2016 March Vikingskip v8 - Vesterdalen Lodge

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www.vesterdalen.org
mars 2016
Vesterdalen Lodge No. 2-131 • Sons of Norway • Auburn/Kent, WA • Chartered October 23, 1983
Hilsen Fra Presidenten
What a great program we had at
our February 15 general meeting! Our
guest speaker Erik Brakstad presented
“Under the Swastika” to a full house
at Vesterdalen. There were 59 members and 28 visitors present who were
captivated by the personal history of
Erik’s father Olav during World War II in
Norway. Erik also invited colleague Tore
Jorgensen, from Vancouver, Canada to
speak about his project reporting the
plight of policemen in Norway during
the Nazi occupation of Norway. The
Nazi government, who took control of
Norway, expected the policemen and teachers to sign a pledge
of loyalty to Germany regardless of the laws of Norway. I look
forward to future programs about World War II in Norway from
these gentlemen. I wish I knew more about the activities of two
of my uncles who were in the underground resistance. Next time
I visit my cousins in Norway I will do some research of my own.
We were pleased to welcome fellow SON members from Norden Lodge in Tacoma, Oslo Lodge in Bremerton, Grieg Lodge in
Portland, Leif Erikson Lodge in Seattle, and Breidablik Lodge of
Kelso-Longview. We are enriched when we share programs with
other lodges. Thanks for coming!
For further study, there are interesting sites on www.visitnorway.com. Search by using the term World War II. The sites
are illustrated with maps, photos, and stories about them including “Radio Cave” War, Jutulholet Rock Cave, Kvalvik Coastal
Fort, and several others. I hope you take the time to check these
and other places of interest on this website.
We still need more members to volunteer to be a delegate to
the Dist. 2 Convention in Coeur d’Alene June 1-4. The delegate’s
expenses are paid by the lodge. You will find that this is a good
experience and you will meet many people from other lodges.
Contact me if you are interested. We would like to have our full
delegation of 4 members representing us.
My cousin Aslaug Lorentzen and her granddaughters from
the Stavanger area are visiting the last couple of weeks in July.
I am hoping we can visit a language camp for a couple of days.
The girls are interested in improving their English and would
enjoy sharing their knowledge of Norwegian. I am also hoping
we can include the Vesterdalen’s lodge picnic in their itinerary.
Now, if I could just get my granddaughter in Phoenix here to
join in the fun!
Wishing you a Happy Easter—God Påske!
Jorunn
Vol. XXXIII No. 3
Upcoming meeting
TORSK
DINNER
Monday,
March 21
Messiah Lutheran Church
410 H Street NE Auburn, WA 98002
6:00 PM Torsk Dinner - tickets required
- contact Dotty Erickson 206-356-1858
Accordion music by David Locke
Bring:
• empty ink jet cartridges • Cancelled stamps for Tubfrim
• old cell phones • Campbell’s labels from any product
Swedish/Huck Weaving Class
Will Return!
We are holding another Swedish/Huck weaving class on
Saturday, April 23 at Messiah Lutheran Church. The same great
instructor will be helping us! More information will be at the
next meeting and will be sent by email. The International Convention in August will be having a competition for craft work
- plenty of time to have a project done for the Convention. For more information, please e-mail Jill Leghorn at [email protected] or call her at 253-631-2027! Mange Takk!
Norwegian Class Starts
Norwegian classes will begin on February 23 and run for
five consecutive Tuesdays. Classes will be from 6:30-8:00 PM
in classroom E. If a conflict prevents you from coming for the
first class but are available for the remainder of the sessions,
feel free to attend the remaining classes. Anyone interested in
learning a little Norwegian is welcome. The only charge may be
for the printed materials you will receive. Vesterdalen is footing
the room rent.
Marv Nelson
Page 2
The Vesterdalen Vikingskip
Sunshine Report
Sympathy cards were sent to the families of Orval Monson
and Morris Paulson.
March Birthdays:
6 Maxine Erickson
8 Cindy Olson, Karen Nugent
9 Hazel Hickman
11 Norman Peterson
13 Harley Gilthvedt, Carol Paulson, Erin Iverson
14 Karen Knauer, Brittany Larson
16 John Temme
18 Ginny Anderson
20 Asta Marie Marquardt
21 Diane Fatland, Eric Larson
22 Nils Ladderud
23 Grayce Fremouw
25 Dorothy Hartley, Mari Lysne
26 Jan Noblitt
28 Keith Ladderud
31 April Bohlman
Eight Vesterdalen members who are 75 years or older will
receive rosemaling birthday cards in March.
Please call me at 253-961-2200 when you know of a member
who needs some Vesterdalen Sunshine. Your help is needed to
reach everyone. Thank you so much.
Sunshine Chair Sonja Whitcombe
Gratulerer
med dagen!
Showcase Your Talent!
As we approach the International Convention in Tacoma
this August, Sons of Norway is inviting all members to showcase their talent and artistry by participating in the 2016
International Folk Art Competition & Exhibition!
Exhibit your work or compete in 13 different categories,
like Rosemaling, Hardanger embroidery, Norwegian Weaving
and Figure Carving! Space is limited, so preregistration is the
only way to ensure your spot at this year’s event. To preregister, download materials from www.sonsofnorway.com/convention and follow submission directions before August 5th.
Diane Fatland
Asta Marie Marquardt is pictured with Erik Brakstad, our speaker
in February. Asta Marie received a Golden Member Award for
50 years of membership in Sons of Norway.
The Scandinavian Hour is on KKNW 1150 AM
on Saturdays, 9:00 - 10:00 in the morning
mars 2016
Social Directors’ Report
At the Last Meeting
The February meeting was well attended by 59 members and
28 guests. Attendees enjoyed a dessert of cherry topped cheesecake. Following dessert, the audience enjoyed and learned much
from a talk and slide presentation entitled UNDER THE SWASTIKA provided by Erik Brakstad whose father was held in the
Nazi Grini prison camp at Oslo during WWII. Erik was raised in
Bremerton and attended school in Norway so is very knowledgeable about the country’s history. A number of the guests at
the meeting travelled from considerable distance to learn more
about the heroic resistance efforts of the Norwegian people during the war.
Tore Jørgensen, whose father was interned at a concentration camp in Poland also spoke. Tore is working on making a
documentary on Norwegian war prisoners.
Astra Marie Marquardt received a Golden Award for being
a SON member for 50 years.
Winners of the $10.00 cash awards were Vivian Anderson and Lloyd Hartley. The gifts for the raffle ticket winners
went to Lloyd Hartley, Ed Heavey and Lloyd Hartley. This was
Lloyd’s very lucky night!
Upcoming Meeting
A Torsk buffet dinner will be served at the March 21st meeting. Live music will be provided as part of the event. Contact
John Nyseth, John Fatland or Dotty Erickson for tickets. Volunteers are welcome to assist with various duties. The social
starts at 6:00 pm and the dinner starts at 6:30.
Social Directors Barbara Rom and Judy Jensen
International Convention 2016
Vesterdalen will be a tri co-host for the 2016 Sons of Norway International Convention at the Hotel Murano in Tacoma.
Convention activities will occur from August 22-27. The convention itself will be from Thursday through Saturday. While it will
take all of us to do some extra work this year, it also provides a
“once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to observe and be a part of a
convention of this import. The convention is open to all Sons
of Norway members -- You DO NOT have to be a delegate to experience the atmosphere! You are able to sit in any or all of the
business sessions as well.
Some of the activities in which you can participate include:
the President’s Reception at Foss Waterway Seaport (a maritime
museum plus), an evening dinner cruise on Commencement Bay,
a social including a dance group from Norway at Norden Lodge’s
Normana Hall, a trip on the gondola at Crystal Mountain and the
finale, the Grand Banquet on Saturday evening.
On Wednesday, August 24 Sons of Norway sponsors a daylong leadership workshop. The workshop is a “must do” for any
Sons of Norway member -- not just currently elected officers.
Everyone will come away with ideas for becoming a more vibrant
lodge. We should all consider this opportunity.
To learn more about the convention and associated activities visit the Sons of Norway web site, www.sofn.com and click
on “convention” at the top of the page. Future issues of the
Vikingskip will explore more details of the convention.
Marv Nelson
mars 2016
The Vesterdalen Vikingskip
2016 Nordic Fest
Vesterdalen’s third annual Nordic Fest is scheduled for Saturday, May 28, from 10am to 3 pm at Messiah Lutheran Church.
Please note, the date was changed from May 21 to May 28 due
to a scheduling conflict with Messiah. A lot of help is needed
from members and friends in order to make this event a success.
Dotty Erickson and her crew will be making lefse prior to the
Nordic Fest and also will have a lefse-making demonstration the
day of the festival. Jackie Cole is in charge of the bake sale and
will need lots of Scandinavian goodies and volunteers to work
the booth. People are needed to demonstrate Norwegian treats
such as waffler and krumkake for attendees to sample. Demonstrations of other skills such as wood working, rosemaling,
needle work and genealogy are needed. If you know of someone
that might be interested in being a vendor or demonstrating a
skill please contact Diane Fatland at 425-227-4487 or email,
[email protected].
Howard Olivers is Proud to be Norwegian
by Heritage and American by Birth
Howard Olivers comes from a long line of Norwegian stock,
but being born in 1925 in Kent just a stone’s throw from his
present home, he is also a proud American. After all, he was
born on the 4th of July!
Howard’s family tree goes back 13 generations, which
makes his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren the
14th, 15th, and 16th generations. Howard’s father, Abraham
Olie Skaflestad, was born in 1888 in Naustdal, Sunnfjord. He
emigrated at age 19 and headed for Kent
where a number of Sunnfjord immigrants
had already settled. He knew the Skaflestad name was difficult to pronounce,
and since his father’s name was Oliver he
considered Oliverson but settled on Oliver.
When he learned of another Oliver family
in Kent he added an “s” and later legalized his name to Abe Olie Olivers. Howard’s mother, Clara Bertina Ulleland, was
born in Kent in 1897, the daughter of
Sunnfjord immigrants. Clara, who lived
to age 98, married Abe Olivers in Kent in
1922. Abe died in 1957 at age 69.
Howard has a 1909 letter written by
his grandmother Marianne Ulleland to her
mother in Norway. In it she sheds light on how things were in
those days. There was little work in Kent after a couple of years
so her husband Kristofer went to Everett to work. That died
out too and with children coming they opted to buy 40 acres
of land on Kent East Hill. The letter paints a graphic picture:
“You must understand the land wasn’t worked and no buildings
on it. It was an old forest and no grass. Old fir trees 300 feet
tall, 6 to 8 feet in diameter with huge roots. All this had to be
cut and cleared before anything could be planted and our house
built. (Many of the huge trees were burned Howard explains.)
“Kristofer first cleared enough space for the house, but it was a
dark and lonely place to live; couldn’t see any neighbors from
here.” She concludes, “When I think about the first years here
lots of changes have taken place. Our land is cleared and we
have a nice place to live. I wouldn’t change it for any place on
page 3
earth. This is where our children will grow up.”
Her grandson Howard grew up there in a neighborhood of
many Sunnfjord immigrants. East Hill became a center for reunions, or “stevnes,” in the summers as well as lutefisk dinners
in December and Syttende Mai celebrations. As a boy Howard
was proud to be 100% Norsk, but many schoolmates descended
from immigrants of other countries--Sweden, Denmark, Finland,
Germany, Serbia, Italy—and all were proud to be Americans!
At age 29 Howard found the love of his life, DeLora Lee
“Dee” Johnson. As he so aptly puts it, “In 1954 my Norwegian
heritage got a real shot in the arm when this beautiful young
lady, also of Norwegian heritage, accepted my bid to be her life’s
mate.” Dee’s father was born in Norway as were her mother’s
parents. During their younger years Howard and Dee were busy
raising four daughters, Mari 1957, Lori 1958, Gail 1960, and
Susan 1963. They began having visitors from Norway and gradually got more and more infected with “Viking mentality.” They
joined Sons of Norway in 1979 and the next year Dee convinced
Howard to take a tour to their ancestral home. They visited relatives on both sides and not for one night in 3 weeks were they
allowed to stay in a hotel. There were many subsequent trips
and in all they visited Norway a dozen times.
Howard and Dee joined Vesterdalen Lodge and in the early
1990’s became involved in Vesterdalen Designs, a brainchild of
our own Dotty Erickson, to develop Norwegian design clothing and other items to sell at area festivals. Dotty was working
and wasn’t able to attend all of the events, so Howard and Dee
took on the job of traveling up and down the West Coast to the
various venues. They often shared a table with other vendors,
author Astrid Karlsen Scott for one, and
they became lifelong friends. Another
Norway connection started in 1985 when
the Olivers duo “accidentally” became a
major booking contact for Naustedalen
Spelmannslag, a Sunnfjord music group,
and gained more forever friendships. Last
but not least, the couple joined in the
Kent Sister Cities project which sponsors
exchange programs each summer between
Sunnfjord and Kent areas. Howard and
Dee were named Vesterdalen Norwegians
of the Year in 1996.
Howard’s latest trip to Norway in
2008 was not in his plan. He was getting
tired of travel, but Naustdal was having
a festival honoring descendants of emigrants. Daughters Susan
and Gail said “Dad, we will go with you,” so that settled it. During the festival Howard was named “Man of the Year” for his
decades of participation in Sunnfjord to USA activities. He felt
humbled that it was the first time the award was given to a non
resident or foreign citizen.
In Howard’s words, “When we are young we look forward to
new adventures. In our senior years we spend more hours reminiscing than looking forward!” One place Howard and Dee love
to go is their forest retreat dubbed “HowDee Hytte” near Mt.
Rainier. They enjoy the solitude and entertaining there. Howard says, “Dee and I marvel at the beautiful wood carvings and
other handcrafted items that adorn the walls of this edifice. All
are gifts from our multitude of Norwegian friends and relatives.
How blessed we have been!” - by Dianne Snell
Page 4
The Vesterdalen Vikingskip
Kalender
mars
7 Board Meeting .................................................6:00 PM
Messiah Lutheran Church 410 “H” St NE, Auburn
21 Torsk Dinner (tickets required).......................... 6:00 PM
Short Meeting following Torsk Dinner
Messiah Lutheran Church 410 “H” St NE, Auburn
april
4 Board Meeting .................................................6:00 PM
18 Lodge Meeting................................................. 7:00 PM
mai
2 Board Meeting .................................................6:00 PM
16 Lodge Meeting & Memorial Service......................7:00 PM
17 Syttende Mai Parade Ballard
28 Vesterdalen Nordic Fest .................... 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
This is a change from our original date!
Upcoming Events
March 9, 19, 22 - Norwegian cooking class - 10 a.m. cost $5 per
session. 206-789-5707 or www.nordicmuseum.org.
March 3 - 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Bothell Norwegian Heritage Day. No
admission or parking charge.
March 23 - 10 a.m.-4 p.m. - Leif Erikson Heritage Day. No charge.
March 24 - 7:00 p.m. Stoughton Scandinavian Foke Dancers. PLU
Lagerquist Hall.
Fun at Trollhaugen’s Cross Country Ski Race! We enjoyed a great time at the Race! First you need all correct parking passes for the Sno Park and after you find a parking spot you can walk up to the Lodge or have a fun ride on the
Snow Cat. The Race this year was dedicated to Bob Stevenson’s
memory who did so much for Trollhaugen. John had a great
time with his friend snow shoeing while my friend and I participated in the race. They are very well organized for this event
and also a delicious lunch after the race and then the medals are
awarded. The race is just short of a mile and a half for adults.
The younger kids go on a shorter race trail. The weather was
beautiful and everyone had fun. We also had a man who is vision impaired who does Ski for Light, and he did very well and
won a medal in the race. Please think about joining us next
February for a fun time in the snow !! Takk, John og Jill Leghorn
mars 2016
2016 Vesterdalen Officers
A complete list is available in last month’s Vikingskip,
available at www.vesterdalen.org
President...................... Jorunn Ruff................. 360-829-0372
[email protected]
Vice President ............ Vicki Wickham.............. 253-939-7673
[email protected]
Secretary..................... Sandra Nelson............... 360-825-6771
[email protected]
Financial Secretary...... Dotty Erickson............... 206-356-1858
[email protected]
Treasurer.....................Don Anderson............... 253-939-6428
[email protected]
Editor(s)................Lois & Nils Ladderud.......... 360-886-2798
[email protected]
Poofreeder & Web........Andy Wangstad.............. 253-347-9145
[email protected]
Rose Stevens – 1-800-210-0240
Sons of Norway Financial Benefits Counselor
Excerpts from the Feb. Board Meeting
Audit Committee met 1/30 and Treasurer Don Anderso
reported the audit is complete and the books are in good order.
Financial Secretary: 214 members to date with the addition of transfer Nancy Heavey and death of Eldred Matson.
Cultural: David Locke will present a 30 minute accordion concert during the torsk dinner. Dr. Elisabeth Ward of the
Scandinavian Cultural Center at PLU will speak in April.
Volunteer Coordinator: As this is a somewhat new office,
John Fatland is researching the options. We continue to collect
stamps for Tubfrim and Box Tops for Education.
Trustees: John Nyseth stated 4 lefse griddles, 1 ricer and
2 board covers were ordered 1/29.
International Convention Committee: Theme is Leading
the Way, Norwegian Immigration. Lots of cookies will be needed
and people can begin baking NOW in order to have enough in
time! Jackie Cole is chair.
Nordic Fest: Diane Fatland and Marv Nelson are co-chairs.
Hours 10 –3 PM. Leadership: Lefse, Dotty Erickson. Bake Sale &
coordination with lunch, Jackie. Physical work (floor layout),
Trustees. Publicity, Dianne S. The date is now May 28th!
Dist. 2 Youth Camp
Reminder
Parents, grandparents or sponsors of
children ages 9-15 who are interested in
the District 2 Heritage Camps, it is time to
get your registration forms sent in along
with the $50 non-refundable deposit. Your
forms will be recorded in the order they
are received. Check the February Vikingskip
for information necessary to register your
child. Please let me know as soon as your child is accepted to a
camp so you can get their Vesterdalen scholarship application
from me.
Delores Johns, Scholarship Chair
253-351-8512 - [email protected]