Early Promotion of Nordic Fest: One Example

Renowned Decorah accordion player Hans Aschim at the Norwegian-American Museum during an early Nordic Fest. Photo courtesy Ruth Ann Sacquitne.

Early promotion of Nordic Fest took place largely via trips to then-common travel shows or related regional events to raise awareness and encourage visits to Decorah. One such example of dozens if not hundreds of volunteer efforts took place during the summer of 1970. A few notes from that visit:

• Nordic Fest and the Museum jointly attended the International Folk Festival in Bettendorf, Iowa. 
• Mr. and Mrs. Maron Nelson, Mary McGee, Darrell Henning and Steve Johnson attended, representing the Museum.
• Nordic Fest board chairman Gary Svenson, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Tjelta manned a food both that sold Norwegian dishes. The varme polse offering was quite popular. 
• 14,000 people attended the International Folk Festival.
• Many visitors to the Decorah contingency had good questions about Nordic Fest, the Museum and Decorah.

While attending the International Folk Festival, Miss Decorah, Cheryl Adrienne Brown, was named Miss Iowa. Miss Brown became the first African American to participate in the Miss America pageant. The Decorah contingent shared their pride in Miss Brown by adding a handmade sign to their area proudly proclaiming Decorah as the "home" (albeit college home) 

Did you first learn about Nordic Fest via a travel show or other personal regional appearance like the International Folk Festival? If so, please share your experiences in the comments below.