Nordic Fest: Worthy of a Return Since Year One

Cousins whose mothers are from Decorah prepare to join the 2008 Nordic Fest Barnetog (Children's Parade)

As plans came together for the first Nordic Fest in 1967, big news came: screen and theatre actress Peggy Wood, known for her roles as strong-willed Scandinavian mother Marta Hansen in the television show Mama (1949-1957), which was based on the Broadway play I Remember Mama as well as Mother Abess from Sound of Music (1965) would be an honored guest at the first Nordic Fest. 

What were Peggy's impressions of her first visit to Decorah, in 1967 for the first Nordic Fest? 

As recalled in the Thursday, July 25, 1991 Decorah Newspapers Nordic Fest edition (on the occasion of the 25th year): 

"I saw a little boy who carried a Norwegian flag in one hand, and you know what he had in his other hand? His bottle. It was too delightful to forget. I am sure everyone who was there vowed to come to the second Nordic Fest next July. It was a charming experience. I shall never forget it." 

What was your moment that made you know you wanted to return to the following year's Nordic Fest? 

It Comes with Being Part of the Community: A First Nordic Fest Memory

Lila and Marion Nelson

Photo courtesy  Vesterheim, used with permission,  taken circa 1991

Recently, Lila Nelson agreed to be interviewed for the #nordicfest50 project. For a brief overview of Lila's many contributions to Vesterheim and Nordic Fest, click here. 

Lila shared a particularly neat story about the first Nordic Fest, shared here in her own words: 

"One of the things that delighted me so was that it was important for Marion not only that the Museum have a good showing, but when there was street activity - street dancing, he felt it was very important that we had to be out there taking part in that.

I can remember that when they started the music in the evening in the streets. At first, no one was going out and dancing. Marion said, 'Alright, we have to get out there and dance!' 

Well, that was the last thing I wanted to do, because I am just not the kind of person who likes to go out there. But we did it! I can remember starting to dance and the bands kind of picking it up. Pretty soon, the street dancing was just delightful. Everyone was doing it."

Lila reports that first Nordic Fest dance she and Marion helped get started was a fast waltz. 

Thank you, Lila and Marion for your many contributions to getting Nordic Fest started, including that first street dance! 

Nordic Fest: New Memories, Experiences and Fans Every Year

Many Nordic Fest stories include tales from people who have enjoyed the event every year, or at least wish they could be in attendance every year. The rich traditions of Nordic Fest and its tendency to attract repeat visitors makes it easy to forget that for nearly five decades, each Nordic Fest has been a first experience for some of the event's guests. 

This year, University of Northern Iowa running back and NFL prospect David Johnson attended his first Nordic Fest and won the Nordic Rock Throw, launching his 100 pound rock an impressive 37 feet, 7 inches. 

In a recent interview with Darin Svenson, David had this to share about his Nordic Rock throw and Nordic Fest experiences: 

"My girlfriend Meghan Brock, her mom is from Decorah, so she asked me to do it. She told me about the Nordic days. She asked if I wanted to throw a rock. I said, 'I've never thrown one, so I might as well try it.' We went up there. It was a fun time," said David Johnson.

"Do you have any training that compared to doing something like that, or was that maybe unique to things you've done in the past?" asked Darin Svenson.

"Definitely didn't have any training. Definitely a unique thing. The rock wasn't smooth, it had lumps in it. It was something new to me. It was fun!" 

First time Nordic Fests offer a special time to start a legacy of memories. What first time Nordic Fest experiences stand out in your mind for you, your friends or family? 

Secrets to the Nordic Rock Throw: Elliott Christen Guest Post

The Nordic Rock Throw is one of the events that has taken place for each of the nearly 50 years of Nordic Fest. To gain perspective on this interesting piece of Nordic sport, who better to go to than the man who's been running it for nearly all of those years? 

Today's guest post comes from Decorah sports and education legend Elliott Christen. To leave a comment for the author please email nordicfest50 at gmail dot com and the message will be forwarded. Thank you! 

We moved to Decorah in 1970 and I was asked to help "run the Rock Throw." Pretty much every year since then, I've been in charge of the event (publicity, ordering ribbons, getting volunteers, many of whom show up without being called!) 

For 40 years, the Rock Throw was held on the John Cline School field, where without a regular rain in the summer, the field could be as hard as a rock. 

One year, it was held across the street from the school. We ended up with a baseball game going on at the same time. The foul balls landed in the throwing area, so we moved back to John Cline. 

About five years ago, new tennis courts were built on the John Cline field, so the Rock Throw was moved to the Middle School. For two years, the rows watching were much smaller then they had been, but in 2014, a record crowd of entries and watchers showed up!

Results are always turned into the Decorah Newspapers and printed the following week, and also reported to the radio stations. 

This one record we continue to publicize was set in 2003 by Dan Anderson from Decorah, now a teacher and coach at MFL . Dan threw the 100 pound rock 54 feet, 7 inches! Dan continues to return and enter, placing second this year.  

Our daughter Jana (Christen) Albers won the women's throw six times. She's athletic, lettering in three sports at DHS, including the state golf championship in 1981.

It's a fun event, much like the shot put in track. The only difference is the measurement takes place to where the rock stops rolling! So the secret is to get the rock rolling like a bowling ball! 

Decorah Posten: An Early Trumpet Call for Nordic Fest

Source: By Orf3us (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Decorah has a rich history of immigrants and their descendants from Norway. One of the ways this history beautifully manifested itself with the nearly 100 years (1874-1972) of publication of the Decorah Posten, a Norwegian language newspaper founded by Bynhild Anundsen, an immigrant from Skien, Norway. 

The Decorah Posten had a wide circulation among Norwegian Americans in the Upper Midwest. Historical pieces of the Decorah Posten era are now a part of the collection at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum there. 

The later years of publication of The Decorah Posten coincided with the early years of Nordic Fest, which started in 1967. 

The late Gary Svenson, one of the Nordic Fest co-founders recalled to his daughter the critical role the Decorah Posten played in reaching an audience passionate about celebrating its heritage. 

"Thanks to the Decorah Posten helping spread the word, Nordic Fest was able to connect with nearby immigrants who saw this new event as an opportunity to celebrate their heritage. This was an important transformation from when I was growing up, when my parents spoke in Norwegian only in secret and at home. Nordic Fest represented a new beginning for them  and so many immigrants who could now demonstrate their pride publicly, building on the many strengths for doing so already present in Decorah," Gary said.

What memories of the Decorah Posten do you have, either directly or through your family?

Nordic Fest: Visuals Everywhere

As Nordic Fest time comes around in Decorah each year, all sorts of visuals across town represent a deep community support and pride in cultural heritage. Those visuals include:

• The Whippy Dip sign, which in 2014 bore the "May the Norsk Be With You" Nordic Fest theme 
• Countless homes in the community displaying both an American and a Norwegian flag 
• Flag strands throughout the Downtown Decorah area representing all five Scandinavian county flags: Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Finland, followed by the American flag and hung in that order, left to right. 
• Bunads everywhere, even when the Iowa heat and humidity steam things up
• The red food booths moved into place along Water Street the week of Nordic Fest
• The orange and white barricades that are put into place along Water Street and at the Courthouse Square to allow guests to fully move about and enjoy Nordic Fest without the danger of traffic
• Countless gatherings of friends and family in homes in the Decorah area include tasty celebrations of the community's Nordic heritage, as pictured above from a 2014 family Nordic Fest gathering

When many Norwegian immigrants ended up settling in the Decorah area, the only allegiance they surrendered in becoming United States citizens was political. Cultural allegiance is still encouraged. With Vesterheim, Nordic Fest and other community treasures, Decorah offers the perfect ingredients for Nordic visuals everywhere. 

What is your favorite Nordic Fest visual? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 

Nordic Fest: Everyone Does Their Part

Did you enjoy the recently completed 48th annual Nordic Fest? 

Are you holding your calendar to come to the 49th annual Nordic Fest?

In reviewing photographs in the Nordic Fest archives, I came across the above undated photo of one of the incredible Norwegian dinners at Decorah Lutheran Church. 

It struck me that this photo is a good visual representation of what it really takes for Decorah to make Nordic Fest happen over nearly five decades:

• There are lots of needs and many seats to be filled.
• Year in and year out, those seats are filled by incredibly dedicated volunteers. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who's lived in Decorah for any length of time who hasn't filled at least one volunteer chair to make Nordic Fest happen.
• Of particular note is the very behind the scenes, very dedicated members of the Nordic Fest board across the nearly five decades. They're much like the cooks unseen in the kitchen at the very back of this photo. You may not always see them, but none of this would happen without them. To each and every Nordic Fest board member, thank you for your leadership! 
• The yummy church meals and all aspects of Nordic Fest create forever memories in the minds of all the people who enjoy them - the volunteers, the guests and everyone. 
• A list of everyone who's volunteered either directly for Nordic Fest or for one of the many nonprofits who are official vendors at Nordic Fest would make for a big, heavy book in and of itself. 
• Although the exact names and faces of people sitting in specific chairs have changed over the years, the core experience of Nordic Fest has remained the same.

Congratulations to the many, many volunteers who made the 48th annual Nordic Fest (and each event prior) a tremendous success!