A Note on Dr. Marion Nelson

Dr. Marion and Lila Nelson, photo courtesy Vesterheim

The following letter to the editor appeared in an August 2016 issue of the Decorah Newspapers and is used here with permission:

Dear Editor,

Congratulations to Decorah on a great 50^th Nordic Fest, and mange takk to everyone who purchased a 50^th anniversary Nordic Fest book and DVD! Some copies are still available as you plan Christmas gifts and more. Contact nordicfest 50 at gmail dot com with any questions.

Nordic Fest volunteers dedicate massive behind the scenes passion and effort towards creating the enjoyment of this event. These volunteers are the core of Nordic Fest for all 50 years. For every moment enjoyed at Nordic Fest over 50 years, hundreds of volunteer hours have been committed behind the scenes toward making those experiences possible.

Whether you’ve loved every moment of your Nordic Fests or were upset by a few moments in one parade, consider raising your hand for the Nordic Fest board when the time comes this fall for elections. The experience will likely help you appreciate even more the 50 years of stunning enjoyment community benefit enabled by board and other volunteers.

With that said, the perfectly imperfect process of volunteering means there are times when clarifications are in order due to unintended oversights. During Opening Ceremonies and the Nordic Fest parade, one of the seven Nordic Fest founders, Dr. Marion Nelson of Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum was inadvertently left off of the recognition list.

Marion became the director of what was then the Norwegian American Museum in 1965 and helped the fledgling Nordic Fest ensure authenticity in its planning via the Museum connection and his deep scholarship and passion. His many Nordic Fest contributions include development of the first Folk Art School at Vesterheim for the first Fest in 1967, selection of the last full weekend in July for Nordic Fest due to its historically traveled and rain-free status, and a Folk Music Festival that enhanced Nordic Fest for many years.

Marion and his wife Lila remained an important ongoing part of the Nordic Fest team until their retirement from Vesterheim in 1991 after the 25^th Nordic Fest. Although Marion passed away in 2000, his wife Lila served as a key resource during the research project for this book.

The recognized founding Jaycees – Jerry Aulwes, Mike Dahly, Harry Olson, Darrell Pierce and Gary Svenson (my father), as well as community member and Vesterheim board member Phyllis Leseth all made massive contributions to that first Nordic Fest. Thanks for helping me note that Dr. Marion Nelson did as well.

Regards,

Dawn Svenson Holland

Cedar Rapids, Iowa