by Ellen Liddle
MOORHEAD, Minn. — The Red River Finns took part in the Nordic Culture Clubs - Scandinavian Festival on June 19-20.
Events were held at the Hjemkomst (Homecoming) Center, home to the full-scale Hjemkomst Viking Ship modeled after the Gokstad burial ship and sailed from Minnesota through the Great Lakes and on to Norway; Moorhead Stave Church, a full-scale replica of Norway’s Hopperstad Stave Church in Vik; and the surrounding Viking Ship Park.
The Nordic Culture Clubs is an alliance of the Nordic organizations representing Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Saami cultures in the Fargo–Moorhead area.
At the Hjemkomst Center and Stave Church, Hardanger fiddle players and folk artists performed, while authors shared stories.
Favorite programs were Steve Solkela Overpopulated One-Man Band and Project Constellation, an acoustic-folk-rock-punk-pop (and more) duo from Grand Forks, North Dakota who performed Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and Danish songs sung in their languages. Solkela and the duo combined for a performance that delighted the audience.
Theatre presentations explored Scandinavian dolls, films, music, folk dress, and blacksmithing.
Arts and crafts vendors offered handmade and cultural items. Raija Uosikkinen's Arabia Finland Annual Kalevala plates were on display.
Produced by Arabia Finland from 1976 to 1999, each plate features a different excerpt from the Kalevala.
At each passport stop, children visited participating booths and learned to count in Finnish at the Red River Finns booth. They enjoyed Lego time, crafts, and flag making that allowed them to join adults in national dress for a parade of flags representing every Nordic country.
In Viking Ship Park, the Viking Age Club of Minneapolis reenactment camp demonstrated living history, traditional crafts, live steel combat, blacksmithing, and cooking food.
Visitors enjoyed a wide variety of Scandinavian foods, including Denmark’s Æbleskiver (pancake balls), Finland’s Raparperi Kiiseli (rhubarb soup with cream), Iceland’s Rúllupylsa og Brúnt (smoked spiced beef on brown bread), Norway’s Rømmegrøt (rich milk pudding), Sweden’s Risgrynsgröt (rice pudding), and many other favorites.
Freddy's Lefse, established in 1946 as the oldest and largest family-owned lefse bakery in the United States, also offered handmade, hand-rolled lefse for visitors to take home.
Through the annual Scandinavian Festival, the Nordic Culture Clubs promote Nordic culture, arts, and heritage. The festival welcomes people of all backgrounds to explore Nordic traditions through music, dance, literature, and visual arts while supporting local artists and cultural education.
For more information about the Nordic Culture Clubs, visit the organization’s web site at nordiccultureclubs.net.