around the village is a mix of paid and free spaces. The free ramp sits at the south end of the market, so if you park there, you'll start at Third Street and walk north toward Lake Street. The Lake Street end is where the empty Haskell's corner sits, with the water behind it.
The Saturdays through December
The Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Chamber of Commerce's Celebrating the Season campaign continues after the Lions pack up. Its schedule keeps people coming back to Water Street storefronts until Christmas week:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Saturday, Nov. 28 | Small Business Saturday, with the Holiday Gift Guide available at participating businesses |
| Tuesday, Dec. 1 | Giving Tuesday for local nonprofits |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Stocking Stuffer Saturday, featuring finds under $20, plus Santa photos at the Masonic Lodge from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | Gift Guide Saturday, plus Santa photos from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Saturday, Dec. 19 | Deck the Halls Downtown, decorated storefronts with a map of participating businesses |
The Chamber calendar lists Deck the Halls Downtown from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Throughout December, you can submit a photo of your receipt from any Chamber member business for a chance to win one of eight $25 Community Cash gift cards. The program runs on the same idea as the Lions market, with holiday spending staying in local shops.
What the corner becomes next
The Haskell's rebuild is one of several downtown changes that city leaders described to FOX 9. A long-delayed project would turn the former Dock Cinema and the empty lot next to it into apartments, commercial space and a smaller working movie theater. City leaders also hope to break ground soon on a two-story building with apartments and a burger-and-beer restaurant, planned for a former gas station site a couple of blocks down Water Street.
"There'll be a lot more to do here," Mayor Gary Ringate told the station. If the Farrell family meets its Labor Day 2027 goal, next year's Christmas in Excelsior could open beside a finished building at Water and Lake, with the second-floor bar and The Rail back on the corner. This year, the market's north end sits beside the empty site.
Whether you're timing the reindeer around a nap or thinking about how downtown's next few years of rebuilding could affect your own plans on the south shore, we're always glad to talk Excelsior. The Weinstock Group is based right here in town. Schedule a complimentary consultation.
