Decorah welcome sign and flags at the east entrance to town
For the last several weeks, we have been using interview transcript excepts from a 1997 Luther College communications department senior paper done on the impact of stories on perpetuating the culture of Nordic Fest. For the project, the first Nordic Fest president as well as each president at five year intervals were interviewed. One of the questions involved what the respondent's definition of success was for Nordic Fest. 1996 Nordic Fest Board president Clark Goltz, known for his commitment, eloquence, contagious energy and enthusiasm, offered the following response to that question:
"Nordic Fest in unequivocally a success. A success is where there are people who leave that festival and thank 'This was great,' whether you are a young person who just finished visiting the Viking Encampment, or doing games, or watching the parade. Another type of success is maybe when you're a person who enjoys the musical part of it and got to hear Trond and Ragna Dahlen or the exquisite Allesund Spellemanslag or you hear and American musical.
Maybe your success is I went to a festival that has an antique show and sale and they jury that and it's so good that I got that piece I really wanted. Or you go and you see rosemaling that you normally see only when you go to Norway. So if people go away from the festival thinking, 'Gosh, I really saw something neat' or 'I learned something.' then it's successful.
But I also think Nordic Fest is successful when you look at the number of people who attend and how they look. I love to drive around and just look at the positive emotions on people's faces.
Of course, the other end is financial - can you make enough money to keep the festival going from year to year. Both ways are important."
What's your definition of Nordic Fest success?
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