May 22, 2015 - The Norwegian American

Transcription

(Periodicals postage paid in Seattle, WA)
TIME-DATED MATERIAL — DO NOT DELAY
Arts
Tast e of N orwa y
An effervescent
akevitt cocktail
Read more on page 8
« Vi former våre bygninger,
deretter former de oss. »
– Winston Churchill
A tribute to Rolf
Kristian Stang
Read more on page 15
Norwegian American Weekly
Vol. 126 No. 19 May 22, 2015
Established May 17, 1889 • Formerly Western Viking and Nordisk Tidende
$2.00 per copy
Stave church may move yet again
Orkdal community
plans to buy Little
Norway’s 122-yearold stave church and
move it back home
Molly Jones
For 122 years, the Midwest has preserved a beautiful Norwegian stave church
known as the “Norway Building.” But now
the building may return to Orkanger, a city
in the Orkdal municipality near Trondheim,
where it was originally constructed in 1893
for the World’s Fair in Chicago.
Following the World’s Fair, the stave
church made its second move to a vacation
estate in Lake Geneva, Wis., and eventually
settled in Blue Mounds, Wis., by Isak Dahle
in 1935.
Here Dahle went on to found Little
Norway, a living museum on a Norwegian
homestead from the mid-1800s. The tourist
attraction featured the stave church as the
showcase as well as more than 7,000 Norwegian and Norwegian-American artifacts,
the largest private collection of such objects
See > stave church, page 13
Photo: Micha L. Rieser / Wikimedia Commons
This stave church, currently in Wisconsin, was
built in Norway for the Chicago World’s Fair in
1893, and now may return to Norway.
What’s inside?
News
Business
Sports
Opinion
Taste of Norway
Travel
Roots & Connections
Obituaries & Religion
In Your Neighborhood
Norwegian Heritage
Arts & Entertainment
Back Page
2-3
4
5
6-7
8
9
10
11
12-13
14
15
16
$1 = NOK 7.403
updated 05/18/2015
In comparison
04/18/2015
7.8339
11/18/20146.7252
05/18/20145.9323
An international organization
Christine Foster Meloni
Washington, D.C.
Lasse V. Syversen, Chairman of the Norwegian Church Service in Washington, was
the guest speaker at the April meeting of Lakselaget D.C. He explained the role of the Norwegian Seamen’s Church around the world
and the place of the independent congregation
in the Washington, D.C., metro area.
The Seaman’s Church’s Global Mission
The Seamen’s Church is also called the
Norwegian Church Abroad. It is a charitable
organization supported by the Church of
Norway and the Norwegian Government.
Although it is part of the Lutheran Church
of Norway, it has an independent governance
structure. Its main office is in Bergen, and
the Bishop of Bergen has oversight over all
the churches abroad.
The Seamen’s Church has a long history. The first church was established in Leith,
Scotland, in 1864, 151 years ago. Today the
Seamen’s Church has 31 churches that serve
as a home away from home for approximately 900,000 Norwegians. Five of these
churches are located in the United States, in
New York, Miami, New Orleans, Houston,
and San Francisco.
The church also has fifteen chaplains
who travel to more than 80 countries to visit
See > seamen’s church, page 10
Photo: Christine Foster Meloni
Syversen speaking at Washington, D.C.’s 2014
Syttende Mai Celebration.
2 • May 22, 2015
Nyheter
Kutter 17.8 millioner i støtten til
pelsdyrproduksjon
Norges Bondelag og staten ble enige
om en avtale med en ramme på 400
millioner kroner. I avtalen ligger det
også et kutt på 17.8 millioner kroner
i støtten til pelsdyrproduksjon. Det
er fôrfraktstøtten til pelsdyrnæringen
i Norge som nå blir kuttet. — Vi er
svært skuffet og fortvilet over resultatet i jordbruksoppgjøret. Frakttilskuddet er et distriktstiltak som er av stor
betydning for vårt husdyrhold. Det
er nå eksempler på bønder som vil få
en ekstrautgift på alt fra 200,000 til
350,000 kroner, sier informasjonssjef
Guri Wormdahl i Norges Pelsdyralslag
til NTB. Mens Wormdahl omtaler jordbruksoppgjøret som «en katastrofe»,
jubler dyrevernerne. — Dette viser at
både regjeringen og bøndene innser at
pelsdyrindustrien er en marginal del
av norsk landbruk. Nordmenns skattepenger bør gå til noe samfunnsnyttig,
og det er ikke pelsdyroppdrett, mener
informasjonsleder Live Kleveland i
Dyrevernsalliansen.
(Aftenposten)
Synkehull i Drammen sentrum
Treet som stod utenfor inngangen til
Høgskolen i Buskerud forsvant plutselig ned i et 25 kvadratmeter stort
hull. Politiet har sperret av området,
og vektere holder natt til 15. mai vakt
rundt hullet, som er fem ganger fem
meter. — Vet ikke hva som har forårsaket hullet, men Drammenselven er like
i nærheten, så det er jo nærliggende å
tro at det har en sammenheng. Men det
blir bare spekulasjoner fra min side,
sier operasjonsleder Trond Egil Groth
i Søndre Buskerud politidistrikt til VG.
Det var ved 22:20-tiden at politiet fikk
melding om det mystiske hullet utenfor bygget Papirbredden, som blant
annet rommer Høgskolen i Buskerud
og Vestfold (HBV) og Drammen bibliotek. Ifølge politiet på stedet er det
en slags brønn 90 meter under bakken
og det går en morene i området. Det er
dette som skal ha skapt hullet.
(VG)
Norge i den digitale verdenstoppen
Norge har verdens beste digitale infrastruktur, ifølge ny rangering fra
World Economic Forum. Indeksen
måler hvordan landene tar i bruk
mulighetene informasjons- og kommunikasjonsteknologi gir for å øke
konkurransedyktigheten i økonomien
og bedre innbyggernes livssituasjon.
Singapore topper listen som den mest
effektive brukeren av informasjons
teknologi i verden, og senker Finland til en annenplass. Norge ligger
på femteplass på listen, etter Sverige
og Nederland, som er nummer tre og
fire. Ifølge rangeringen har Norge den
mest avanserte digitale infrastrukturen
i verden, og blir kun slått av Island når
det kommer til internettdekning. 95
prosent av befolkningen har tilgang til
internett. Norge skårer også høyt når
effektene av informasjonsteknologien
måles. Vi ligger på tredjeplass i verden
når det gjelder å ta i bruk informasjonsteknologi på arbeidsplassene og i
undervisning.
(Aftenposten)
norwegian american weekly
Nyheter fra Norge
Skip til Middelhavet Vil fjerne
Det er skipet «Siem Pilot» som har fått oppdraget
med å redde flyktningar i Middelhavet
juryen
Høyre, Arbeiderpartiet,
KrF og Frp er enige om
at juryordningen må
fjernes fra rettssaker
VG
Skipet «Siem Pilot» er 90 meter langt og kan ta ombord over 500 mennesker.
Vist her kai i Port of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
NRK
14. mai vart skipet som skal reise til kysten av Italia, presentert i Bergen.
Forsyningsskipet «Siem Pilot» er nesten
90 meter langt og 20 meter breitt. Fartøyet er
bygd i 2010 ved verftet Eidsvik skipsbyggeri
i Uskedalen i Hordaland.
«Siem Pilot» er eit forsynsningsfartøy
som også er konstruert for redningsoppdrag
i Nordsjøen.
Norske styresmakter har blitt bedne om
å stille med skip frå 1. august for å hjelpe til
med å handtere flyktningkrisen. Regjeringa
har gitt Politidirektoratet ansvar for opp
draget, og innsatspersonell frå politiet skal
ha med seg våpen om bord.
Etter det NRK kjenner til, reiser skipet
allereie i mai. Dette kunne statsministeren
stadfeste då ho viste fram skipet i Bergen
14. mai ettermiddag. Det tek mellom ti og 14
dagar å seile frå Noreg til Italia.
Foto: Jon Bolstad / NRK
Totalt kom det inn 48 tilbod om skip i
anbodsrunden. «Siem Pilot» kan ta om bord
fleire enn 500 menneske, og var det som var
best eigna, ifølgje statsministeren.
Detaljane rundt oppdraget er førebels
ikkje avklart, men mest truleg får det norske
bidraget tildelt eit operasjonsområde sørvest,
sør og søraust av Sicilia.
— Det som er spesielt med dette oppdraget, er at det vil omfatte redning av flyktningar i havsnød og i mange å tilfelle hente
opp døde frå sjøen, seier seksjonssjef John
Ståle Stamnes i Politidirektoratet.
Følgjande mannskap skal vere om bord
i det norske fartøyet: åtte innsatspersonell
med politiutdanning, om lag 15 skipspersonell, om lag ti forsvarspersonell gjennom
Kystvakta og italiensk sambandsoffiser.
English Synopsis: On May 14, “Siem Pilot” was presented as the Norwegian ship commissioned to rescue
refugees in the Mediterranean Ocean.
Bunadssluse i lufthavn
Reisende som hadde med seg bunad fikk anledning
til å bruke en egen sluse på Oslo lufthavn
NRK
Flyplassen innførte en forsøksordning i
fjor, og det var så vellykket at de gjentok det.
Bunadsslusa var tilgjengelig 16. og 17.
mai. Ved å skille ut dem som reiser i bunad,
fjerner man er flaskehals og opprettholder
god flyt gjennom sikkerhetskontrollen for
alle reisende, opplyser Oslo Lufthavn.
Ideen ble meldt inn i fjor via Oslo
Lufthavns Facebook-side.
— Ideen var strålende i fjor og den er
like bra i år. Derfor gjentar vi suksessen fra
fjoråret og tilbyr dette i forkant av 17. mai
også i år, forteller medieansvarlig ved Oslo
Lufthavn, Joachim Westher Andersen.
Det er mange reisende som lurer på
om det er greit å ta med bunad og smykker i håndbagasjen. Det går fint, bortsett fra
bunadskniv, som må sendes som innsjekket
bagasje. Det kan lønne seg å være litt forberedt i sikkerhetskontrollen, forklarer Andersen.
— Søljer, knapper og smykker vil gi utslag i metalldetektoren. Samle bunadssmykker i en smykkepose eller i et smykkeskrin
og vis det til sikkerhetskontrolløren når du
forteller at du har med bunad i håndbagasjen,
De fire partiene har nå flertall i Storting
et, etter at Fremskrittspartiet har snudd i
saken. Det melder Aftenposten.
Partiene vil nå be regjeringen om å opp
heve ordninger og erstatte juryen med meddommere.
Ordningen med jury i rettssaker, ble inn
ført i det norske lovverket i 1887, og er en
av de eldste ordningene i norsk rettshistorie.
Juryordningen brukes i dag kun i lagmannsretten i saken som har en strafferamme
på mer enn seks års ubetinget fengsel. Her
vil må nå isteden innføre meddomsrett, som
betyr at det i lagmannsretten som oftest vil
være tre fagdommere og fire legdommere
som avgjør skyldspørsmålet.
— Man bedrer rettssikkerheten til både
tiltalte og fornærmede ved at man avskaffer
juryen, sier tingrettsdommer i Sør-Trøndelag
tingrett, Rune Lium.
Han mener det er særlig to grunner til
dette.
— Det ene er at juryen ikke begrunner
sine årsaker, det er helt umulig å vite hva
som er bakgrunnen for avgjørelsen og det er
utilfredsstillende for de berørte i saken.
— Det andre er at straffesaker ofte dreier
seg om sammensatte problemstillinger, og da
har jeg troen på at man har både fagdommere
og lekdommere. Min erfaring er at det er viktig med et demokratisk element i domstolen
ved at meddommerne alltid er i flertall. Vi
har respekt for at det er vanskelige spørsmål
som bør løses i samspill mellom dommerne.
Endringene gjøres ifølge de fire partiene
for å styrke rettssikkerheten.
— En forutsetning for at vi støtter meddomsrett er at rettens avgjørelser skal begrunnes. Det vil være det viktigste tiltaket på
mange år for å bedre rettssikkerheten. Det
er viktig for en eventuell ankesak at man
vet hvorfor man er dømt eller frikjent, sier
Ulf Leirstein, medlem av justiskomiteen på
Stortinget for Fremskrittspartiet.
De tre partiene mener det er realistisk å
anta at den nye ordningen kan være på plass
allerede fra sommeren 2016 og definitivt i
inneværende stortingsperiode.
I 2010 ble det satt ned et utvalg som
skulle vurdere juryordningen.
English Synopsis: The Parliament wants to remove
the jury system from court cases and replace the jurors
with judges in order to strengthen legal certainty.
Foto: Linn Løkken / NRK
Nå kan man bruke egen bunadssluse.
sier Andersen.
Andre passasjerer ville gjerne ha med
seg kake som skal på festbordet på nasjonaldagen. Men det er det verre med, påpeker
Andersen.
English Synopsis: Oslo Airport opened a separate security gate for people traveling with bunads—which
often set off metal detectors—on May 16 and 17.
Abonner
på norsk
amerikansk ukentlig!
Ring til (800) 305-0217
Send e-post til
[email protected]
Norwegian american weekly
Auschwitz survivor
“had no hatred”
Israel’s Raphael Schutz
recalls meeting Samuel
Steinmann, in a time
when anti-Semitism is
again on the rise
Asylum permits
may be revoked
Thousands of Eritreans who
have been granted asylum
in Norway may have to
leave, reports say
Michael Sandelson & Sarah Bostock
The Foreigner
nevertheless calm, open, and someone with
seemingly no remnants of hatred in him.”
“At the same time, my impression was
that he had a kind of light in his face that
showed that he had experienced what he
The move comes as a result of the Rightist government reviving Paragraph 37 of the
Immigration Act.
This piece of legislation, which is currently dormant, states that the issue of protection can be reprocessed before a final residence permit is granted.
NRK also reports that it applies to situations when conditions, such as war in the
country, change. This consequently alters the
basis for being granted asylum in Norway.
The deadline is valid for three years
after the first temporary residence permit is
granted. Conservative (H) Prime Minister
Erna Solberg’s government, a bipartite coalition with the Progress Party (FrP), wishes to
increase this to five.
“Those who come to Norway to seek
asylum shall not continue to stay when the
reason why they applied for asylum has been
nullified before they have received [their]
See > survivor, page 6
See > permits, page 6
Michael Sandelson & Sarah Bostock
The Foreigner
Samuel Steinmann died one week before the 70th anniversary of the liberation of
Norway, aged 91. 2015 also marks 75 years
since Norway was invaded, and the Russian
Army’s liberation of Auschwitz.
772 of Norway’s then 2,100 Jews were
sent to death camps under WWII. Only 26
survived the war. Steinmann was one of the
532 rounded up and deported from Oslo harbor on November 26, 1942. He and four other
Jews returned to the capital on May 30, 1945.
“I’ve met him two or three times, I’m
not entirely sure,” Israel’s ambassador to
Norway, Raphael Schutz, tells The Foreigner. “I was impressed by his good sense of humor and vitality. What struck me most about
him was that here you had a person who had
experienced what he experienced, but he was
news page
Photo: Kommunal- og Moderniseringsdepartmentet / Agnar Kaarbo / NewsinEnglish.no
Samuel “Sammy” Steinmann was Norway’s last
remaining survivor of Auschwitz.
Norway Slow TV invades the UK
The Foreigner spoke
with a Briton who is
documenting the TV
phenomenon
Michael Sandelson
The Foreigner
“I made a documentary about NRK’s
series of Slow TV programs in connection
with my trips to Norway last year,” says
producer Tim Prevett. “I interviewed staff
from the broadcaster in Oslo and Bergen,
and was even present at NRK’s 60-hour live
broadcast from Trondheim of the Norwegian
Hymn Book.”
According to him, Slow TV is readily
identifiable as originating from Norway. It
started with the seven hours, 14 minutes of
the train journey from Bergen to Oslo. Another famous broadcast was the 134 hours of
minute-by-minute coverage of Hurtigruten
vessel MS Nordnorge on her voyage from
Bergen to Kirkenes.
There were spin-offs in connection with
the Hurtigruten event. HM Queen Sonja of
Norway accompanied the closing stages of
the vessel’s voyage, sailing into Kirkenes on
the Royal Yacht Norge.
«
This week in brief
Naturalizations reach record level
A total of 15,300 persons were naturalized in 2014, the highest number ever
registered in Norway. Former Iraqi,
Afghan, and Somali citizens were the
three largest groups to be naturalized
in 2014, with 1,420, 1,370 and 1,140
naturalizations respectively. There were
also considerably more naturalizations
of former citizens of the Philippines and
Myanmar compared with 2013.
About 55 percent of those granted
Norwegian citizenship in 2014 were
women. The proportion of women was
especially high among persons from
Philippines and Thailand, with eight out
of 10 women in the group. One out of
three new citizens were children.
Twenty-five percent of those naturalized in 2014 were resident in Oslo.
Sogn og Fjordane and Finnmark had the
lowest percentage of naturalizations in
2014, with 1 percent each.
(SSB)
Government proposes railway reform
“The role of the railways in the transport system is to be strengthened. An
increase in grants and improvements in
organization will transform the railways
into a key transport sector in the future,”
says Minister of Transport and Communications Ketil Solvik-Olsen.
The driving force behind the reform
is the aim to give the railway’s customers improved rail services. The government will bring the positive elements of
competition into the railway sector.
Competition in the railway sector
will be regulated through licenses, where
the state ensures attractive rail travel service on stretches that are not necessarily
economically viable. The plan is therefore to permit train companies to compete for traffic on various stretches by
agreement with the government.
A White Paper on the reform will
be presented to Parliament (Stortinget)
in the near future.
(Norway Post / NRK)
Steady decline in church baptisms
Photo: NRK
Minute-by-minute coverage of the Hurtigruten is one of the more memorable examples of Norwegian
Slow TV. Now the model makes its first entry into the UK.
Hurtigruten gave an 82-year-old pensioner from Sogn og Fjordane Country a
free trip from Kirkenes to Bergen after he
watched the entire program non-stop, just
catching sleep every now and then.
“There is also little research into the
genre. And, unlike other productions with
producers deciding exactly what people
should do and say, those who appear in front
of the camera in some Slow TV programs
bring their own content. This is very unusual
in the world of television,” Tim explains.
There are no foreign
lands. It is the traveler
only who is foreign.
– Robert Louis Stevenson
May 22, 2015 • 3
»
The BBC showed its first Slow TV last
week. BBC Four’s Goes Slow programs increased viewer figures by 50 percent. Some
400,000 usually watch the channel. An
American Slow TV production is scheduled
to air in November this year on Black Friday.
Tim Prevett says that his 29-minute
documentary That Damned Cow: Just what
is Norwegian Slow TV? is being shown at
the Nordic Church in Liverpool this May 17
See > slow tv, page 7
theforeigner.no is one of the top sources for English-language news
and features from Norway. Subscriptions start at NOK 49 per month
A total of 35,100 persons were baptized
by the Church of Norway in 2014 1,500
fewer than the year before. This number represents a fall of 4.2 percent compared to the previous year. During the
last four years, the number of baptisms
declined by 15 percent.
The proportion of baptisms to births
was 59 percent, a fall from 62 percent
in 2013. The proportion of baptism to
births has fallen every year since 2008.
A total of 43,000 youths were confirmed by the Church of Norway in
2014. This number represents a slight
increase, and shows that 63 percent of
15-year-olds still prefer a church confirmation. In spite of this rise, the proportion of 15-year-olds confirmed was 63
percent in 2014, one percentage point
lower compared to 2013.
A total of just below six million
persons attended Church of Norway
services. On average, 93 attended each
service, the same as the years before.
A total of 63,000 services were held,
about 980 fewer than the year before.
(SSB)
4 • May 22, 2015
Business
Business News & Notes
The revised fiscal budget for 2015
Presenting the revised fiscal budget for
2015, Finance Minister Siv Jensen said that
the sharp oil price decline since last year is
dampening growth in the Norwegian economy. Growth in the mainland (or non-oil)
economy is set to be moderate in 2015, and
some competitive businesses must adapt to
lower demand from the Norwegian petroleum sector.
She said these adjustments are likely to
happen earlier than previously anticipated
due to the oil price decline. “Lower demand
from the petroleum sector will pose challenges to the Norwegian economy. Our economic policy helps the economy meet these
challenges,” the Finance Minister said.
The 2015 Fiscal Budget took important
steps for a new economic policy for Norway. The budget promotes growth in the
Norwegian economy through targeted tax
reductions, high priority on infrastructure,
and emphasis on other measures to stimulate
productivity and competitiveness.
The Norwegian mainland economy
is forecast to grow at 1.3 percent this year
and 2.0 percent in 2016. Growth at this rate
would be below the average growth rate of
the last four decades. Declines in invest-
Telemark’s subsea hero
Telemark Technologies is a resourceful company
delivering solutions for the oil industry and more
Norsk Hydro: Record results for Q1 2015
Hydro’s underlying earnings before financial
items and tax increased to NOK 3,208 million in the first quarter, up from NOK 2,886
million in the fourth quarter of 2014.
The results reflect higher sales across
the value chain and a stronger U.S. dollar.
“I am pleased that we for the second
quarter in a row can present record quarterly
results since Hydro became a pure aluminium company in 2007. We will continue to
deliver on the improvement programs, while
looking for additional measures to expand
the efforts already in scope,” says President
and CEO Svein Richard Brandtzæg.
(Norway Post / NRK / Norsk Hydro)
Winners
(May 18, 2015)
7.4032
6.5934
8.2391
130.64
1.2151
0.8837
ments in the petroleum sector and moderate growth in household consumption are
expected to weigh on growth this year. On
the other hand, expansionary fiscal and monetary policies, and a depreciation of the Norwegian krone, provide significant impulses
to demand.
Employment growth has moderated and
the unemployment rate increased in April.
The registered unemployment rate currently
stands at 2.9 percent.
(Norway Post / Ministry of Finance)
Oslo Børs: Week at a Glance
Exchange Rates
Norsk Kr.
Dansk Kr. Svensk Kr. Islandsk Kr.
Canadian $
Euro
Name
SeaBird Exploration
Northern Offshore
Norwegian Energy Co.
Funcom
IDEX
NOKChange
0.09 50.00%
3.4515.00%
38.80 10.86%
1.969.50%
6.807.94%
Losers
Name
NOKChange
Vardia Insurance Group 1.62 -10.00%
Avocet Mining
0.58 -4.92%
Archer
2.85 -4.68%
Bergen Group
1.49 -4.49%
Blom
28.50 -4.36%
For detailed information about the Oslo Børs, visit www.dn.no.
Sealift Inc.
• Ship Owners •
• Ship & Cargo Brokers •
• Steamship Agents •
Photo: Telemarktechnologies.no
One of the company’s most exciting developments is its hyperbaric chamber for testing products in
deep sea condiitons.
Rasmus Falck
Oslo, Norway
On Liberation and Veterans Day, May 8,
I had the honor to meet Joachim Rønneberg.
He was the leader of the demolition team that
went into action against the Norsk Hydro
heavy water production plant in Vemork in
February 1943. This is probably the most
famous operation in Norway during WWII.
In 1965 he was portrayed in the American
movie “The Heroes of Telemark” by Kirk
Douglas. Therefore I thought it only natural
this time to present an innovative company
from Telemark.
The inhabitants of rural Norway have
traditionally, due to geographical obstacles,
sparse population, and lack of infrastructure,
been practitioners of self-sufficiency and innovation in order to improve their lot. The
company Telemark Technologies draws on
this tradition, combined with novel academic concepts such as systems engineering and
backed up by highly professional machining
and manufacturing facilities.
The company is a trusted subsea engineering and development partner for
offshore oil and gas producers and subsea
equipment manufacturers. They specialize in
engineering for the subsea industry and they
are innovators who have developed industry
advances. Telemark Technologies is headquartered in Kongsberg, a technology hub
for the global offshore oil and gas industry.
They operate world-class fabrication facilities and are a key supplier of comprehensive
projects, products, and services to the worldwide subsea industry.
Telemark Technologies is a group with
divisions complementing each other, making
them able to deliver more comprehensive
projects, products, and services. They draw,
calculate, construct, produce prototypes, and
do machining and welding, as well as coating treatment and services. They also offer
testing services for subsea qualification and
certification.
The founders and employees believe
that many industries, not least the larger
organizations in the subsea oil industry, in
many situations value access to a smaller
outfit able to combine inventiveness, diverse
backgrounds, enthusiasm, and specialized
know-how into fast-track practical solutions.
In particular, close collaboration and communication between the designer and the
machining facility is of the essence in order
to accomplish prototypes or quality components in the shortest possible time.
Telemark Technologies is this year’s
winner of The Confederation of Norwegian
Enterprises in Telemark’s Entrepreneurship
Award.
The 50 employees of Telemark Technologies are charging full throttle into the
subsea industry!
Rasmus Falck is a strong
innovation and entrepreneurship advocate. The
author of “What do the
best do better” and “The
board of directors as a
resource in SME,” he received his masters degree
from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He
currently lives in Oslo, Norway.
MULLAVEY, PROUT, GRENLEY & FOE
Attorneys and counselors at law
68 West Main Street, Oyster Bay, New York 11771
Phone: (516) 922-1000
Fax: (516) 922-6526
www.sealiftinc.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Advice regarding maritime and civil claims, disputes,
commercial transactions and estate planning.
2501 NW 65th St, P.O. Box 70567 Seattle, WA 98107
Telephone: (206) 789-2511 Fax: (206) 789-4484
May 22, 2015 • 5
sports
Back on the track:
Vukicevic announces her comeback
Molly Jones
Norway’s top female hurdler, Christina
Vukicevic Demidov, is returning to the sport
almost three years after her last competition.
“I think I can be better than I was before,”
declares the 27-year-old athlete of her comeback.
And that’s a bold statement, considering
the success of her career. Vukicevic Demidov grew up training with her father, the athletics trainer Petar Vukicevic from Serbia.
In her junior career, she won a gold medal
at the European Youth Summer Olympic
Festival in 2003 and the silver at the World
Junior Championships in Athletics in 2006.
She continued on to earn seven Norwegian
national championships in the 100 meter
hurdles and currently holds the Norwegian
record in three events: indoor 60 meter hurdles (7.83 seconds), indoor 50 meter hurdles
(6.81 seconds), and outdoor 100 meter hurdles (12.74 seconds).
But after an unsuccessful event at the
2012 European Championships, a foot injury due to Morton’s neuroma, and a lack
of motivation to continue at the elite level,
Vukicevic Demidov felt it was time to stop
competing. In 2013, she first stopped training with her father and then announced the
end of her career.
It seemed as though Vukicevic Demi-
Photo: Paal Sørensen / Wikimedia Commons
Christina Vukicevic Demidov after winning the 100m hurdles in Diamond Leagues, Bislett Games,
June 9, 2011.
dov’s career really was over, but in September 2014 she started training again with the
goal of returning to the track this summer.
“I lost the love for athletics for a few
years, but in September last year it began
to flourish again,” says Vukicevic Demidov.
“In a way, I never really retired, just took a
very long break. But now I know that I really
do have the desire to do this. The drive was
the only thing that was missing before,” she
continues.
It has now been six years since she set
her 100 meter hurdle record, but Vukicevic
Demidov is confident that her recovered motivation will take her to the top again.
Her new relationship with the former
Sports News & Notes
Golf: Tutta falls to fifth place
Suzann Pettersen was at third place on May
18 heading into the conclusion of the LPGA
golf tournament in Williamsburg, but finished in fifth. She ended ten under par. Minjee Lee from Australia won. The tournament
was halted due to poor visibility on May 17.
(NRK)
Football: First victory for Bodø/Glimt
Papa Alioune Ndiaye scored the game’s only
goal and gave Bodø/Glimt the 1-0 victory in
“the Battle of the North” on May 16. It was
Glimt’s first victory in this year’s season.
(NRK)
Football: Victory for Vålerenga
Vålerenga beat Mjøndalen 4-2 in the Tippeligaen match on May 16. Rasmus Lindkvist
(2), Christian Grindheim, and Morten Berre
scored the goals for the home team.
(NRK)
Football: Viking strongest in Haugesund
Viking is the team Haugesund is most eager
to beat, but the big brother from the south
took all of the points in the Rogaland derby
on May 13, with a 2-0 win. Yann-Erik de
Lanlay scored in the first half, while Jón
Dadi Bödvarsson scored just before the end.
(NRK)
Certified Public Accountants
221 First Avenue West Suite 400
Seattle, Washington 98119
05/12
05/12
05/13
05/13
05/13
05/13
05/13
05/13
05/16
05/16
05/16
05/16
05/16
05/16
05/16
05/16
Mjøndalen
Tromsø
Aalesund
Haugesund
Lillestrøm
Odd
Stabæk
Start
Bodø/Glimt
Vålerenga
Molde
Odd
Rosenborg
Sarpsborg 08
Strømsgodset
Viking
3–2
4–5
2–2
0–2
2–1
2–0
4–0
1–1
1–0
4–2
3–3
0–0
5–1
1–3
3–1
1–0
Rosenborg
Vålerenga
Sarpsborg 08
Viking
Molde
Strømsgodset
Sandefjord
Bodø/Glimt
Tromsø
Mjøndalen
Stabæk
Haugesund
Sandefjord
Lillestrøm
Aalesund
Start
To read more about football in
Norway, visit www.uefa.com
S tand i ngs
Tippeligaen
PLD
1. Rosenborg
2. Stabæk
3. Vålerenga
4. Viking
5. Odd
6. Molde
7. Sarpsborg 08
8. Lillestrøm
9. Strømsgodset
10. Mjøndalen
11. Aalesund
12. Start
13. Haugesund
14. Sandefjord
15. Bodø/Glimt
16. Tromsø
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
Business and individual
tax returns; audits; forensic
accounting; financial
statement preparation;
litigation support.
Lower Queen Anne location, easy parking.
Phone: 206.292.1747 • Online: loecpa.com • Email: [email protected]
FAITH
We’re a membership organization
of Christians who want to be wise with
money and live generously.
Tippeligaen: Norway’s Premier League
r e s u lts
sprinter Iren Vevatne Isaksen has been a major inspiration for her comeback. Vukicevic
Demidov met Vevatne Isaksen when she
moved to Bergen, and they quickly became
friends.
“She has a totally insane love for training, and it rubbed off on me. She is a big part
of why I’m back,” says Vukicevic Demidov
of Vevatne Isaksen.
Initally, Petar Vukicevic wasn’t quite
sure about his daughter’s decision to return
to the sport. But after watching her recent
training, he has decided to support her choice
and help her train. Vukicevic Demidov admits that her break from training allowed the
two of them to develop a normal father and
daughter relationship and a more balanced
life, and now she can look forward to training with him once again.
“Christina has kept very active the
whole time, and that makes it easier for her
now when she’s trying to get in the shape required to run hurdles. If you ask me, I think
that she can do it,” he says.
Norges Friidrettsforbund’s head of
sport Ronny Nilsen is another of Vukicevic
Demidov’s loyal supporters. He believes her
comeback will benefit both Vukicevic Demidov and Norwegian athletics as a whole.
Vukicevic Demidov will undoubtedly be
training hard for the next couple of months
as she prepares for the coming season. If
everything goes well, Vukicevic Demidov
hopes to represent Norway at the Summer
Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next year.
F INAN CE S
PTS
22
20
17
16
15
14
13
12
12
12
11
9
9
6
5
4
Backed by 100 years of
experience, we can help guide
you to your financial goals.
G E N E RO SIT Y
We can help you strengthen the community
where you live, work and worship.
L E T’S S TAR T A
N E W CO NV E R SATIO N
AB O U T M O N E Y
At Thrivent Financial, we view money differently.
It’s about guiding you to feel comfort and
confidence in your finances. And helping you be
A++ 335
HigHest of 16 ratings
SUpERIOR*
a.M. Best, april 2014
No.
ON THE FORTUNE 500
Fortune mAGAzINe, JUNe 2014
a good steward of the gifts God has given you.
Find out how you can connect your faith and
finances for good at Thrivent.com/start.
*Ratings reflect Thrivent’s overall financial strength and
claims-paying ability but do not apply to the performance of
investment products.
Appleton, Wisconsin • Minneapolis, Minnesota • Thrivent.com • 800-847-4836 •
27950NAWA R4-15
6 • May 22, 2015
opinion
< survivor
On the EDGE
From page 3
had,” the Ambassador remarks.
Samuel Leon “Sammy” Steinmann (August 24, 1923—May 1, 2015) grew up in the
Oslo borough of Nordstrand. On October 26,
1942, state police came to the farm where he
was staying with a friend, taking him to Berg
in Oslo by train, following a tram journey
from Nordstrand.
He endured constant harassment and
humiliation at Auschwitz, following his journey with other Jews on Nazi Germany’s the
SS Donau. Prisoner number 79231 had been
tattooed into his skin.
His brother, Harry Steinmann, was killed
shortly after arriving at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Only 10 Jews were alive in the camp in January 1943, some two months later.
Samuel Steinmann said that he survived
the torture and inhumanity there due to a good
deal of luck. He would go on to work at the
camp hospital, where working indoors meant
that he was less vulnerable to the cold and torture, less exposed to hard physical labor.
In January 1945, the Red Army moved
into Poland; Auschwitz was forcibly abandoned. Around 66,000 Jewish prisoners,
including Steinmann, were sent out on one
of the Nazis’ death marches, forced marches
involving columns of prisoners under guard.
Prisoners were brutally mistreated and killed.
Steinmann would survive. He and his
Jewish compatriots were not liberated until
April 11, though, by the Americans. They
had survived by taking numbered clothes
from dead, non-Jewish prisoners, hiding
their identity.
Steinmann has retold his stories to adults
and pupils alike in order to educate them
about the atrocities that took place under
WWII. He was awarded the King’s Medal of
Merit in 2012, and has now been laid to rest
in Oslo’s Helsfyr Gravlund.
“Sadly, the number of Holocaust survivors still living among us is diminishing
day by day, and with their passing the last
of those who can give first-hand testimony
of what happened in Europe during the years
1939-1945 are vanishing,” stated President
of Israel Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin in his letter
of condolence to Norway’s King Harald V.
“I am extremely concerned by the fact
that in parallel to the departure from our
world of such figures as Samuel Steinmann,
we are witnessing the ugly revival and rise in
Europe of anti-Semitism in Europe,” President Rivlin also wrote.
Additional source: The Center for Studies of
the Holocaust and Religious Minorities, Oslo
An opinion column about current issues in
Norway and the United States
Join the conversation!
Embassy Oslo: Sold to the man with a million bucks!
magnate and major campaign bundler whose
abject ignorance of Norway was exceeded
only by his complete lack of qualifications.
His embarrassing performance at his Senate
confirmation hearing combined with a vigorous opposition effort by the NorwegianAmerican community to ultimately scuttle
Tsunis, who bowed out graciously.
But—the ambassadorial auction block
remains as solid as ever, as the president has
picked yet another campaign cash bundler to
represent the U.S. of A. in Oslo. The lucky
winner is Minneapolis attorney Sam Heins.
Heins and his wife raised $1,042,157 for the
president. Congrats, Sam! You just won the
Cash-for-Embassy Lottery! But the White
House reached w-a-y down the money barrel
this time: the Heinses rank only #47 on the
donor/bundler list.
For the record: the last time Washington sent a career diplomat to Norway was in
1964.
In contrast to Tsunis, however, the wizards of the White House made a smart selection this time. They’re achieving several
goals: a) they’re rewarding another campaign donor (check that box!); b) Heins actually possesses some relevant experience
as a human rights activist; c) by choosing a
Minnesota native, the White House is placating that state’s senators (who opposed Tsunis)—and let’s not forget Minnesota has the
highest concentration of Norwegian Americans. I could list as a fourth achievement the
Photo: Chell Hill / Wikimedia Commons
Will the U.S. Embassy in Oslo finally have an ambassador to call its own?
James Bruno
Washington, D.C.
Word is that President Obama is ready
to announce his next nominee to become
U.S. ambassador to Norway. Readers will
recall the fiasco surrounding his last nominee, George Tsunis, a Long Island hotel
actual filling of the ambassador position,
but I honestly believe diplomacy is the
last thing on the minds of this administration’s political operators. Finally, wonky
wise-arses like myself will find it difficult
to throw cream pies at a serious-minded
lawyer with a track record in human
rights involvement. Though, I cannot
recall the last time we had run-ins with
the Norwegians over how they treat their
people.
So, to the White House and Mr. &
Mrs. Heins, I raise a glass of ice-cold
akevitt to your success. At the very least,
please try not to embarrass yourselves or
our fair Republic while in the land of Edvard Grieg and Trygve Lie!
James Bruno is a bestselling author. He has
been featured on many
national and international media outlets.
Bruno is a contributor
to Politico Magazine
and an instructor at
ThrillerFest. Bruno served as a diplomat
with the U.S. Department of State for twenty-three years and currently is a member of
the Diplomatic Readiness Reserve, subject
to worldwide duty on short notice. He holds
M.A. degrees from the U.S. Naval War College and Columbia University, and a B.A.
from George Washington University.
The opinions expressed by opinion writers featured in “On the Edge” are not necessarily those of Norwegian American Weekly, and our publication of those views is not
an endorsement of them. Comments, suggestions, and complaints about the opinions expressed by the paper’s editorials should be directed to the editor.
< permits
From page 3
permanent residence permit,” Minister
of Justice Anders Anundsen stated last
month.
Deputy Minister of Justice Himanshu Gulati spent two days in the Eritrean
capital last year regarding the matter. “We
met with officials from various ministries
to discuss sending some Eritreans home,”
The Guardian reported him as saying
then. “These individuals are vetted by the
immigration department and have been
found not to have a need for asylum.”
Norway’s Leftist tripartite coalition
also considered a return agreement with Eritrea whilst they were in power. “The Eritrean Foreign Minister does not discount forced
return of Eritreans from Norway either,”
Jøran Kallmyr, incumbent Junior Minister of
Justice for the Progress Party, told NRK.
Multi-year national service is the reason
most Eritreans have been given asylum in
Norway. Eritrea’s government has promised
Norway that this will not exceed one and
a half years. “The prerequisite for a return
agreement is that national service is not more
than 18 months,” concluded the Junior Min-
ister.
The proposal from the Norwegian government, which has demanded documentation from Eritrea showing that all those returned will be treated humanely, has been
sent for hearing.
Eritreans are one of the largest refugee
groups to have been granted asylum in Norway in more recent years.
2,720 Eritreans have been granted asylum in Norway in the last 16 months, some
7,000 during the last five years, according to
Directorate of Immigration (UDI) figures.
Just the right amount of NAW
Want to try NAW on for size?
Looking for a lower-priced gift
for the Norwegian in your life?
Here’s a secret: we’ll pro-rate
subscriptions to fit your budget.
one year:
70
$
Or buy part of a year for less!
Name: _________________ Phone: _______________
Address: _______________________________________
City/State/Zip: ________________ _____________
Visa / Mastercard: ______________________________
Expiration: _____________ CVV:
Email:
Questions? Call us at (206) 784-4617 or email [email protected].
You can also subscribe with a credit card over the phone!
or mail check to: Norwegian American Weekly, 7301 5th Ave NE Ste A, Seattle, WA 98115
May 22, 2015 • 7
opinion
Letters to the Editor
Published since May 17, 1889
Do you have something to say?
Write to us at Norwegian American Weekly, Letter to the Editor, 7301 Fifth Avenue
NE, Suite A, Seattle, WA 98115, or email us at [email protected], subject line
Letter to the Editor. Letters may be edited for style, clarity, or length.
What to cover
NAW notes
Happy Memorial Day
We at NAW hope you enjoy
your three-day weekend (while
we come to work to make you
a newspaper, no biggie). Happy
beginning of summer!
More importantly, we thank
the men and women who’ve
given their lives for our country.
Magnets
The Nils Anders Wik magnets
are in, and they’re as adorable as
we thought they’d be! They are
on their way to “Your Very Own
Nisse” supporters.
Correction
On our “Heroes of Ragnarök” page we spelled Barbra S.
Stehlik’s name incorrectly. This
correction has been made to the
online page (www.na-weekly.
com/heroes-of-ragnarok).
Thank you, Barbra, and
all the other heroes who have
stepped up to help NAW in our
time of need.
< slow tv
From page 3
as part of the celebrations. These include a
prayer at the Norwegian memorial at the Pier
Head on Liverpool’s waterfront and a traditional procession.
He hopes that the production will knit
together with people such as those interested
in Norwegian culture and those with Norwegian ancestry at the Nordic community.
“The documentary was partly spawned by
my wish to express a big sense of gratitude.
I never expected that I would be able to go
to Norway to interview people or be present
during the hymn book event in Trondheim,”
comments Prevett.
The Foreigner asked Prevett if he has
any connections with Norway or Norwegian
culture otherwise?
“No. But Trollhunter is one of my favorite films.”
Dear Editor,
Tusen takk for the N-A Weekly. All
at our Sons of Norway chapter liked it but
wished you’d included more regarding Norway’s present economy (industries: oil, hydroelectricity, agriculture, etc.), per capita
GDP, imports & exports, education (what the
schools are like), military, etc.
Your “local” coverage is important to
the locals but really interest few others. Expand your coverage to explain and interpret
why gamle Norway has perhaps the highest
standard of living in the world—ja?
Cordially,
Gene Wicklund
Minneapolis, Minn.
Dear Gene,
Thank you for these very good points.
Norway is indeed an interesting country
with a lot going for it, which we do try to
cover. We have business stories every week,
covering a range of the items you mentioned.
I would be happy to cover more of almost
anything—schools, military, you name it—
but our staffing situation is such that in reality I rarely get to seek out stories, and must
instead choose from what my (wonderful)
writers find interesting to write about. Hear
that, writers (and would-be writers)? I will
take more stories on the above topics.
As far as local coverage, it’s obvious
that these stories will typically only interest those in the area (though not only them,
often—this week’s “In Your Neighborhood”
stories have wide appeal, I think), so our aim
is to try to include local stories from as many
localities as possible!
This is a sensitive topic for us at NAW, as
one of the issues we inherited from the years
immediately following the Norway Times/
Western Viking merger was a feeling that our
supposedly national newspaper wasn’t representing the various communities equitably.
I try very hard to achieve geographical balance. This is hard sometimes, because there’s
so little space to cover everything we’d like
to, but trust me when I say we’re trying our
very best!
Anyway, we won’t be dropping local
stories anytime soon, but please do let me
know if there’s something happening in your
neighborhood that you feel we ought to cover
(even better if you’d like to write about it for
me!).
I hope even with these flaws, you enjoy
the newspaper. Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Editor
Norway’s anthem
Dear Editor,
It may interest some of your readers to
know that “Ja vi elsker dette landet” has not
always been the national anthem.
“Ja vi elsker,” text by Bjørnstjerne
Bjørnson and music by Rikard Nordraak,
was first used May 17, 1864. Previous to that
time the anthem was “Sønner av Norge det
ældgamle rige” (Sons of Norway the ancient
kingdom), which was used from 1820 to
1864. The text was by Henrik Anker Bjerregaard with music by Christian Blom.
Sincerely,
Roar Irgens
Mount Vernon, Wash.
Send us your Syttende Mai photos!
email high-res photos to [email protected] for our 17. mai photo spread
Han Ola og Han Per
with new translations by John Erik Stacy
7301 Fifth Avenue NE Suite A, Seattle, WA 98115
Toll-free: (800) 305-0217 • Local: (206) 784-4617
Fax: (206) 448-2033 • Email: [email protected]
Publisher
Norwegian American Foundation
Editor-in-chief
Emily C. Skaftun
[email protected]
Editorial Assistant
Molly Jones
[email protected]
Taste of Norway Editor
Daytona Strong
[email protected]
Advertising
Drew Gardner
[email protected]
Subscriptions
John Erik Stacy
[email protected]
Contributors
Larrie Wanberg
Grand Forks, N.D.
Lina Aas-Helseth
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Patricia BarryHopewell Junction, N.Y.
Melinda Bargreen
Everett, Wash.
M. Michael Brady
Asker, Norway
Carla Danziger
McLean, Va. / Albany, Calif.
Daughters of Norway Members
Various
Gary G. Erickson
Sunburg, Minn.
Rasmus FalckOslo, Norway
Marit FosseGeneva, Switzerland
Sunny Gandara
Beacon, N.Y.
Shelby Gilje
Seattle, Wash.
Heidi Håvan Grosch
Sparbu, Norway
Rosalie Grangaard Grosch
Arden Hills, Minn.
Line Grundstad Hanke
Seattle, Wash.
Victoria Hofmo
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Leslee Lane HoyumRockford, Minn.
Roy JorgensenHopewell Junction, N.Y
Inger-Torill Kirkeby
Miami, Fla.
Scott Larsen
New Westminster, B.C.
Thor A. Larsen
Fishkill, N.Y.
Jerry Larson
Zimmerman, Minn.
Solveig M. Lee
Seattle, Wash.
Darin Lietz
Seattle, Wash.
Richard Londgren
Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Whitney Love
Stavanger, Norway
Donald V. Mehus
New York, N.Y.
Christine Foster Meloni
Washington, D.C.
David Moe
Sun City, Calif.
David Nikel
Trondheim, Norway
Ken Nordan
Batavia, Ill.
Finn Roed
West Bloomfield, Mich.
Barbara K. Rostad
Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho
John Erik Stacy
Seattle, Wash.
Rolf Kristian Stang
New York, N.Y.
Judith Gabriel Vinje
Los Angeles, Calif.
Norwegian American Weekly strives to make
its news report fair and accurate. If you have a
question or comment about news coverage call
(206) 784-4617. • Norwegian American Weekly
reserves the right to edit any and all submissions
for style, grammar, accuracy, and/or space, and
the right not to print submissions deemed libelous,
in poor taste, or not suited for publication in this
newspaper. • The opinions expressed by opinion
writers and letter writers are not necessarily those
of Norwegian American Weekly, and our publication of those views is not an endorsement of them.
Comments, suggestions, and complaints about
the opinions expressed by the paper’s editorials
should be directed to the publisher. • Norwegian
American Weekly (USPS 679-840) (ISSN 19421389) is published weekly except the first week of
the calendar year, the week after Easter, the last
week of July, and the first two weeks of August by
Norwegian American Weekly, INC. • Periodicals
postage paid at Seattle, Wash. and at additional
mailing offices. • POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to 7301 Fifth Ave. NE Suite A Seattle, WA 98115 • Annual Subscription Cost: US $70
Domestic, US $94 to Canada, US $212 to Norway
and all other foreign countries.
SINCE MAY 17, 1889:
Formerly Norway Times
Western Viking & Washington Posten
Comprising Nordisk Tidende, Decorah-Posten
og Ved Arnen, Minneapolis-Tidende, Minnesota
Posten, Norrona, and Skandinaven
NORWEGIAN AMERICAN WEEKLY, INC.
Look here, Mother, I bought
an electric comb at the sale
in Spring Grove. Now you
will get your hair combed.
It will be
dandy.
You can start
it up now then.
I am turning the
switch now.
8 • May 22, 2015
Taste of Norway
A refined akevitt cocktail for spring
Inspired by family memories, the Norsk 17 is a refreshing, Scandinavian twist on a classic
Emily Vikre
Duluth, Minn.
When my husband and I decided to
move back to my hometown in Northern
Minnesota to open up a craft distillery, we
knew basically from the start that we wanted
to make akevitt. My mother emigrated from
Norway to the United States when she was
in her early 20s, and my father’s family is
also Norwegian, so I had grown up with ake
vitt as a presence at all of our holidays. My
mother and some of our best family friends
who are also from Norway had, in fact, taken our neighborhood by storm when I was
little with the introduction of a raucous Syttende Mai fest complete with parade, giant
smørgåsbord of everyone’s favorite Norwegian treats, and free-flowing akevitt and
drinking songs. It’s something everyone
looks forward to all year long.
When I set out to craft the akevitt that we
make at our distillery, I wanted to create one
that hearkened to those I was familiar with,
like Linie and Aalborg, but to tone down the
burn and the heavy hit of caraway by adding
a number of other spices inspired by Scandinavian baked goods. Our akevitt has some
cardamom, cloves, peppercorn, fennel, and
citrus zest, a bit like a spiced rye bread.
While the traditional way of drinking
akevitt is to sip it ice cold alongside a beer,
creative bartenders have recently discovered
akevitt makes an excellent base for cocktails.
In Norway, Linie actually sponsors a cocktail competition. In the United States, you’ll
find akevitt cocktails on the menus of fine
establishments from New York to Chicago
to Seattle. I love using our akevitt—which
is named Øvrevann, Norwegian for Upper
Lake, or Lake Superior, where our distillery
is located—and others for cocktails to give
them a little Scandinavian inflection.
This particular cocktail is a festive
sparkling cocktail that I served to my family when we celebrated Syttende Mai this
year—along with our traditional straight
akevitt, of course. This is a simple variation
of the French 75, which is a classic gin cocktail. Instead of gin, lemon, and champagne,
here the flavors of akevitt marry beautifully
with lime and prosecco. It’s refreshing, effervescent, and tastes like a celebration!
Emily Vikre is a Norwegian-American dual citizen
who grew up in Northern
Minnesota but spent all her
summers at her family’s
hytte in Southern Norway.
After receiving a PhD in
Food Policy and Applied
Nutrition, Emily and her husband Joel decided
to change the course of their lives and moved
back to Duluth, Minn., to start Vikre Distillery
(vikredistillery.com) where they make fine handcrafted spirits inspired by the nature and culture
of Northern Minnesota. Emily is also an enthusiastic cook, recipe developer, and food writer
and has contributed to such publications as
Lucky Peach, Food52, Cake & Whiskey Magazine, and Minnesota Public Radio.
Photos: Emily Vikre
With akevitt, prosecco, and lime, this refreshing cocktail is a Norwegian twist on the classic French
75 cocktail.
Norsk 17
1 oz Vikre Øvrevann Aquavit (this
cocktail will also work with another
caraway or anise-dominant akevitt
like Linie or Krogstad)
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
3 oz prosecco (or other dry sparkling
wine)
Shake the aquavit, lime juice, and simple syrup with ice until chilled. Strain into a cocktail coupe or champagne flute and top with the prosecco.
Send us your Syttende Mai photos!
5351 24th Ave NW • Seattle, WA 98107 • Tel: 206-784-2562 • Fax: 206-784-1986
Fishing Vessels in the North Pacific and Bering Sea
Passenger Vessels from Puget Sound to Southeast Alaska
S hip shape & Seaworth y
www.pacificfishermen.com
email high-res photos to [email protected] for our 17. mai photo spread
travel
May 22, 2015 • 9
Norway on a harp string:
One harp player’s tour of Scandinavia
Beth Kollé
Seattle, Wash.
Who doesn’t love Norway, any time
of year? Norway is especially beautiful,
though, in May and June when the weather
turns mild and the sun stays up late and gets
up early. In late May, 14 Americans, mostly
musicians and mostly harp players, met in
Oslo to start the third Harpa Tour. Harpa is a
group of harp players who tour in Scandinavia and play concerts together. It’s a different group each time, but it’s always fun.
What no one can plan on is natural disasters, and the flooding in Europe had made
its way up to Norway around the time we all
landed in Oslo. Farms were underwater, the
river Lågen looked more like Lake Mjøsa,
and several bridges ahead of us were washed
away. A fair amount of time was spent refiguring our route, but our driver Hogne
worked hard to make sure we were always
able to reach our next concert destination on
time.
With the bus packed full of us and our
day packs and a small trailer hanging off
the back for the harps and suitcases, we embarked from Oslo ready to play. We played
seven concerts, from laid-back potlucks to
formal church settings, in a big loop through
Telemark to Bergen, north to Balestrand and
Ålesund, and east over the mountains to
Lillehammer before returning to Oslo. Two
weeks of music and fun!
It was such joy to come together from
many parts of the U.S. and share our love of
the harp. Some of us were friends from past
Harpa tours, or from the many harp festivals
we attend around the country. Everyone had
worked hard on their own to learn the music
and in rehearsal we quickly melded into an
impressive ensemble.
The harp is a rarely seen instrument
in Norway. Many people in our audiences
were completely enthralled just looking at
the beautiful hand-made harps, and then
transported by the sound of our 300 or more
heavenly strings. One young teen at a picnic in Hokksund was so awestruck that she
talked her folks into buying my harp—before the tour had even started! I made them
wait until we returned to Oslo before they
could pick up the harp.
I always arrange to stop at at least one
stave church on our way, and it’s usually
Heddal Stavkirke in Telemark. There we are
welcomed with open arms, and allowed to
play our harps inside the nave for as long as
we like. One Harpa member, Therese Honey,
is a recognized expert in medieval and renaissance harp music, and what better music
to play inside a stave church? It perfectly
fit the atmosphere created by hand-painted
walls and the carved “Bishop’s Chair.” We
also stopped at Røldal Stavkirke and enjoyed
its very different character and atmosphere.
Probably the strangest encounter we
had was in Ytre Arna. We visited the Oleana
factory, where they create the finest sweaters of Norwegian design. There in the foyer
stood a tall harp, which our guide explained
belonged to a harpist arriving from Germany. “We searched far and wide to find a harpist for this evening’s event, and finally had to
look in Germany,” she said. All of us stood
there, surprise clearly on our faces, as I said,
“We have ten harps in our bus trailer, right
there in your parking lot. We could have
Photos: Jack Kollé
Above: Ålesund’s picturesque harbor.
Right: Beth tunes her harp at Storetveit Church, Bergen, where the group held a concert.
Below: Bøvra River running high after floods.
played for you!”
The astounded guide was for a moment
quite speechless. And then she said, “Next
time you come through, let us know and
we’ll set up a concert for you!” We left this
wonderful factory dreaming of being paid
for our music in beautifully knit sweaters.
It’s difficult to describe the incredibly
beautiful scenery that Norway possesses in
abundance. If you’ve been there, you know
what I’m talking about. Green rolling hills,
valleys bursting with greenery, the nearvertical fruit orchards of Hardanger, whitetopped mountains, the perfect reflection of
sheer cliffs in the fjord waters—we stopped
trying to choose the perfect place to live,
there were too many of them.
In Bergen we visited the folk dance
group on Sotra Island, who gave us places
to stay overnight and threw the best party
ever at their harbor meeting house. We were
treated to live Hardingfele music by talented
local teens, and lots of people were able to sit
at one of our harps and learn to pluck a few
strings. The potluck dinner included mountains of fresh shrimp, cheeses, hot dishes,
and local specialties.
An overnight stop in Balestrand gave us
a chance to play in the Høyvik Room of the
ornate and spacious Kviknes Hotel. The furniture, all hand-carved in acanthus style, and
the full-length view of Sognefjord, made this
a dream-like experience for those who had
never seen a fjord in their lives. Dinner was
probably the largest buffet spread any of us
had ever seen, with tables laden with delicious food in a room the size of a ballroom.
In Ålesund the Ivar Aasen folk dance
group treated us, after our concert, by giving
us the run of their cozy timber-built lodge
high up on the mountain above the harbor.
Clear views of the mountains and fishing
boats with, of course, the never-ending sunset of Norway’s summer, made this a most
relaxing stay.
Our final stop was the historic Lillehammer Church, but to get there we had to navigate the mountains and the floodlands. That’s
where we saw roads and newly planted fields
underwater, with barn walls washed up to a
couple meters by the swollen river. But our
welcome in Lillehammer was warm and our
lodgings were dry.
We shared our last concert with Klang,
a men’s chorus that has been singing together for many decades. Our final number
together was the song “Nidelven,” beloved
by all immigrants from Norway in the States,
and when the baritone soloist finished the
first verse with harps accompanying, and
the whole chorus joined in, we were all so
moved that it was suddenly a bit difficult to
see our harp-strings clearly!
Once back in Oslo, we said our goodbyes, realizing this was a special time for
each of us and that we would cherish our
memories of Norway for the rest of our lives.
We were given a warm welcome wherever
we went, and we are forever grateful to our
kind and generous Norwegian hosts and
hostesses and to our brave and skillful bus
driver, Hogne!
Beth Kollé is a member of Leif Erikson Lodge
of Sons of Norway, and Valkyrien Lodge of
Daughters of Norway, Seattle Wash. She performs, records and teaches throughout the
US, in Norway, Sweden, and Ireland. Harpa
CD and DVD available to order: please call
Beth at (206) 715-2858 or email bethkolle@
comcast.net.
10 • May 22, 2015
Roots & Connections
< seamen’s church
From page 1
Norwegians. Four student chaplains visit
Norwegian students abroad; one of them is
assigned to visiting students in the U.S. Seven chaplains serve on Norwegian oil installations in the North Sea. There is also a church
on the internet.
Syversen emphasized that the primary
mission of the church is to provide a spiritual meeting place and to promote the Kingdom of God. The church’s cultural and social
goals are, however, also very important.
“We believe that all people have unlimited value. We believe in relationship and
that we all belong together. We can build
bridges by reaching out and offering friendship to the guests in our churches,” Mr. Syversen declared.
The Seamen’s Church does not remain
within the walls of its churches, however. It
plays a vital role in the field, helping people when disaster strikes. The church has a
24/7 phone advisory service and responds
quickly to individual emergencies. In 2014
the church assisted 1,519 Norwegians in distress.
The church also offers valuable, timely
assistance in the case of major disasters anywhere in the world. It provided assistance
when the Air France jet crashed in Brazil in
2009. It played a vital role during the terrorist attack on Statoil’s installation in 2013.
It assisted after the terrorist attacks in Paris
and Copenhagen this year. The church also
assists when disasters occur within Norway
itself. It went into action immediately after
the horrendous terrorist attack in Oslo on
July 22, 2011.
The Church in Washington, D.C.
Syversen also talked about the Norwegian congregation in Washington. It is an
independent congregation that has a relationship with the Norwegian Church Abroad
in New York. A pastor from the Seamen’s
Church in New York comes to Washington
on the second Sunday of every month for
a service at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in
Norwenglish Crossword
Directions: Translate English words to Norwegian, or vice
versa, before posting in the puzzle. #2 / 92.
Bethesda, Maryland. This Norwegian-language service has been held in the nation’s
capital for 68 years. It follows the Norwegian Church’s order for worship.
After the service, most of the parishioners go downstairs to the Fellowship Hall
to socialize over a cup of coffee and Norwegian cakes and waffles. They also have
an opportunity to buy Norwegian products,
as the pastor always brings items from the
church in New York including chocolates,
cheese, jam, and fish balls. Gift articles and
Norwegian newspapers are also available for
purchase.
Sunday School is provided for children
during the service. The children sometimes
present plays to the congregation, especially
during the Christmas season.
In June the church arranges confirmation for youth from D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and sometimes even from
Pennsylvania and North Carolina. It also
arranges baptisms, weddings, funerals, and
memorial services.
Every year the church plays an impor-
by Andrew R. Thurston
Across /
Vannrett
1. Forslitt
6. Matters
11. Taler
12. Skribent
14. Curriculum
15. Unveil
16. Agreed
17. Rescue
19. Part
20. Bookcase
22. Time
23. Genius
24. Armert
26. Glistened
28. Er
30. Tilsalder
31. Dish washing
35. Hegre
39. Fly
40. Tips
42. Lette
43. Tidsmani
44. Støpeformer
46. SSW
47. Gjøre seg
elsket
49. Evangelium
51. Utsende igjen
52. (The) peas
53. Brokkbind
54. Svier
Down /
Loddrett
1. Trainer
2. Løsepenger
3. Dets
4. Tur
5. (The) sleeve
6. Reive
7. Inherit
8. Unge
9. Etyder
10. (The) shrimps
11. Opera
13. Tendte på
igjen
18. Grave
21. Forlate
23. Gnaw
25. Drag
27. Harme
29. Eskorter
31. Tilbud
32. Planet
33. Powder
34. Bulge
36. Rasps
37. Essence
38. Compete
41. Kanter
44. Maize
45. Sår
48. Emu
50. Stubborn
Norsk-Engelsk Kryssord
Ed Egerdahl wrote these puzzles for Scandinavian Language Institute’s classes at
Seattle’s Nordic Heritage Museum. It’s possible a few of the clues will make more
sense if you remember that—there may be some Seattle-centric answers. There’s
definitely some wacky humor, and if you find yourself uncertain about a two-letter
answer, try “Ed.”
(N) = skriv på norsk. Otherwise, the answers are in English.
VANNRETT
1. hvor bratt veien er / skole karakter
5. smekke med hånden
10. bli større
14. stiv, vil ikke bøye
15. engel lue
16. si noe fryktelig godt om noe eller
noen
17. (n) dør stilling
18. skure middel merkenavn /
skytende himmelsk lys
19. flink flygere / høyeste kort i
stokken
20. basis på desimal systemet
21. Enterprise hastighet / plate
bøyning
22. lokalisert språk nyanse
24. knytte sammen
26. (n) gamle ett-roms hus / moderne
rom for underholdning (flertall)
27. tok inn mat
28. et tog gjør det og går, et bar gjøre
det og ler!
29. komisk geni bak dette
31. små hus for verktøy / en slange
gjør det med huden
34. fedre, onkler, nevøer
35. for en tid siden
36. hage slange / bein klær
37. personlige beskjeder / musikalsk
skrift
38. eksotiske frukter fra et varmere
klima
39. helten i de fleste norske vitser
40. geometrisk form / iskjeks
41. den slags mytologi som gir oss i
hvert fall fire ut av sju ukedags navn
42. kryssord mester som liker å se det
lille navnet i trykk
43. dekke med klær eller penger
44. to som arbeider sammen
45. smal vei for bilen eller bowling
baller
46. verdens hjerte for norsk språk og
kultur
50. en liten elv
52. (n) farge eller metall
53. oi, har du sett på maken!
54. dukkehjem dame
55. dansk komisk pianist
57. fersk vann innsjø
58. strykejern / metall
59. motsatt av godhet
60. restaurant kunde
61. kirke møbler
62. pris / fart / vurdere
63. folk med energi for aktiviteter
tant role in the 17th of May celebration together with the Royal Norwegian Embassy
and other Norwegian organizations including Lakselaget D.C., the Washington, D.C.
lodge of the Sons of Norway, the Norwegian
Society of Washington, D.C., Den Norske
Dameklubben, and the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Norwegian-American Chamber of
Commerce. It also sponsors a very popular
Christmas bazaar in November and offers a
Nordic service on Christmas Eve.
The Seamen’s Church strives to be a
servant church in the world today, serving
Norwegians and others who seek friendship
and assistance.
Christine Foster Meloni is
professor emerita at The
George Washington University. She has degrees
in Italian literature, linguistics, and international
education. She was born in
Minneapolis and currently
lives in Washington, DC. She values her Norwegian heritage.
Puzzles by Sölvi Dolland
“A Norwegian-Danish playwright”
by Ed Egerdahl of the Scandinavian Language Institute
LODDRETT
1. (n) ha tårer renne fra øynene
2. tomatene blir røde, frukten
begynner å falle
3. spion / reisebyrå ansatt
4. (n) den tilhører deg
5. viktig nøkkelord i norsk klasse
6. Dinah ved kysten
7. apparat for lys
8. pub favoritt i England
9. lefse ingredienser
10. bønner bedt før vi spise
11. en som kjører en fort bil i
konkurranser
12. bake apparat
13. retning unge immigranter skulle
reise i de gamle dager
18. sukker stav / smekke på rumpen i
Singapore
21. farlig å bli skremt ut av dem når du
har bare den halve å begynner med
23. bruker saks / slemme ting å si om
andre
25. gå i vannet opp til knærne
26. under deler av sko / flate fisk
28. sleng ord for en av 9 loddrett
29. omelett ingrediens
30. hvor mye medisin
31. fot klær
32. telefon knapp ord
33. kompass retning / ord ending med
nasjonalitet
34. sedler, sjekker
35. bildekk fyll
37. forhåpentlig er du ferdig med
kryssordet før denne tiden
38. lure noen / en med ingen sans
40. slags brus
41. (n) ingenting
43. rengjør
44. sted mellom fjellene
45. retnings merke
46. militær trompet
47. en nesten gjennomsiktig stein
48. (n) skaldyr
49. Bambis familie
50. saks lyd
51. (n) guttenavn
52. sandpapir kvalitet
56. latinsk for 29 loddrett
57. asiatisk språk
60. en grusom jobb, men noen måtte
gjøre det!
norwegian american weekly obituaries & Religion
In Loving Memory
Do you have a loved one or friend who has recently passed?
Contact us at (206) 784-4617 or [email protected] to place an obituary.
Constance O. Anderson
September 3, 1922 – May 9, 2015
Constance Olivia Anderson passed
away on May 9, 2015. She was born Sept. 3,
1922, in Vignes to Bertha (Arneson) and Oscar Johnsrud. She graduated from Sturgeon
Bay High School. On February 14, 1942, she
and Peary M. Anderson were married at Tanum Lutheran Church, where she had been
baptized and confirmed. She and Peary were
proud of their Norwegian heritage and enjoyed traveling to Norway and other places.
Peary passed away in 1998.
When Peary and Joseph Jungwirth
formed Ace Hardware, Inc. in Sturgeon
Bay in 1954, she became bookkeeper. They
sold the business in 1975 and she worked at
Jorns, Inc. from 1979 until her retirement in
1987. Connie was accomplished in rosemaling, water colors, spinning, weaving, dyeing
wool, knitting, Norwegian embroidery, quilt
making, sewing, and many other artistic endeavors.
Connie was a faithful member of Bay
View Lutheran Church, participating in the
choir, Sunday school, Bay View Church
Women, circles, and activities. She was also
22. mai
Kristen Grobstok
Kirkland WA
Myrtle P. Jacobson
Minot ND
Lillian S. Lien
Minneapolis MN
Laura Pedersen
Grants Pass OR
Nels Stone
Grand Marais MN
Odd Vaarvik
Chewelah WA
Kari Molbach Wallise Agua Dulce CA
23. mai
Agnes Berge
Ontario Canada
Florence Engebretson Oro Valley AZ
Britt Graham
Portland OR
Arne Kvarnberg
Seattle WA
Jim LaTourette
Santa Cruz CA
Donald Peterson
Milan MN
Gerd Rorvik
Thornwood NY
Albert Ruen
Decorah IA
Agnes Tharaldsen
Scottsdale AZ
Geraldine Thompsen Green Valley AZ
May Sandvik Wohlafka
East Northport NY
24. mai
William Aasen
Rhoadsville VA
Burnett N. Bordson Fergus Falls MN
Jarle Eldevik
Blue Jay CA
Glenn Foss
Echo MN
Anne Jordheim
Columbia MO
Glenn Kensmoe
Mt. Vernon WA
Col Hamilton Lawrence Coronado CA
Harald Olafson
Everett WA
Leif Sather
Gonvick MN
Harold Steinvik Sandhornøy Norway
May 22, 2015 • 11
active in Girl Scouts for 30 years, was a charter member of Sons of Norway H. R. Holand
Lodge and Arachne Spinners, member of
Norse Rosemalers, Door County Weaver’s
Guild, Door County Historical Society, past
president of Sturgeon Bay Business Women,
and volunteer at the Miller Art Museum.
Survivors include three daughters: Mary
Lou (Eddy) Allen; Sally Treichel, Sturgeon
Bay; and Constance (Candy) Davis, Mankato, Minn. Grandchildren: John (Fotini) Boyd,
Manitowoc; Elizabeth Boyd, Milwaukee;
Danny (Jamie) Allen, Algoma; and Corey
and Colby Treichel, Sturgeon Bay. Great
grandchildren: Maria (Stephen) Gordon; Allanah and Ronny Boyd; Sean, Tory, and Alex
Johnson; Timothy Treichel; and Owen and
Delaney Allen. Great great grandchildren:
Kyla and Krystal Gordon; Donivan Crull; and
Lilly Boyd. She is also survived by her sister
Hazel (Elward) Anderson; sister-in-law Nedra Johnsrud; sister-in-law Marie Anderson;
and nieces and nephews.
Preceding her in death were her husband Peary; sons-in-law Ronald Treichel
and Douglas Davis; great grandchildren Michael Treichel and Regan Allen; brother Arnold Johnsrud; brothers-in-law; and sisters25. mai
Janet (Nesse) Grell
Matawan NJ
Neal Harrison
Lynnwood WA
Lily Tofteland Hartmann Boulder CO
John L. Haugum
Montevideo MN
Thor Johanessen
Brooklyn NY
Louis Mysse Libby MT
Evelyn Knutsen Nesse Staten Island NY
Ole Torland
Brunsville MN
26. mai
Marilyn E. Benson Silver Spring MD
Carole Davick
Bellevue NE
Marilyn Gjerlow
Staten Island NY
Olaf Hetlet Arlington SD
Theo Linland
Pineville NC
Capt. Sev Samuelsen Aurora OH
Susan Johansen Shiels
Pelham NY
Tom Virding
Englewood CO
27. mai
Mrs. Kaare Bang
Eugene OR
Adolph Gjerding
Seattle WA
Einar Goday
Brick NJ
Malena Haugen
Hannaford ND
Cherie Iverson
Oak Harbor WA
Ingeborg C. Lange Santa Ana CA
Larry Locken
Mount Vernon WA
Inga Rude
Jamestown ND
Magne A. Spor
Milwaukie OR
Bruce Sverre Vatne
Mendota Heights MN
28. mai
Elmer K. Bakke
Astoria SD
Jorulf Brynestad
Oak Ridge TN
Carl I. Jarnes
Aberdeen WA
Bill Peterson Mora MN
Richard Stenerson Redmond WA
Howard S. Tronsdal Stanwood WA
Sverre Velle
Straumgjerde Norway
Want to see your birthday in the Norwegian American Weekly?
Email [email protected] or call (206) 784-4617. Must be submitted one month in advance.
NB: Has someone on our birthday list passed away? Please notify us!
Pastor Larson’s Corner
Pastor Jerry Larson retired to his cabin in Zimmerman, Minn., after 39 years
in parish ministry for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In 2011 he
published a book entitled “Speaking the Word Freely: Writing with purpose,
preaching with power.” Contact him at [email protected]
Are you paying attention?
Recently I was visiting with a friend
and I shared my concern about a mutual
friend of ours who seemed to have a very
negative attitude lately. He said, “Well
Jerry, I guess if you aren’t a little bummed
out these days, you just aren’t paying attention.” His response precipitated quite a
conversation. It ended with us both thinking that our mutual friend was probably
having a very normal reaction to the world
as we currently know it.
So many horrific things happen on
almost a daily basis that most of us are
numb to it. We are experiencing sensory
overload and it can have a devastating effect upon our psychological well-being. I
recently watched a report on the refugees
fleeing North Africa for Europe. They
were willing to risk their lives to cross the
Mediterranean in small boats and rafts.
They believed that anything was better
than remaining in their homeland. In an
interview, one of the refuges said, “In our
country no one loves anyone anymore.”
As people of faith we naturally wonder where God is in all of this. How can we
trust in God when so many terrible things
are happening all around the world? Even
more importantly, what can we do to make
things better both at home and abroad?
How can we bring hope and peace into a
world so conflicted?
Truthfully, we know that there remains
much good in the world. If we pay more
attention to the good things and rejoice in
those things, perhaps we can see that we
have much to live for. We know that God
is good and desires for us to have full and
abundant lives. Noticing and then sharing
the good things around us in this life might
very well help our little corner of the world
get through a very difficult time.
Community Connections
G rat u l erer m e d Dagen !
Happy birthday /
engagement / etc!
Your name and
message here!
For more information, call
us at (206) 784-4617 or email
[email protected].
The Scandinavian Hour
Celebrating over 50 years on the air!
KKNW – 1150 AM
Saturdays 9 – 10 a.m. PST
Streaming live on the internet at:
www.1150kknw.com
2709 SAN PABLO AVE — BERKELEY, CA 94702
Phone: (800) 854-6435 — Email: [email protected]
Featuring great Nordic products
Books • Candy and Chocolates • Canned goods • Condiments
Cooking wares • Dry Goods • Gift items • Specialty meats
and more!
Visit us online: www.nordichouse.com
12 • May 22, 2015
in your neighborhood
What’s going on in your neighborhood?
california
Freya Lodge New Member Meet and Greet
Open House
June 3, 6:00—8:00 p.m.
Santa Rosa. Calif.
Enjoy traditional Scandinavian foods such as
krumkake, rosettes, or smørbrød. While learning how to make these delicacies, watch a
demonstration on Norwegian rosemaling or
get tips on tracing your family tree with an expert Norwegian genealogist. Explore the benefits of membership in Freya Lodge Sons of
Norway. Free. At Norway Hall. Contact AnneMarie at (707) 894-1807 for more details.
Scandinavian Heritage Fair
June 6, 1:00—4:00 p.m.
Temecula, Calif.
Sons of Norway, Vinland Lodge, will have a
Scandinavian Heritage Fair at the Assistance
League of Temecula Valley. There will be many
exhibits, including Viking history and customs,
Norwegian trolls, Norwegian painting and
drawing, rosemaling, craft demonstrations in
Hardanger and knitting, and food demonstrations with lefse, æblerskiver, and waffle making. There will also be a Viking photo booth
and food to purchase. Event is free to the public. For info please contact Caronne at (909)
239-8399 or [email protected].
Fridtjof Nansen Lodge 85th Anniversary
June 6, 4:00—8:00 p.m.
Long Beach, Calif.
Fridtjof Nansen Lodge #6-009 was established June 5, 1930, and we will be 85 years
old this June. Celebrate the 85th anniversary
on June 6 at Recreation Park 18 Golf Course.
A Taste of Scandinavia
June 20, 12:00—2:00 p.m.
Kelseyville, Calif.
Vikings of Lake Lodge, Sons of Norway, will
host a Scandinavian buffet dinner in the
Galilee Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall.
Enjoy great homemade food consisting of
Swedish meatballs, dilled potatoes, pickled
herring, shrimp cocktail, lefse, cookies, and
more. There will be a door prize and raffle.
Cost: $15 in advance. For tickets, contact Jo
at (707) 279-8264 or [email protected].
colorado
Fjelldalen Lodge 20th Anniversary
June 20, 11:30 a.m.—2:30 p.m.
Denver, Colo.
Fjelldalen Lodge 6-162 is proud to celebrate
their 20th anniversary with a lunch, short program, and awards at Pinehurst Country Club.
$30 per person. See sofn.amm.clockwork.
net/_asset/9fy2al/2015_Fjelldalen_20th_
Anniversary.pdf for more info.
illinois
Visit the Viking Ship
June 21 & 27—28, 10:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m.
Geneva, Ill.
Visit the Viking ship, a real, full-size replica of
a ninth-century Viking ship that sailed across
the Atlantic in 1893. Docent-led tours begin
every 30 minutes. You’ll learn of Viking construction, journey, and significance. Cost is
$5 to enter the park and $5 for adults, $3 for
teens to tour the ship.
Maryland
Lise Lorentzen’s Rosemaling Show
May 31—June 28
Bel Air, Md.
Lise Lorentzen’s rosemaling will be presented
at this one-woman show at the prestigious
Liriodendron Art Gallery. The opening reception will be held on May 31 and will run
through June 28 on Sundays from 1:00 to
4:00 p.m. Contact [email protected] or
(410) 879-4424 for more info.
Michigan
Samhold 50th Anniversary Celebration
June 14, 4:00—6:30 p.m.
Waterford, Mich.
The Sons of Norway lodge, Samhold #5-473, will
be celebrating its 50th anniversary at the Scott
Lake Banquet Center: 2100 Scott Lake Rd. The
keynote speaker will be Owen Christianson, Sons
of Norway District Five President. Members and
friends are invited to participate in a variety of
entertainment. Membership awards will be presented by the Lodge President, Gene Steensma.
Minnesota
The Tine Box
June 11, 6:00—5:00 p.m.
Isle, Minn.
Tine Boxes have a history dating back at least
2,000 years. Artisans made tines, bentwood boxes, one at a time to meet specific needs. The tine
could be a container for family valuables or as
mundane as storing food. Originally made of thin
wood slabs laced with fine birch roots, today they
are used as containers for jewelry, correspondence, and sewing boxes. A master at the making
of “tine boxes” and boxes made from birch bark,
Bob is the Sons of Norway International DirectorDistrict 1 and lives in Detroit Lakes, Minn.
Midtsommer Fest
June 13, 12:00 p.m.
Minneapolis, Minn.
A contemporary interpretation of the traditional
Norwegian summer gathering! The all-day festival brings together Norwegian Americans young
and old to celebrate the new home of Norway
House and enjoy a mix of live music, family activities, and rich Nordic culture. Enjoy the Makers
Mart (a local art and handmade craft market) and
Food Fair, featuring the best of Twin Cities food
artisans, street food purveyors, Nordic specialties, and craft beverages. At Norway House.
Midtsommer Celebration Gala & Going Viking
Honors
June 18, 6:00 p.m.
Minneapolis, Minn.
Join Norway House for a silent auction, dinner, live
auction, live presentation of Norwegian Threads,
an exhibition featuring the work of textile artist
Lise Skjåk Bræk and painter Anne Langsholt Apaydinli, and more. The 2015 Going Viking Honoree
is Thor Johansen, Former Consul General for Norway in Minneapolis. Attire is Nordic Gala Finest:
Norwegian sweaters, suits, bunad, or black-tie.
Visit www.norwayhouse.org/2015/03/3637/ for
more info and registration. At Aria Minneapolis.
new york
New Nordic Cinema: Victoria
May 27 & 29
New York, N.Y.
Join Scandinavia House for a showing of Victoria,
directed by Torun Lian (Norway, 2013). Norwegian Nobel Prize-winning author Knut Hamsun’s
immortal novel Victoria (1898) is the original
love story. It has everything: young love, class differences, success against all odds, glorious costumes and settings, and heartbreaking tragedy.
In Norwegian and Swedish with English subtitles.
At 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday or 6:30 on Friday.
Cost is $10 or $7 for ASF members.
Natural Disaster Risk Reduction in NYC and
Norway
May 28, 6:00—8:15 p.m.
New York, N.Y.
A debate organized by the Nature Conservancy
in collaboration with the Government of Norway.
After Hurricane Sandy, the Nature Conservancy
committed to help New York build back smarter
and use nature—wetlands, forests, dunes, mussel beds, oyster reefs, and parks—to help protect
us. At Scandinavia House. RSVP at docs.google.
com/forms/d/1BEANI3ut_-MlAKbEQw2iBNqJgRrc_T9fo-8uqQFXwxk/viewform.
Check www.na-weekly.com/events for complete listings.
Calendar of Events
Annual BBQ
June 7, 1:00—5:00 p.m.
Brooklyn, N.Y.
What better way to kick off the summer break
than with a great BBQ? We will be serving the traditional hot dogs and hamburgers, potato salad,
corn on the cob, coleslaw, and a few surprises. A
few of our members will be manning the pit as
others lead the lawn festivities. Everyone is welcome! At Gjøa Sporting Club.
oregon
The 106th Annual Sangerfest Grand Concert
June 19, 7:00 p.m.
Salem, Ore.
The Pacific Coast Norwegian Singers Association
and the Thorsmen Norwegian Male Chorus of Salem will perform at the 106th Annual Sangerfest
Grand Concert. A special guest artist will be Miss
Alicia Baker, a world-class singer and entertainer!
For further info, call Paul Flora at (503) 572-8330
or Roger Vinyard at (503) 559-8831. Tickets are
$10. At West Salem High School Auditorium.
pennsylvania
Northern Lights: Scandinavian Design
May 23—Oct. 4
Philadelphia, Penn.
Drawing from the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s
exceptional holdings, Northern Lights surveys
Scandinavian design from the 1900 World’s Fair
in Paris to the present, with special emphasis on
objects made mid-century, when an appreciation
for Scandinavian design reached new heights
both in the United States and internationally.
Visit www.philamuseum.org for more info.
Bernt Balchen Lodge Viking Fest
June 6, 6:00 p.m.
Lackawaxen, Penn.
Bernt Balchen Lodge, Sons of Norway, hosts their
annual Viking Fest at the Lackawaxen Fire Hall.
Price: $20 per adult and $10 for children under
12. The menu consists of stuffed roast pork dinner with all the trimmings, homemade bread and
desserts, coffee, and tea. Reservations required
by June 1. Please call Elsie at (570) 685-7086.
texas
Sankthansaften
June 20
Cranfills Gap, Texas
Join the Bosque County Chapter for a Summer
Solstice celebration. The event starts at 9:00 a.m.
with breakfast at St. Olaf Lutheran Church. Everyone is invited to talk for about five minutes, telling
a family story relating to their place in America.
Washington
Nordic Fest!
May 30, 10:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m.
Auburn, Wash.
Join the Sons of Norway Vesterdalen Lodge for
Nordic Fest! Enjoy vendors (clothing, jewelry,
books, rosemaling), ethnic foods to sample, bake
sale, craft displays and demonstrations, genealogy, activities for children, and more! Visit www.
vesterdalen.org for more info.
Lefsefest Midsummer Festival & Heritage Day
June 6, 10:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.
Issaquah, Wash.
A fun festival featuring Viking battles (watch or
participate!), arts and crafts, vendors, bake sale,
Swedish Pancakes, lefse (traditional and glutenfree), folk costumes, traditional foods, kransekake raffles, live music, demonstrations, entertainment, activities for children, and a children’s
maypole program. Free admission. Sponsored by
the Sons of Norway Cascade Lodge, Sons of Norway Foundation, and the Daughters of Norway
Gina Krog Lodge. For more info contact Leiann at
(425) 313-0193 or [email protected].
At Veterans’ Field / Issaquah Senior Center.
Ornamental Woodcarving with Erik Holt
June 7, 14, 21, 28, 9:00 a.m.—3:30 p.m.
Seattle, Wash.
Woodcarvers at all levels are welcome. Tool
sharpening and basic carving techniques will
be covered for beginners. Continuing students will develop their own projects. Classes
start at $45 for members, $47 for non-members, with discounts for multiple classes. Sign
up and find more info at www.eventbrite.
com/e/craft-school-wood-carving-with-erikholt-june-2015-registration-14074885361.
Akevitt Tasting
June 7, 1:00—3:00 p.m. & 14, 6:00—8:00 p.m.
Seattle Wash.
This two-hour akevitt tasting covers everything
you ever wanted to know about akevitt, including history, production, styles by region, modern interpretation, flavors, food pairing, drinking songs, cocktailing, and more! Taste over 20
domestic and imported akevitts. 21+ only. $55
for members; $60 general; designated drivers
free. Register at aquavit-tasting.eventbrite.
com. At the Nordic Heritage Museum.
Heritage Camp: Nordic Celebrations
June 22—26, 9:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m.
Seattle, Wash.
Heritage Camp is a week of fun activities and
crafts related to celebrations in the Nordic
countries for children ages seven to 11! We
are happy to announce that the Leif Erikson
Lodge is again co-sponsoring camp. Reservations are necessary, and can be made by contacting Alison Church at (206) 789-5707 x19
or [email protected]. Cost is $150
for NHM members, $100 for members of the
Leif Erikson Lodge, or $175 general admission.
At the Nordic Heritage Museum.
Wisconsin
Family History Scrapbooking Class
May 30, 9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Madison, Wis.
This workshop will provide you with an alternative to writing a book about your family. Assemble your family’s history one page
at a time, using pictures or documents and
the descriptions that go with them. Before
you know it, you will have a treasured history
to pass on to family members. Instructed by
Carol Culbertson at Ostby Education Center of
the Norwegian American Genealogical Center. Cost is $45 for NAGC members or $60 for
non-members. For more info, contact NAGC
“From the Land of the Midnight Sun to the
Badger State, An American Dream Come True”
June 10, 7:00—9:00 p.m.
Stoughton, Wis.
Join Sons of Norway Mandt Lodge. Two Norwegian exchange students, from the Arctic Circle and Southern Norway, will talk about their
homes in Norway and their experiences living
in Stoughton. There will also be a program by
ASPECT Foundation’s Cynda Solberg and Dave
Carlson. Greg Ragan, Sons of Norway Financial Benefit Counselor, will also present on the
products offered by Sons of Norway! Contact
Darlene Arneson at arnesonfamily5@gmail.
com or (608) 873-7209 for more info.
Beginning Norwegian Genealogy Class
June 10—11
Madison, Wis.
If you are just beginning your family history
project, or have not worked with Norwegian
records, this class is for you. Instructed by Jerry Paulson at Ostby Education Center of the
Norwegian American Genealogical Center.
Cost is $125 for NAGC members or $150 for
non-members. For more info, contact NAGC
Send your event to [email protected] or call (206) 784-4617
to be added to the Norwegian American Weekly!
Event listings are free, but space is limited. Please contact us at least one month prior to event.
norwegian american weekly May 22, 2015 • 13
In your neighborhood
70 years later:
Remembering the
Norwegian War Sailors
Victoria Hofmo
Brooklyn, N.Y.
This year marks the 70th Anniversary
of the end of WWII, and Friday, May 8,
marked the 70th Anniversary of Norway’s
liberation from the Nazis. To honor it, the
Norwegian War Sailors Club in Brooklyn
(the krigsseilerne) held their annual tradition
of commemorating the day with a ceremony
at their monument at Battery Park known by
the Norwegian sailors as “the stone.”
In contrast to this simple “stone” is the
powerful and dynamic American Merchant
Marine Monument, placed in the water nearby. It depicts a man gone overboard and a
frantic attempt to save him. The Norwegian
monument seems underwhelming in comparison. A professor I had at City College
called the Norwegian monument “The Forgotten Monument,” but after much research,
I would say it is a perfect fit to represent the
Norwegians of that generation.
The stone is subtle and natural, and
was designed and donated by officers of
the Norwegian Merchant Marine and Navy.
It is composed of a boulder balanced on a
rock slab that reads, “These boulders were
brought here from the coast of Norway—
where forces of nature have worn and shaped
them for thousands of years.” Now encircled
by trees and fauna, it serves as a respite of
greenery in a very hectic and harried part of
New York City, laying just feet away from
the snaking lines of tourists heading to Ellis
Island and the Statue of Liberty.
The text on the stone, unlike most monuments, does not refer to brave deeds or fallen colleagues, but rather thanks the United
States: “Dedicated in the year 1982, to the
people of the United States of America, by
War Veterans of the Norwegian Merchant
Marines and the Royal Norwegian Navy. In
Memory of the help and hospitality shown
during our mutual struggle for freedom and
peace in World War II.”
It was not until years later that Jenny
Nilssen had another tablet laid thanking the
men for their valor. It reads, “In World War
II, 1,100 Norwegian ships served the allied
cause by hauling supplies between U.S. ports
and the war theaters abroad. A sizable part
of the Allied Forces were supplied by ships
flying the Norwegian flag. More than 30,000
sailors and naval gunners manned the ships.
Many of them looked to New York, the principal port of call, as their home port during
the war. The losses were heavy—570 ships
and 4,000 sailors.”
Now, the Norwegian and American
monuments face each other. This makes perfect sense, because the Norwegian sailors
served on American ships as well. So both
monuments are a tribute to their service.
The Norwegian War Sailors suffered
the most casualties per capita of any of the
armed forces that served during WWII. They
lost more than half their fleet and 4,000 men,
as they were tasked with the dangerous job
of carrying supplies (including flammables),
often across the U-boat-infested Atlantic
where torpedoing was notorious. According
to NBC News, in the battle in the Atlantic,
“Hundreds of ships were sunk. Millions of
tons of cargo shipments were intercepted.
More than 5,000 lives were lost.”
The Norwegian War Sailors Club
(NWSC) of Brooklyn disbanded about a
decade ago. Today, there are fewer than a
handful of the Norwegian War Sailors left in
the area. However, Aksel Andresen, a Norwegian War Sailor Veteran, and the Scandinavian East Coast Museum (SECM), which
has been documenting the stories of the
members of the NWSC in Brooklyn, wished
to bring back the May 8 commemoration
tradition this year. When Andresen, his girlfriend Sylvia Kristiansen, and I arrived at the
stone, we were delightfully surprised to be
greeted by other members of the NorwegianAmerican community: Lois Hedlund, Berit
Petersen, and Kai Petersen.
We were fortunate to have the Norwegian Consul General in New York, Elin
Bergithe Rognlie, open the ceremony. She
spoke (in Norwegian) about the importance
of remembrance, that we should not forget
See > sailors, page 14
Photo courtesy of Little Norway
Arne Asphjell, Ingebrit Ustad, Ansgar Selsto, and Oddmund Stenset, take their first look at the pavilion with
owner Scott Winner.
< stave church
From page 1
outside of Norway.
For nearly 80 years now, four generations of Dahle’s family have preserved the
property. The current owner is Scott Winner,
Dahle’s great-nephew.
Little Norway has welcomed millions of
visitors wishing to learn more about Norwegian and Norwegian-American culture and
history throughout its 75 years, rightfully
earning a spot on the National Register of
Historic Places.
But when the expense of keeping the
museum open became too high, Winner was
forced to close Little Norway in 2012. He remained optimistic that Little Norway would
reopen in the future, but eventually decided
to put the property up for sale. He explored
several options to keep the buildings on site,
including selling the museum to a foundation
or using the land for weddings and retreats.
Meanwhile, he started receiving messages from residents in Orkdal with a significant connection to the building: their grandfather, Peder O. Kvaale, had carved some of
the intricate designs on the church back in
1893. They expressed interest in purchasing
the stave church and bringing it back to its
original home. The Orkdal community then
formed a group to explore the idea and organized a trip to see the building in person.
Winner was reluctant at first—he had
hoped to keep the building in Blue Mounds
for future generations of Americans to enjoy—but his perspective began to change
when he saw their reactions: they spent three
hours in tears as they explored the church
their grandfather had helped to build. “If it
can’t be here, what a wonderful thing to have
it go back to Norway,” commented Winner.
The group leader Arne Asphjell was
pleased with the state of the building and excited to learn that it can be moved and rebuilt
relatively easily; it has already been moved
three times, after all.
The Norwegians then returned home,
excited to share their dream with their community. A budget is currently being prepared, and a council of 35 people will meet
to discuss the project’s practical aspects, as
well as its emotional significance, and make
a final decision on May 27.
Saturday, May 30, 2015, 10 aM - 3 PM
MeSSiah Lutheran ChurCh
805 4th Street Ne • AuburN
Sponsored by Vesterdalen Lodge Sons of norway, www.vesterdalen.org
“The stone” is a fittingly simple memorial to Norwegian sailors.
Photo: Lois Berseth Hedlund
• Vendors (clothing, jewelry, books, rosemaling)
• ethnic foods to sample
• bake sale
• Craft displays and demonstrations
• Geneology information
• Activities for Children
• And more!
14 • May 22, 2015
norwegian heritage
Still foreign, but part of the community
Dr. Linda Duevel talks to David Nikel about her years at the International School of Stavanger
David Nikel
Life in Norway
This summer, Dr. Len and Dr. Linda
Duevel retire after a collective 82 years of
service to the International School of Stavanger. The school describes itself as a “crossroads of diversity” with nearly 700 students
representing some 50 nationalities.
Dr. Linda Duevel was named the International Superintendent of the Year by the
Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE) and took time away
from her busy schedule to speak to Life in
Norway about the school and what has kept
an American in Norway for so long.
Photo courtesy of the International School Stavanger
Linda Duevel is honored as International Superintendent of the Year.
< sailors
From page 13
the brave acts of these men. By fortunate coincidence, she tells us, at the very hour we
were having a ceremony in New York, King
Harald V was officiating at a ceremony at
Akershus Castle in Oslo honoring veterans
of liberation, in which of course the Norwegian War Veterans were included.
Andresen placed flowers on the stone
and asked for a moment of silence. Pastor
Margareth Glad, of the Norwegian Seamen’s
Church, led us in singing, “Ja vi elsker dette
landet,” the Norwegian National Anthem.
She said that this should be a tradition and
the Consul General agreed. The pastor ended
with prayer.
I spoke on behalf of the SECM. “On
Sept. 16, 1942, in the Washington Navy
Yard, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave
a speech at a handover ceremony of the
Royal Norwegian Navy ship, King Haakon
VII. Hear his powerful words: If there is anyone who still wonders why this war is being
fought, let him look to Norway. If there is
anyone who has any delusions that this war
could have been averted, let them look to
Norway. And, if there is anyone who doubts
the democratic will to win; again I say, let
them look to Norway. Today, these words
still ring true as we stand at the stone that
memorializes the contributions of the Norwegian war sailors. We thank and remember
those who were lost during the war, those we
have lost since the war and those who stand
with us today. Thank you—Tusen takk!”
I asked Lois Hedlund what she thought
about the day: “Having Aksel Andresen, one
of the few remaining Norwegian War Veterans, attend the ceremony made this an extra
special event. Most Norwegian Americans
are not even aware of the monument, nor the
sacrifices made by the ‘krigsseilere.’ I am
glad I was able to attend this year.”
Berit Petersen added: “I think it was a
wonderful day in NYC by the stone having Aksel there and remembering all the
krigsseilers who fought and died for Norway. I hope visiting Battery Park on May 8
will be a tradition and the younger generation also will never forget.”
With Memorial Day quickly approaching, please include the Norwegian War Sailors in your thoughts. Let us not forget the
deeds of these brave men, young men, and
sometimes boys who hate the moniker heroes, but instead explain, “I was just doing
my duty.” Theirs is a lesson in self-sacrifice
that should be replicated and remembered.
Additional Information
• The Scandinavian East Coast Museum
plans to continue organizing a commemoration ceremony yearly on May 8, so the story
of these brave men will be remembered.
• If you would like to visit the stone, the
following website gives more info and a map,
which is helpful as the park has been under
construction: www.nycgovparks.org/parks/
battery-park/monuments/1123.
• A friend, Carl Hedlund, suggested
that watching the PBS Nova Special about
U-Boats, which aired on May 6, Nazi Attack
on America, would help explain what the
sailors experienced and how important they
were to the war effort: www.pbs.org/wgbh/
nova/military/Nazi-Attack-America.html.
Follow the adventures of a Norwegian-American
when he moves to Norway after retiring:
www.norwayliving .com
- Daily Adventures and Experiences
- Cars, Roads, and Driving in Norway
- Building a House in Norway
(while living in the U.S.)
- Healthcare in Norway
David Nikel: Linda, tell us your story! How
did you end up in education?
Linda Duevel: I grew up with one foot on either side of the Atlantic, half-American and
half-Scouse! My mother was a wartime ambulance driver in Liverpool. After they married, they joined the relatively big group of
English girls who went to the USA after the
war. She moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan,
where a lot of people complimented her on
her English! My first friends were the children of other war brides, and the group really
held on to their sense of Britishness.
I knew I wanted to do something that
would make use of both sides of my persona.
I was studying to be a teacher and my plan
was to be a journalist, but for a woman in the
late 1960s there were really only three options: secretary, nurse, or teacher. Teaching
appealed, and luckily my university had a
program where I could teach overseas. I was
really fortunate to land in a situation where
I was teaching high school English in London, and they hired me to do my first year
of professional teaching. It was invigorating
time for me as a young teacher, we got to
take students all around the country.
DN: What brought you to Norway?
LD: For me it was an easy decision. I landed
in Stavanger in August 1975 on a beautiful
sunny day. After driving along the fjord for
just ten minutes, I knew I wasn’t going to
go home! Having said that, I didn’t expect
to be here this long either! My husband grew
up on a dairy farm in Minnesota and did his
student teaching in the Canary Islands, but
Norway just suited us both. We’ve had opportunities to go elsewhere, but Norway has
always won out.
We are here not because we are stuck
here but because we choose to be here. After
we “graduate” this summer, this is where we
will stay.
DN: Can you tell us a little about the ISS?
LD: When the school was first founded in
1966, the thought was there would be a need
for an English language school for around
ten years due to the emerging oil industry.
There were mainly American families to
begin with, but now it’s much more international. This beautiful piece of land we are on
was given to the school by Stavanger kommune. We finished the campus and moved
here in 1982.
DN: How does the education experience differ in an international school?
LD: We have 50 different nationalities here
and everyone wants to make sure their kids
will do well here, but also reintegrate well
back into their country’s education system.
We spend less time thinking about that
than about the three pillars education is
based on—learning, wellbeing, and community—that permeate through every aspect of
education in Norway.
Although we welcome a diverse mix of
nationalities, Norwegian children make up
a big percentage of our student population.
Many of them are part of mobile families
and may have been studying in an international school before and may well again in
the future.
Our students don’t ask each other if
they’re going to university, they ask on
which continent! We offer the international
baccalaureate and the iGCSE through the
University of Cambridge. That combination
is sort of seen as the gold standard for students in international education.
DN: Do any of your students stay with you
for their entire education?
LD: Hardly any go all the way through. This
year we have two students graduating who
started their education here. One of the girls
has been with us since barnehage (kindergarten). She’s a Norwegian citizen of Pakistani
origin, President of the Student Council, and
working on an art project connected with the
World Wildlife Fund.
DN: Having been in Norway for so long, do
you feel Norwegian?
LD: What a great question! Many years ago
I was in hospital and when I came off the
anesthetic my husband told me I was speaking Norwegian. I was so pleased to hear that!
But no, I don’t think I’ll ever feel truly Norwegian, although I do feel like a very honored guest.
No one will ever look at me and listen
to me and think I’m Norwegian. I’ll always
be identified as a foreigner, but these aren’t
negative things.
I’ve been asked twice to run for City
Council here, but in both cases I very tactfully and diplomatically thanked them for the
great compliment. My job is with the school
and although I like working with politicians,
I don’t want to be one.
My point is, this is an amazing country
for me to have come to as a 25 year old and
have a long and fascinating career. I’ve met
all kinds of remarkable people of different
nationalities including many Norwegians
who have graciously allowed my husband
and I to become good friends.
DN: What’s next for you and yours?
LD: We will probably stay very busy and
look forward to doing a lot of volunteering.
For example, I am chairing an international
organization for the next two years, we teach
graduate classes during the summer, and I’ll
deliver some volunteer international school
governance workshops.
I’ve been invited to Uzbekistan and will
do board training there. My husband will
come along and we will travel around the
Silk Road. Then in September, we’ve been
invited to go to a conference in Mumbai on
international education followed by some
volunteer teacher training work.
In November we go to Washington,
D.C., for the last piece of the Superintendent
of the Year award process. That’s three days
of meetings culminating in a trip to the White
House. So it’s going to be a very busy year!
norwegian american weekly May 22, 2015 • 15
arts & entertainment
A Tribute to Rolf Kristian Stang
The American Scandinavian Society honors a living performing arts legend
Kirsten Vibe Philippides
The Danish Pioneer
The ASS arranged for a loving tribute
to Rolf Stang, a former American Scandinavian Society Vice President and distinguished member who for 30-plus years has
contributed graciously to the society with his
many talents, his enthusiasm and energy.
For the occasion (which turned out to be
less of a surprise in the end!) the ASS assembled a group of outstanding singers and
musicians with whom Rolf has worked in
the past as a repertoire and language coach.
Rolf Stang was warmly introduced by
Lars Nilsen, V.P. for Norway, and by Lena
Stenwall, President of ASS. She described
in warm and glowing terms Stang’s involvement and sincere dedication to the Scandinavian community and to furthering the
knowledge of Nordic culture in this country.
Through the years, Rolf has received
recognition as a charismatic figure, writer,
language teacher, translator, vocal-repertoire
coach, composer, character actor, and singer.
He has been a backbone of the American
Scandinavian Society from its new beginning
(1982) and has promoted endeavors of the
Society’s Program Committee, Cultural Grant
Committee, and Art Committee as writer, advisor, performer, MC public relations chairman, and behind-the-scenes facilitator.
In 1998 Stang was knighted by King
Harald V for his role as an important tradition bearer, at which time he received the
St. Olaf Medal of Honor. He also has been
inducted into the Scandinavian-American
Hall of Fame, in 1997. He received the Sons
of Norway Leif Eriksson Citation in 2000,
prior to his summer appearances as Leif Eriksson at Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian
Discovery Theatre. Having joined in 1971,
he is now a “Golden” member of the Sons of
Norway. He has been a Board Member of the
Book cover courtesy of the ASS
Norwegian Seamen’s Church since 1974. He
enjoys being called “The oldest and longest
serving volunteer” at the church.
Rolf is the son of Norwegian immigrant
parents who settled in Rockford, Illinois,
which was known as “Little Sweden.” Danes
and Norwegians also settled there, which accounts for his pan-Scandinavian attitude.
He received a B.A. in Music from Augustana College and a Master’s Degree in
music and history from Columbia University, studied at Juilliard, and spent three years
in Germany, where he attended the Hamburg
Music Conservatory and the University and
sang as a soloist with the Christoph Weber
Barock Ensemble.
Returning to the U.S., Stang taught music and the German language. He has taught
concert singers in the German, English, Norwegian, and Swedish art song repertoire and
he has instructed and coached opera stars in
German opera.
Stang is also well known for his oneman shows, “Leifur Eiriksson, Icelandic
Viking-Era Voyager,” “Henrik Ibsen, the
Photo: Marit Areklett
Left: The cover of a tribute book, with cover illustration by Ingrid Tostrup of Bellingham, Wash.
Above: Frank Basile, bass-baritone, singing “Min gule blomst i Texas / The Yellow Rose of Texas” in Norwegian,
with the man of the hour looking on.
Quiet Eye of the Hurricane,” and “My name
is Grieg, Edvard Grieg.”
Every autumn for the past 25 years Rolf
Stang has been Hans Christian Andersen in
New York’s Central Park. He delights children (and adults) as he presents “The Ugly
Duckling’s Birthday Party.”
A musical program was presented as a
tribute to Rolf by the following performers:
Jane Thorngren, Soprano opera sang the
Grieg/Ibsen “Med en vandlilje” movingly
and in perfect Norwegian, and was accompanied by Thor-Erik Fjellvang at the piano.
Frank Basile, bass-baritone was also
accompanied by Thor-Erik Fjellvang. His
handsome, Italian operatic voice was heard
in a medley of popular tunes along with an
amusing rendition of “The Yellow Rose of
Texas” in Norwegian, translated by Rolf(!),
which brought the house down. (Frank
Basile is the husband of the late beloved
Hollywood star Celeste Holm, of Norwegian
background, who also gave freely of her rich
talent to the Nordic community.)
John Brancy, baritone, recently graduated from the Juillard School of Music has
been enthusiastically recognized as an upand-coming talent who is causing quite a stir
in New York music venues. In Swedish, we
heard him sing the epic Sibelius/Runeberg
song “Under Strandens Granar,” accompanied by Peter Dugan.
Anja Christin Nielsen, playing beautiful
trumpet, accompanied Rolf in “Alt lægger
for din fot jeg ned” by Halfdan Kjerulf and
Thomas Moore, with the very versatile ThorErik again at the piano.
Roses and a “Tribute” book with a David Levine cover design, featuring Ingrid
Tostrup’s drawing of Rolf Stang, were presented to the very touched and charming-asusual Man of the Evening.
Back to the source:
“A Sensation at the Metropolitan Opera”
Rigmor Swensen
Norwegian Immigration Association
As a complement to Rolf Stang’s recent
article on Kirsten Flagstad, the following
is a chapter of a book by Carl Søyland, esteemed editor of Nordisk Tidende in its heyday. It gives a vivid professional picture of
Flagstad’s Met debut. The chapter comes
from Skrift i Sand (1954), my translation
Written in the Wind (2005).
Kirsten Flagstad debuted as Sieglinde
in Wagner’s The Valkerie at last Saturday’s
matinee at the Metropolitan Opera. Every
single seat in the large hall, from the floor
to the ceiling, was taken, and standing room
was full to overflowing. It was not anticipation in connection with the debut that had
attracted a full house. Saturday’s matinee is
very popular, and the weekly broadcast has
attracted a new audience to the opera. Kirsten Flagstad’s debut has not been preceded by
much advertising fanfare. Probably very few
of the thousands attending expected in this
matinee performance, February 2, 1935, to
have an experience that occurs only once in
a decade in the opera world.
A new singer walks onto the stage in one
of the most famous roles. At the beginning
her performance and her tone do not rouse
more than the usual interest.
The act continues. Wagner’s music rises
from the orchestra pit. And then the amazing
happens on the stage—the unusual power
that emanates from the stage fills row after
row. It is the invisible power that passes farther and farther spreading backwards in the
hall, to the farthest and highest rows.
And up on the stage—in the middle of it
all—stands Kirsten Flagstad, “the new Norwegian singer,” the source of the miracle.
When the curtain falls after the first
act—in front of Hunding’s cabin with the
doors wide open facing the spring’s landscape where Siegmund and Sieglinde had
sung their duet and their arias—“The Winter
Storm Gives Way to Spring”—the applause
roars like a storm. Hunding, Siegmund, and
Sieglinde come forward and bow. Finally
Sieglinde comes forth alone, and now there
were ovations—and shouts of bravo. It was
all, first and foremost, about Kirsten Flagstad.
It has been a long time since I have seen
such an elated audience after an opera act at
the Metropolitan. There is a tight, murmuring noise of voices that have suddenly found
something to talk about. And I feel the barometer at the Metropolitan all the way from
the days of Caruso and Geraldine Ferrar.
Kirsten Flagstad was magnificent as
Sieglinde in the middle register; her voice is
so dark and rich that you are doubly surprised
over its fullness and richness, the golden ring
in the upper register. You never get the feeling that anything is an effort for her. That is
enough to celebrate. You perceive that here
is a singer who is brilliantly musical and so
highly intelligent that she completely masters her role. In addition, she knows her
Wagner. There is strength and surety in her
phrasing. There is a deep understanding in
her portrayal of the role.
And what do New York’s music critics
say, those who are so eager to look down
their noses? Those who are sparse with their
expressions of praise and positive adjectives,
Photo: Nasjonalbiblioteket
Portrait of Kirsten Flagstad in the 1940s.
See > flagstad, page 16
16 • May 22, 2015
back page
Norwegian Language Corner
NORWEGIAN FOLK TALES, FAIRY TALES and TROLLS
Volume 2
With 21 classic folk tales, fairy tales, and trolls from Norway in Norwegian and English, “Tuss og Troll” is now
serialized in the Norwegian American Weekly’s Norwegian Language Corner. The stories are from the collections
of Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, and retold by Øyvind Dybvad, Gard Espeland, Velle Espeland,
Johannes Farestveit, and Nana Rise-Lynum. Translated by Alexander Knud Huntrods and Odd-Steinar Dybvad
Raneng. Illustrated by Solveig Muren Sanden, Jens R. Nilssen, and Ralph A. Styker. “Tuss og Troll” was edited,
designed, and published by Deb Nelson Gourley of Astri My Astri publishing. Copyright © Norsk Barneblad.
< Flagstad
From page 15
because they are so swamped with music and
song throughout the year—and have already
heard the best and the second best. Most often they turn thumbs down, but for sure they
must greet this new star with as much joy as
an astronomer who discovers a new celestial
body. The renowned Olin Downes, in the
Times, writes: “No other Sieglinde in the last
ten years has made such an impression here
with her voice, her acting, her intelligence,
and her dramatic sincerity, and with her obvious knowledge of Wagner.”
The just as well known Lawrence Gilman in The Tribune writes: “It is a pleasure
to welcome, in Madame Kirsten Flagstad,
the Metropolitan’s new dramatic soprano, an
artist of overwhelming and joyous quality…
The song we heard yesterday was rendered
from a musical talent with taste and intelligence and feeling, with poetic and dramatic
insight.”
Leonard Liebling in The New York
American says: “Kirsten Flagstad’s triumphant American debut was immediate
and complete. “The Daily News’s Danton
Walker: “…one of the important singers who
has appeared on the Metropolitan’s stage
in a dozen years… If she should appear in
anything but a superb Isolde on Wednesday
evening, it will be necessary to jump into the
East River for my kin to report on Thursday
morning, for the disappointment will be too
bitter to bear.”
The Metropolitan already reports frenzied requests for ticket to Kirsten Flagstad’s
next performance, Wednesday evening in
Tristan and Isolde. The sensation has spread
like fire along Park Avenue. We predict the
whole city and New York’s dead tired music
critics will be there with their eyes in their
opera glasses and their ears strained to hear
every note.
Photo of the Week
Smeden og kongsdottera
del 4
The Blacksmith and the Princess
part 4
Men han gjekk beint bort til slottet
og banka på. — Kven er det som bankar
på døra mi? sa risen, og han var så grov i
målet at det glumde i heile slottet.
— Du får koma ut og sjå, sa smeden.
— Kjem eg ut, så et eg deg, sa risen,
og med det same kom han ut gjennom
døra.
Men smeden stod ferdig med sverdet og hogg til, så alle dei ni hovuda trilla
bortetter. Så gjekk han attende til tønna,
men han fortalde ikkje noko til kongsdottera denne gongen heller. Dagen etter
ville ho plent vera med smeden og sjå seg
om, ho òg, og no fekk ho lov.
Først gjekk dei til koparslottet og såg
på det. — Kunne du trivast her, trur du?
sa smeden.
— Å ja, eg trur sakte det, sa ho, —
men det er ikkje noko hjelp i det, vi får
ikkje vera her likevel, for det er ikkje vårt
slott, sa ho.
— Nei, her vil eg ikkje vera, sa
smeden.
Så gjekk dei til sølvslottet og såg på
det. — Kunne du trivast her, trur du? sa
smeden.
— Å ja, det trur eg nok, sa ho, — men
det nyttar ikkje å tenkja på det, vi får ikkje
vera her likevel, for det er ikkje vårt slott,
sa ho.
— Nei, her vil eg ikkje vera, sa
smeden.
No gjekk dei til gullslottet og såg på
det. — Kunne du trivast her, trur du? sa
smeden.
— Ja, her kunne eg trivast, og her vil
eg vera, sa ho.
— Ja, her vil eg òg vera, sa smeden,
og så fortalde han korleis han hadde
vorte kvitt dei tre risane. Då vart kongsdottera glad.
Så bygde smeden eit gildt skip, og
med det siglde han og kongsdottera attende til kongsgarden. No vart dei vel
mottekne av kongen, og det vart bryllaup
og gjestebod i mange dagar. Sidan for
dei attende til gullslottet, og er dei ikkje
døde, så lever dei der enno.
Well, he went straight up to the castle and knocked on the door. “Who is it
banging on my door?” said the giant, and
his voice was so gruff that it thundered
throughout the castle.
“You had better come out and see,”
said the blacksmith.
“If I come out I will eat you,” said the
giant, and with that he came out through
the door.
But the blacksmith stood ready with
his sword, and with that he struck so hard
that all the nine heads went rolling down
the hill. And so he walked back to the
barrel on the beach, but he told nothing
to the princess this time either. The next
day, she absolutely wanted to go with the
blacksmith to look about, and this time
she was allowed.
First they went to the copper castle
and looked at it. “Could you be happy
here, do you think?” said the blacksmith.
“Oh yes, to be sure I could,” said she,
but it is of no use, we cannot stay here
anyway, as the castle is not ours.”
“No, here I would not want to be,”
And so they went to the silver castle
and looked at it. “Could you be happy
here,” do you think? said the blacksmith.
“Oh yes, to be sure I could,” said she,
but it is of no use thinking about that, we
cannot stay here anyway, as the castle is
not ours.”
“No, here I would not want to be,”
Now they went to the gold castle and
looked at it. “Could you be happy here?”
“Yes, here I could be happy, and here
I want to stay,” said she.
“Aye, here I want to be as well,” said
the blacksmith, and so he told her of how
he had got rid of the three giants. And
now the princess was happy.
And then the blacksmith built a
grand ship, and he and the princess
sailed back with it to the king’s castle.
Now they were well received by the king,
and there was a wedding and feasting for
many days. Later they went back to the
gold castle, and if they are not dead, then
they are still living there.
$29.95 with FREE shipping in the U.S.A.
www.astrimyastri.com
Photo: Caronne Van Nyhuis
Artist Joanna C. Van Nyhuis, member of Sons of Norway, Vinland Lodge 6-159 in Temecula, Calif., recently
showed her exhibit “Norway—Land of the Midnight Sun” at the William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art on
the campus of California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, Calif. She exhibited three oil paintings:
“Three Reindeer,” “Viking Farewell,” and “Aurora—The Norwegian Fjords.” She also had on display
drawings of a Norwegian Elkhound and a Norwegian Forest Cat.
Joanna is a graduate of California Lutheran University and specializes in Prismacolor pencil portraits and figurative oil paintings. Her Scandinavian background has also influenced the essence of her art,
inspiring colorful portrayals of Norwegian fjords and wildlife. Joanna believes that Norway is a limitless
source of wonder and beauty.
Submitted by Caronne Van Nyhuis.
9.NAW.Trolls.2VolSet.CMYK.21March2014.qxp_Layout
1 3/21/14
12:40of
PMthe
Page
1
Want to be featured in our
Photo
Week?
Email [email protected] or mail your photo with photo credit and caption.
Norwegian Folk Tales, Fairy Tales and Trolls:
Price = $29.95 each or $49.95 for 2-vol-set
SAVE $10 + FREE shipping in the USA
Astri My Astri Publishing
Deb Nelson Gourley
602 3rd Ave SW, Waukon, IA 52172
•Vol 1 — 18 stories, 192 pgs
•Vol 2 — 21 stories, 192 pgs
NEW OFF THE PRESS
•Bilingual English Norwegian
text in each book
•Hardcover, Smyth sewn, over
600 full colored illustrations in
each 7″x10″ book
•Based on the collection of
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
and Jørgen Moe
•For of all ages on both sides
of the Atlantic
•Classic series is published
every year in Norway by
Norsk Barneblad
Call, send check or visit website
www.astrimyastri.com
Phone: 563-568-6229
[email protected]

May 22, 2015 - The Norwegian American

Transcription

Similar documents

A tribute to Norwegian Composer Halfdan Kjerulf Friday, February

blackBOOK - Roger Norum. Writer.

The Culinary Adventures of an American in Norway By Whitney Love

together for a more flexible education

Lutefisk Dinners

C:\Documents and Settings\User\Desktop\NOR_WPS_2010.tif

energy storage: the holy grail of renewable energy

The Norwegian Bunad [Modo de Compatibilidade]

Budstikka - Friends of Norway

norwea - The European Wind Energy Association