Pride in Heritage: A Nordic Fest Discovery

Chris Forde, son of former Nordic Fest board president Cam Forde, as well as grandson of Nordic Fest founder Phyllis Leseth carrying the official Nordic Fest flag during a Saturday morning parade in the mid-1980's. Photo courtesy the Forde family. 

Nordic Fest includes many wonderful examples of generations of family members each finding their own important ways to serve and contribute. One such example is Cam (Leseth) Forde, who was married shortly after her mother Phyllis helped lead the first Nordic Fest to the smashing success it was. 

Cam served her own leadership roles with Nordic Fest on the board and as president. It was a particularly meaningful moment when her son Chris carried the flag int he parade, as pictured above. In a 1997 interview, Cam had this to say about how Nordic Fest helped her discover pride in her heritage:

"Before Nordic Fest, I guess I wasn't as proud of my heritage as I could be. The first time I became aware of my heritage was when I was in elementary school and we lived in Illinois. We had a teacher who assigned everyone to find out where everyone was from and we would mark it on our work map. So I went home and talked about being Norwegian with my parents and that was the first time I knew I was Norwegian.

Then we moved to Decorah when I was in the seventh grade. At that time, I began to understand what it means to be Norwegian. I am the only one in my family who has not been to Norway and I hope to go some day. I now have a real sense of history about Norwegians and who these people really were. This has come mainly through Nordic Fest and the Museum. Pride in ethnic heritage is a wonderful thing. 

We need to keep on going with those people from the past and continue to be proud of where we come from, as well as where we're going. Our ancestors did not abandon their heritage and I think it's wonderful that we celebrate their heritage and carry it through for all generations to come. Decorah has a great sense of community and for this town to carry off every year a celebration of this magnitude I think is wonderful." 

Thank you Cam, for the important role you and your entire family have played in carrying off a celebration of this magnitude!