Nordic Fest: Visuals Everywhere

As Nordic Fest time comes around in Decorah each year, all sorts of visuals across town represent a deep community support and pride in cultural heritage. Those visuals include:

• The Whippy Dip sign, which in 2014 bore the "May the Norsk Be With You" Nordic Fest theme 
• Countless homes in the community displaying both an American and a Norwegian flag 
• Flag strands throughout the Downtown Decorah area representing all five Scandinavian county flags: Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Finland, followed by the American flag and hung in that order, left to right. 
• Bunads everywhere, even when the Iowa heat and humidity steam things up
• The red food booths moved into place along Water Street the week of Nordic Fest
• The orange and white barricades that are put into place along Water Street and at the Courthouse Square to allow guests to fully move about and enjoy Nordic Fest without the danger of traffic
• Countless gatherings of friends and family in homes in the Decorah area include tasty celebrations of the community's Nordic heritage, as pictured above from a 2014 family Nordic Fest gathering

When many Norwegian immigrants ended up settling in the Decorah area, the only allegiance they surrendered in becoming United States citizens was political. Cultural allegiance is still encouraged. With Vesterheim, Nordic Fest and other community treasures, Decorah offers the perfect ingredients for Nordic visuals everywhere. 

What is your favorite Nordic Fest visual? Share your thoughts in the comments below.