Nordic Fest: Many Parts of the Story

The above photo is from the front of the 1967 Nordic Fest program. In nearly 50 years, there have been many parts of the Nordic Fest story that have added substantially to the overall outstanding guest experience. Some of those story parts over the years include:

• Church dinners 
• Entertainers from Norway and other Nordic countries 
• Fishing fly-ins 
• Food booths throughout Water Street with tasty Nordic treats 
• Home tours of historic Decorah properties 
• Lutefisk eating contest
• Nordic Dancers 
• Nordic Fest medals, as first designed by Grant Woldum
• Nordic Rock Throw
• Pokey Pete 
• Luren Singers 
• Trollheim: Tur til fots
• Vesterheim Folk Art Exhibitions 

This list only begins to scratch the surface of specific memories made over nearly 50 years of Nordic Fests. What are some of your favorite parts of the story? Use the comments field below to add your ideas. 

On Syttende Mai, a Salute to Vesterheim

Today marks the 200th Norwegian Constitution Day, also known as Syttende Mai. For more information on the Bicentennial celebrations in Norway, click here. 

In addition to being a major holiday in Norway, Syttende Mai will also be formally celebrated in the United States at strongholds of Norwegian culture like Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum in Decorah. For more information on celebrations in Decorah today, click here. 

As the above scan from a June 1967 Vesterheim newsletter indicates, the Museum has been a key part of Nordic Fest since the very beginning. After the five Jaycee volunteers started developing the initial concept, they wisely involved the late Dr. Marion Nelson of Vesterheim as one of their co-founders. The result of this collaborative effort is one of the key decades-long strengths of Nordic Fest made clear in my research to date: a focus on authentic Scandinavian cultural celebration. 

Vesterheim hosted the first National Rosemaling Exhibition at the 1967 Nordic Fest. This event has since been expanded to include weaving, woodworking and knife-making, all done in authentic Norwegian tradition. 

As expressed during a recent gathering of the surviving Nordic Fest founders, "Vesterheim and the National Folk Art Exhibition at Nordic Fest have probably done more to preserve and expand upon authentic art knowledge and preservation than any other effort made in the United States." 

Happy Syttende Mai, Vesterheim. Thank you for being a cornerstone of Nordic Fest! 

50 Nordic Fest Years: How Did We Get Here?

The incredible Decorah volunteers pictured above represent a partial gathering of the men and women who have taken on the presidency of the Nordic Fest board. To all Nordic Fest board presidents and members: thank you for all you've done to bring Nordic Fest to nearly 50 years. 

Today's blog addresses one of the most common questions received in Nordic Fest 50 efforts to date: If Nordic Fest celebrates 50 years in 2016, that means it started in 1966, right?

Not quite. 

One of the biggest 50th anniversary events in recent memory is the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, commemorated in Dallas and throughout the world on November 22, 2013. 

Special events are unique from historical events, birthdays and most other events and milestones we use to mark our lives and our communities. 

The first anniversary of the Kennedy assassination wasn't remembered until November 22, 1964, one year after the event. The same is true for birthdays, wedding anniversaries and more. 

By comparison, Nordic Fest and other special events kick off their existence with year one. As a result, the first Nordic Fest actually took place July 27-30, 1967. 

As a result of the "year one" start of special events, the 50th Nordic Fest will actually take place the month before the 50th anniversary of the first official Nordic Fest planning meeting, which will be in August 2016. 

Thank you for joining in the early story gathering and celebration of 50 years of Nordic Fest. To submit your personal Nordic Fest story for this blog, email nordicfest50 at gmail dot com. 

I Couldn't Just Tell You That: That Would be Bragging! (A Nordic Fest Tale)

Author's note: The following is an example community Nordic Fest tale to illustrate the kinds of personal stories being solicited for this blog. For more information on submitting your personal Nordic Fest story, email nordicfest50 at gmail dot com. 

It got the great honor of having an idyllic childhood in Decorah, Iowa. When I was in the third grade, a letter came home after I went to a tryout at John Cline School. I'd been selected for the new group of Nordic Dancers. 

Although this sounded neat, I had absolutely no idea what it really meant at the time. I got to be part of a group that only started every five years (and stayed involved for ten years). Only a small portion of my classmates got to be involved. Then the really big moment happened. After reading the letter, my dad cried.

What was this? Dad's don't cry. At least mine never had that I could recall. 

Ever the book worm, I mentioned my bewilderment at this to a family friend while spending time at the Decorah Public Library. The friend's jaw dropped to the floor. 

When the friend exclaimed "Don't you know your dad helped create Nordic Fest?" I knew it was time to ask some questions at home. 

I confronted my father, the late Gary D. Svenson. I wanted to know why I had to find out about an important part of family history from a friend at the library. 

His response? 

"I couldn't just tell you that. That would be bragging!" 

Dad's humble attitude about being, as he called it "in the right place at the right time" inspired me to ask many questions over the years about how he got wrapped up in his work, as the above Decorah Newspapers photo caption states. It absolutely inspired me to take on the volunteer Nordic Fest 50 project. 

Most importantly, Dad's attitude illustrates the beautiful spirit of the people of Decorah whose tireless energy, careful planning and endless commitment have made Nordic Fest thrive over five decades.

I look forward to sharing more of their stories in future blog posts.