Another Rare Recording: Troll Walk Founder Dr. George Knudson

Hope you enjoyed your time at the 2015 Nordic Fest! 

The Nordic Fest Troll Walks run for many years by a passionate group of local volunteers have been an important source of whimsy and natural context regarding the beauty of the Decorah area. The photo above was taken on a 2001 Nordic Fest Troll Walk. 

The Troll Walks were founded by the late Dr. George Knudson, a Luther College professor and dedicated student of the natural and cultural treasures of the Decorah area. You may read more about Dr. Knudson in two previous blog posts:

• Troll Walks Enchanted
• More Nordic Fest Fun

Although George and his wife Shirley were tragically lost in a plane crash just days before the 1978 Nordic Fest, their legacy of educational fun lives on through every smile at Nordic Fest, of which there are many every year. 

Thanks to the kindness of Dr. John Tjostem, also of Luther College, who helped carry George's legacy through his own incredible Troll Walk dedication, the 37 minute recording above offers a chance to hear the voice of Dr. George Knudson practicing his Troll Walk guide skills in 1972. 

Thank you, John for this treasure to kick off the one year countdown to the 50th Nordic Fest! Thank you, George for the legacy of education and smiles you leave us! 

The Lur and the Salmodikon from the 1968 Nordic Fest

The 49th Nordic Fest gets underway in Decorah this week. Wow! 

In 1968, the Norwegian-American Museum, now known as Vesterheim, added tremendous spirit and culture to planned celebration with its first Norwegian-American Folk Music Festival during Nordic Fest. The Folk Music Festival ran for most of the years of Nordic Fest and brought together musicians and music fans from throughout the United States and Norway. 

The rare recording below, courtesy Vesterheim and used with permission was recorded on July 27, 1968 during the second annual Nordic Fest. 

The less than two minute recording you may listen to below features the following:

• Kom kyra (a cow call) played on the Norwegian lur by Rev. George Ulvilden of Decorah
• Na takker alle Gud (Now Thank We All Our God) as performed by Henry Storhoff of Lanesboro, Minnesota on the one-stringed Norwegian instrument the salmodikon, with the audience singing along 

Enjoy these nearly 50 year old yet timeless sounds as once again, authentic cultural celebration is almost underway at the Nordic Fest in Decorah. 

Happy 49th Fest, and thank you Vesterheim for your permission to use this incredible sound treasure! 

Greetings From Governor Robert D. and Billie Ray

Iowa Governor Robert D. Ray, First Lady Billie Ray, 

Luther College First Lady Helen Farwell, Nordic Fest Board President Sue Miller, and Luther College President Dr. Elwin D. Farwell following the 1981 Nordic Fest grand parade

Governor Robert D. Ray was first elected to his role for Iowa in 1968, just one year after the first Nordic Fest. Volunteers from the Fest's early years credit Governor Ray's regular participation in Nordic Fest with lending critical early statewide credibility to the growing event. He is pictured above on one of many visits to Decorah, this one being the same year that Dr. Elwin D.and Helen Farwell were honored as Nordic Fest grand marshals upon their retirement from Luther College. 

Upon learning of the #nordicfest50 plans, Governor Ray's office was kind enough to issue the following statement: 

How exciting to hear that Decorah will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Nordic Fest in 2016!  Billie and I have fond memories of riding in the Nordic Fest parade when I was governor.  And we especially recall the warmth and hospitality of this special community.

I am so pleased that Decorah continues to honor its Norwegian heritage in such a wonderful manner.  I wish you much success and many more years of celebration!

Best wishes,

 Robert D. Ray

Governor of Iowa, 1969-1983

Governor, everyone connected to Decorah and Nordic Fest joins in wishing you and Mrs. Ray the best, too! 

Do You Remember the Parade and Lutefisk Connection?

Decorah Mayor David T. Nelson, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, State Representative Paul Johnson and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Robert Lounsberry participate in the Nordic Fest Lutefisk Eating Contest. Phone circa early 1980's by Jack Anundsen.

The just-completed U.S. Fourth of July holiday brought the experience brought the experience of elected officials and office candidates in parades to many communities large and small. The Nordic Fest Grand Parade each Saturday morning will inevitably be home to more of the same in just a few weeks. 

Pouring over board meeting minutes for any nonprofit operations may not be the first thing even the most enthusiastic researcher wants to do. The language of such minutes is often clean, lacks critical context and may unintentionally gloss over substance of a meeting in an effort to keep the focus on facts like the outcome of a vote.   

While reviewing available Nordic Fest board meeting minutes certainly had its routine moments, interesting notes were also revealed, especially with regards to a connection between politicians in the parade and the Lutefisk Eating Contest. To revisit Darin Svenson's guest blog on this contest, click here. 

When the Lutefisk Eating Contest started, it was not the public entry event that it is today. Unsure of the response the event would get, organizers kept the contest focused on special Nordic Fest guests. 

Here's where it gets interesting. 

Board meeting minutes note a general acceptance of politicians in parades as a given for any special event, yet a slight distaste for the necessity. There was also a concern about people actually entering the new Lutefisk Eating Contest. For several years, this issue was resolved in a unique way: if an elected official wanted to ride in the Nordic Fest parade, he or she must also enter the Lutefisk Eating contest. This rule may have been responsible for the collection of elected officials pictured above. 

While the political climate 35 years later make it difficult to imagine this rule being successfully enforced, this unique connection between two events remains an interesting part of the rich history of Nordic Fest. 

Feedback on the Authenticity of Nordic Fest

While recapping the 2000 Nordic Fest, a Decorah Newspapers article recapped good feedback on the authenticity of the event through the following article excerpt:

As usual, the Fest drew a wide variety of people from all over the United States and Europe. 

Catrin Berg, a graduate student from Oslo, Norway, was visiting the Fest to do her master's thesis on the impact of ethnic festivals. 

"Nordic Fest seems quite genuine," she said. "The embroidery on the bunads and the food are authentic. I expected more t-shirts and caps" 

Berg heard of Nordic Fest through a Norwegian magazine's coverage of Crown Prince Haakon's visit to Decorah in June 1999.

"This area is obviously proud of its heritage," she said.

Rune Langedal of Keokuk immigrated to the United States from Norway 15 years ago. This is his 10th Nordic Fest.

"It's cheaper coming to Decorah than flying home," he said.

Langedal was visiting with a member of Luther College's Scandinavian Institute when he learned the woman he was talking to was from the same town in Norway as his daughter. 

"She asked me the name of my daughter and granddaughters," he said. "As it turns out, she is my youngest granddaughter's kindergarten teacher." 

Langedal said the woman had told his granddaughter she was going to America and his granddaughter said, "You will meet my grandpa there."

"And she did," he said with a laugh. 


Photo above credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/66586176@N00/. Creative Commons license. 

Nordic Fest is a winner for everyone

The late Pat Maloney, pictured above, served with the Decorah Newspapers team from 1968 until 1992, arriving in the second year of Nordic Fest. Pat continued making contributions to the team after his retirement, as seen in this 1998 copyrighted editorial reflecting on the 1998 Nordic Fest. Used with permission.  

Thank you, Pat for being an important part of the Nordic Fest team!

The 1998 Decorah Nordic Fest not only had perfect weather for the entire celebration, it also had "perfect" cooperation from supporting local churches and organizations.

It takes good teamwork to make any endeavor of this size successful, and the monumental volunteer effort to make this ethnic celebration click has been present for many years.

The generosity of the Fest Board in sharing not only the plaudits but the profits with its many community helpers is a big factor in the overall success. The Board receives only a modest 10 percent of gross proceeds raised by local vendors. Churches and organizations that supplement the food and drink offerings of restaurants, including Norwegian delicacies, are provided an incentive to participate. 

Fest Board President Julie Ahrens disclosed that most of the 15 to 20 churches and organizations reported brisk sales leading to "sellouts," so it's a "win-win" situation.

Ahrens expressed pleasure over the distribution of 90 percent of the 50,000 brochures printed to promote the 1998 Fest. She said marketing of the brochures was directed by a firm in Wisconsin, with Decorah's "snow birds" also "very helpful" in giving many away to prospects on their winter trips to warmer climates.

"We also had to sell 6,000 Fest programs (at $1 each) during the four days to break even," said Ahrens, "and I think we came close. We won't know the financial outcome of the Fest until all the bills are in by the time of our annual meeting in Sept. 14, the first Monday after Labor Day."

The Nordic Fest Board gets the extra help it needs to feed and refresh the visiting multitudes, and the churches and organizations get a welcome opportunity to legitimately fatten their treasuries. 

All that is done while pleasing the Festers, who don't have that "gouged" feeling. They keep coming back "to see it again for the first time."

Peaceful weekend

Can you believe that for the third year in a row the "crime rate" during Nordic Fest has been lower than the average normal weekend?

That's the good word from Police Chief Ben Wyatt. That's kind of amazing considering all the money being handled in all the various booths throughout the downtown area from Thursday through Sunday.

A comment by a Fest-goer was made that they didn't see any or many uniformed policemen walking through the downtown area. Chief Wyatt reported his department using bicycle patrols to cover the downtown during the Fest "because it was easier to get bikes through the congested streets." 

Despite the heavy traffic with cars and buses, only a modest three "fender benders" happened during the celebration, according to Wyatt. 

It was a tribute to the orderly conduct of our Nordic Fest friends that no extra officers had to be put on duty to handle the big crowd. "The load of troublemakers just wasn't there," said Wyatt. 

A forever memory created at Nordic Fest

The following copyright article appeared the Tuesday edition of the Decorah Newspapers immediately following the 2004 Nordic Fest. Pictured above are Frances Christian and Peggy Hart. Used with permission.

Last Saturday was quite a day for Frances Christian of Decorah. Not only did she have a front-row seat for the colorful Nordic Fest parade, she was celebrating her 86th birthday and also the one year anniversary of her decision to move to Decorah. 

Wearing the beautiful bunad made by her mother, Magda Barbara Tiegen in 1981 at the aged of 81, Christian was all smiles as she explained how happy she is to be a member of the community. 

"With my Norwegian heritage (her home was 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle) and the fact that my mother and I have both donated piece to Vesterheim Museum, it seemed like a natural move for me to come to Decorah," said the personable and enthusiastic Christian. 

"I'm 86 years old and it's been a great life and it's getting better. I still enjoy looking at a handsome man, and I'm still painting," she said.

Renowned for her artwork, Christian has a studio at Vennehjem, where she now resides. 

Peggy Hart (at right in photo) of Hart's Tea and Tarts in downtown Decorah, calls Christian her best customer and presented her with a bouquet of flowers before the parade. 

What forever memories do you have at Nordic Fest? Share your experiences in the comments below.