Norwegian Christmas at the MSI

Norwegian Christmas Tree Closeup

Each year in Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry has an exhibit titled “Christmas Around the World”, which showcases the similarities and differences that each country and culture have in their celebration of Christmas. This year my wife and I decided to take the trip to this world class museum, located on the south side of Chicago along the lake front, to see the exhibit.

As they do every year, the Norwegian National League organized a presentation to educate viewers about Norwegian Christmas traditions and culture. My wife, as usual, took pictures – some of them you can see in an up coming article in the Norwegian American Weekly newspaper – and I took notes about the event. Lynn Sove-Maxson as MC, first introduced The Leikarringen Heimhug Dancers” for several Norwegian traditional ring-dances and a bunad show. Lynn later described some of the Norwegian traditions as children trimmed a typical Norwegian Christmas Tree. Leif and Olaf, two Viking that had recently converted to Christianity, gathered the children around them to tell them how the ancient Vikings incorporated their beliefs into Christian traditions. At the end of the presentation everyone gathered in two circles around the tree and danced.

Viking Leif and Olaf

Leikarringen Heimhug Dancers with Leif and Olaf

In the main hall of the museum were trees from over 50 countries depicting some of the cultural elements in that countries celebration of Christmas. The Norwegian tree was decorated with Norwegian flags strung vertically, little heart shaped paper baskets, rosemaled ornaments and julenisen. The baskets were familiar to me, but I had not made one since I was a child. So when we got home I just had to build some. The baskets, with a few chocolates inside, are now hanging from our tree.

Robert and Michele Andersen with Kayla (13) Robbie (11) JJ (8) Alex (5) and Dylan (3)

The Dhuse Family with children, Zachary (10) Zoe (6) and Zayla (3)

Please check out our photos from the event in an upcoming edition of the Norwegian American Weekly newspaper. And also in subsequent edition photos from the Christmas Concert held at Minnekirken.

Ken Nordan
Contributing Editor

Torske Klub: Lunch with a Bee Keeper

What I knew about bees and honey could be stored on the end of a bee’s nose! What I did know mostly came from the fact that I was allergic to their stings as a child, and that honey on toast is very good to eat. However, today I know considerably more thanks to the November meeting of the Torske Klub.

Harry Patterson with Hive Model

This month’s speaker at the Torske Klub was Harry Patterson, a retired teacher, tennis instructor and beekeeper hobbyist. Mr. Patterson uses his teaching skills to instruct and familiarize listeners in the “life styles of a bee hive.” He gives presentations to various groups and civic organization around the area including school children and garden clubs. In the half hour we give each presenter I learned a lot about bees and honey.

What a Worker Bee looks like.

Did you know ?

The population of a hive is almost completely female? Each hive has three types of bees, Drones (male), Workers (female) and the Queen. A hive may have from 2,000 to 60,000 Workers, with from zero to 500 Drones, and one Queen.

A queen is produced when the workers build a special cell in the hive and feed the larva in the cell with a special food called “royal jelly.”

Because a drone has no use in the winter they are expelled from the hive in the autumn.

Unlike colonies of social wasps and bumble bees, honey bee colonies live year after year. Therefore, most activity in a bee colony is aimed at surviving the next winter. During the winter, bees cluster in a tight ball to concentrate warmth in the hive. In January, the queen starts laying eggs in the center of the hive using stored honey and pollen to feed the larvae.

Honeybees are not native to the USA. They are European in origin, and were brought to North America by the early settlers.

Bees maintain 93 degrees Fahrenheit in the center of the winter cluster (regardless of the outside temperature). During the summer months some bees will be put on “fanning duty” to create a constant air flow through the hive, keeping the hive cool even in 150 degree heat.

Mr. Patterson wears his bee keeper's hat.

Now we both can say we do “Know beeswax about bees!”

Ken Nordan
Contributing Editor

Getting there is half the fun!!

I was talking to Liz, my good friend and fellow committee member of the Chicago Friends of Vesterheim (CFV) a few weeks ago. As usual with friends we start talking about one thing and end up on a completely different topic. Wisconsin weekend getaways became the subject and I was remembering that back “in the day” my family took a lot of trips to Wisconsin with Baraboo and the circus being one of our favorite destinations. The circus was a lot of fun for a kid and I loved the history it had. But a lot of the fun of going to Baraboo was “in the route we took.” We could have taken the interstate all the way, but once past Madison, dad would watch for the Wisconsin 60 turnoff to Lodi and we’d travel Northwest to Lake Wisconsin and the Merrimac Ferry.

The Merrimac Ferry in Wisconsin as seen in November 2009. (photo KJ Nordan)

For those of you not familiar with the ferry at Merrimac, go to the story and history page, but briefly it is Wisconsin’s only free ferry and is run by the D.O.T. of Wisconsin. The ship I remember only carried a dozen cars, so at the height of the summer season cars would be stacked up for an hour waiting to go across. The wait never seamed to be very long however for a little boy that saw Indians behind every tree and marveled at a stone being skipped “FIVE TIMES!!!!” The wait was also enhanced by the ice cream vendors marching back and forth selling “two fisted” ice cream sandwiches and nut covered ice cream cones, “oh baby!” With so many kids running up and down the pier I wonder today how parents got their own kids back in the car before getting on the boat.

Great memories, but how does this fit in with Norway, or a Norwegian experience. Well, part of the trip included a story dad would tell us whenever we crossed on the ferry. His story was about our cousin Marit in Norway, it was a story I never got tired of, even though it never changed. “You see”, he would say, “Cousin Marit lives in Norway, on a little island waaayyy out in the ocean and each day she must take two ferries to go home.” “These ferries are much bigger and the trip is far longer than the one we are taking right now.” “These ferries take cars, and busses, and even trucks, and the ferries are all over Norway.” “Maybe someday we’ll go and see them.” Well I tell you, now I was seeing Vikings behind every tree and wondering if stones skipped in Norway like they did here.

Inside the Fanafjord Ferry - South of Bergen City (photo: KJ Nordan)

Thirty years later my father passed away, never taking us to Norway, but the next year my wife and I went together for the first time. He was right, ferries are everywhere, shuttling people, cars, trucks and busses from one place to another. It seems Norwegians did not want to ruin the fjords by building bridges. On that first trip, we must have taken 10 or more ferries. On many of the ferries they had cafeterias where I could buy iskrem (ice cream) and even a hot meal. Kids were running and playing and on one ferry they even had a room just for kids to play. What a joy, it took a lot of restraint to stop me from joining them. At the end of our trip we did go to my cousin’s little øy (island). We crossed several rivers and drove along a marvelous fjord. But the best part of the trip were the two ferries we took. From the ferries we could see stock fish drying in the sun, and eventually we saw Marit, waiting on the shore to take us to her little farm. That day, stones skipped better in Norway, and so did I.

A medium size ferry near Ålesund. (photo: KJ Nordan)

Thought I had a picture of the ferry to my cousin Marit’s island but today I can’t find it.

Contributing Editor
Ken Nordan

Viking Ship: Fall Cleanup and Work Day

If the Viking Ship in Geneva could talk (sometimes I do think she talks to me when I’m near her) she would say, “Thank you for the attention, it is good to see my friends.“ Members of the Friends of the Viking Ship came out on a nice Saturday to get the ship ready for it’s winter hibernation. Before winter starts the FoVS team make sure that leaves, dust and other accumulated debris on and around the ship is picked up and removed. Even though the ship enjoys a covered “Quonset” like hut, as its home, she is still exposed to the elements and requires some additional cleaning and protection from the wind and blowing snow.

Andrew Woods and David Nordin (photo: P. Straw)

Lorraine Straw and Margaret Selakovick (photo: P. Straw)

Ken Nordan and Bruce Andresen, working on the temporary building. (photo: P. Straw)

Lorraine and Perry Straw brought coffee and scones for our enjoyment and Bruce Andresen brought his building skills and tools. While we worked, the ship had its usual Saturday visitors, a couple were “in the area” riding their motorcycle, and wanted to visit. I know the ship enjoyed the day and is looking forward to next season. Every year more people, including families, travelers and school children visit on advertised open house Saturdays and prearranged weekday visits. This past year several groups from Norway have made special arrangements to stop for a nice tour and history lesson about the ship.

Ken Nordan
Contributing Editor

Don Hoganson, appointed to the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit

At last nights NACC – Chicago chapter 50th anniversary dinner, the Honorary Consul General of Norway, Paul S. Anderson, announced that our good friend Don Hoganson was to receive the appointment of “Officer in the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit” by King Harald of Norway.

The Royal Norwegian Order of Merit was founded by King Olav V in 1985. It is conferred on foreign and Norwegian nationals as a reward for their outstanding service in the interest of Norway. Additional information about the Order of Merit can be found at the Norwegian Royal Family website.

(l-r) Don Hoganson, Norway Ambassador Wegger Chr. Strommen, Honorary Consul General Paul S. Anderson (photo: KJ Nordan)

For those of you who know Don, we can honestly say that we know of no-one that deserves this honor more. Don continues to work tirelessly on projects including his board membership on the “Norwegian-American Geneological Center & Naeseth Library”, Assistant Boss of the Chicago Torske Klub, co-chair of fundraising efforts and the Foundation Committee Chair for the Norwood Park Home, Grand Marshal for the Chicago 2008 Syttende Mai parade, and past president of several Chicago area groups, clubs and organizations including NACC.

Don has friends everywhere. In my years as an Information and Knowledge Management (KM) professional I can say Don is a giant in “Social Networking”. An important aspect of KM is the bringing of people with knowledge of a specific topic together with people looking for knowledge of that topic. Modern KM uses applications such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to join people together, Don is known to use his skill on the golf course to perform the same function. For those of you not familiar with golf, it is an activity that brings together 4 individuals on a outdoor course (called “the links”) to exchange thoughts and make plans. If Don wrote his autobiography today one possible working title for the book could be, “The Links I’ve Played, and Made”. Don truly loves to get people together and make things happen.

Royal Order of Merit, Officer gentlemen

I, along with many other people that know Don, would like to congratulate him on his appointment as Officer in the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, honors are to be bestowed at a date and place to be determined, but most likely in New York or Washington by a representative of the King of Norway. The honoree receives a medal (order) with the cross of the Order, as well as a “diploma” or certificate signed by the King which formally indicates his appointment.

Ken Nordan
Contributing Editor

Football, Fish and Beer

When I was a young man my father and I would get together over a beer and a jar of herring (sild). Dad would open up the new jar with a little bit of ceremony declaring “to the fishermen of Norway we thank you.” It always seamed to me that a good beer with some fish and Wasa crackers (flatbrød) was a great combination. As a child, I had also gained an appreciation of smoked fish, mostly salmon, chub, trout and later mackerel. It has become a Sunday football tradition for me to pour myself a good beer (usually German or Irish) and bring out the herring or smoked fish. In recent years my appreciation for mackerel has increased due in part to the fun I had in Norway and the memories of my visits, many of those trips include stories about mackerel.

Mackerel, beer and salad

One of those memories include a day with my cousin Marit and her husband Arne. My cousin has a few rental cabins on their island near Trondheim, each cabin includes access to a small boat for fishing. A family of Germans had rented one cabin and been fishing most of the day. They invited us over for an evening meal with a small keg of beer, mackerel (cooked over an open fire) and potato salad. As the late night summer sun finally set (probably 1 o’clock in the morning) we were all laughing and enjoying each others company.

My second memory occurred a few years later when myself and a group of my friends rented a small boat to take us on a tour of the fjords near Ålesund. As part of the tour the owner gave us fishing poles and allowed us to catch a few fish. We had a great time wetting our lines, enjoying the competition and excitement, even though we only caught a few small mackerel. Later, a member of the crew gladly took the fish off our hands and I’m sure he enjoyed the fish at his evening meal. For me, it is important knowing where my food comes from and the work involved in bringing that food to my table.

Yesterday was another Football Sunday and once again I enjoyed a nice beer (this time a Chicago brew) and some smoked mackerel on Swedish knåckebrød. The food and the memories helped me get through another humiliating loss by my favorite team. “To the fishermen of the world, thank you.”

Ken Nordan
Contributing Editor

Vasa Park: A Gathering of the Scandinavian Community

Every year the Chicago area Scandinavian community gathers at Vasa Park in South Elgin, Illinois. The event brings together organizations from the Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish and Icelandic communities to exchange cultural news, share artistic expressions and sing national songs. This years was the 30th anniversary of the event and one of the biggest I can remember. It is such a treat to have so many people with similar interests in the Scandinavian community gathering together for this all day event. The day opened with a flag ceremony and the signing of the National Anthems of each of the Scandinavian countries.

Vasa Park vendors under a canopy of oak trees

Several vendors from all over the Midwest and even from the East Coast displayed items for sale. Historical organizations from the Swedish and Norwegian community as well as North Park College had booths to display information about their activities. Some of my favorite booths include the Danish Bakery in Darien (I love the cardamom cake they bake), the Sons of Norway lodge booths and the hand made textiles booths. And of course we can’t forget about the Viking encampment put on by a group called Norsa.

The Viking Ship Booth, the ship is open for viewing Saturday September 19, 2009 1 – 4 PM.

Diane Hoven Handmade Hardanger from Diane's Stitches of Baldwin WI

Viking Encampment

Some of my friends at the Nordic Nook said sales were good, I know the number of vendors was up this year from prior years. We saw all kinds of t-shirts, doll bunads, rosemaled items, and lots of Nordic inspired things that you could use as gifts or in your own home. Food was a big item also. I enjoyed having a pølse wrapped in a piece of lefse as well as herring and a “sloppy uff-da”. A couple of us enjoyed a little “water of life” to help with our digestion. Throughout the day various groups entertained us from the park stage, including the Leikarringen “Heimhug” dancers.

The Leikarringen Heimhug Dancers

This was a great event and if you missed it this year keep an eye out for announcements for next years event.

Ken Nordan
Contributing Editor

Torske Klub: Brought to you by the letter “L”

After a long summer without fresh torsk (I did cook up some salt-cod this summer), the Chicago Torske Klub started it’s new season this past weekend.

Torsk is the Scandinavian word for cod.  In the case of the Torske Klub, the fish is flown in from Iceland as fresh whole fish and cut into “bone in” steaks.  The bone as well as the attached skin add additional flavor to the fish which is quickly poached in boiling (and very salty) water.  Because of the high salt content the water actually boils hotter than normal so the fish can cook very fast and not break apart.  The club meets at the Des Plaines, Illinois Elks club, at noon, on the 2^nd Saturday of every month (except June, July and August) and always has a guest speaker and a lot of fun.  For more information go to their web site.

Greg Borzo discusses his book about the Chicago L

Why was this months meeting brought to you by the letter “L”?  Well, the guest speaker was Greg Borzo the author of the new book The Chicago “L”, illustrated with over 100 images of the “L” from it’s early days.  Greg gave the club attendees a 30 minute presentation of slides covering the history of mass transit in Chicago, including the days before the “L” was built.  For all you train buffs or anyone that enjoys Chicago history this was a great presentation.

Gene Kaczmarek receives a letter of thank you from the Torske Klub Boss Rob Alsaker. Barney the cod fish looks on

After the presentation the Torske Klub announced the retirement of Gene Kaczmerek from his position as Treasurer of the club.  Gene served the club for many years and we all want to thank him for his service.

Ken Nordan,
Contributing Editor

NACC Chicago: U.S. Commercial Services Helps Illinois Exporters

The Chicago chapter of the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) had it’s first meeting of the new season last night at the Wellington Restaurant in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Members talked and discussed their various summer activities and trips over drinks and hot Hors D’oeuvres. The meeting got underway with the introduced of the new board members who will take office in January 2010 and several announcements.

The speaker for this meeting was Jeff Graber of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Mr. Graber is a Senior International Trade Specialist in Chicago where he oversees the industry sectors of food processing and packaging equipment, agriculture equipment and building products. Prior to his work at the DoC he was the international sales manager for Cummings-Allison. While Jeff is not of Norwegian heritage he has strong ties to Norway and calls Norway his second home. As a Rotary Exchange Student he spent his junior year in Oslo Norway and attended the 1994 Olympics. He spoke fondly of his time in Norway and even make some of his introductions in Norwegian.

Jeff’s work at the U.S. Department of Commerce – U.S Commercial Service is to help U.S. businesses find success in exporting their goods and services to foreign markets. Jeff explained that with decreasing domestic demand and increasing international markets his department helps U.S. companies make connections outside the U.S. by providing service such as; market research, partner searches, creating exporter directories and business services listings, performing company and trade advocacy, organizing trade shows as well as generating news reports. Many of the services are free or are provided to the U.S. company for a small fee. Because of the departments work, small businesses that normally would not think of selling their products or services outside of the U.S. are given additional support and counseling so they can increase sales in these new markets.

Jeff likes to think of himself as a “facilitator” and as an individual that brings people together so they can build relationships. He reminded us that networking is the best way to build success in business. The services his organization provides gives small and large business a worldwide network with friends and contacts around the world. To get additional information about the U.S. Commercial Service go to the following web sites:

www.export.gov
www.buyusa.gov/illinois

Ken Nordan
Contributing Editor

Look to Norway – a travelogue

This article was published in the Norwegian American Weekly, No. 29 – August 21. 2001.

I was excited as our plane ducked beneath the overcast skies at Værnes airport, east of Trondheim. I had not been there for over a decade, and now, years later, I was anxious to reacquaint myself with the city, and Stiklestad – the goal of our trip – which was made even more special as some years prior I had moved to the US. Funny how distance creates a more intimate appreciation for things like identity and heritage.

Nidarosdomen seen from the city square.

There are many places of historical significance in Norway. However, Stiklestad is in many ways the epicenter of Norwegian cultural history and religious life – centered around the fall of king Olaf Haraldsson in 1030, the alleged miracles after his death, and the beautiful Nidaros Cathedral, finished in 1300 AD, where his remains are said to be buried.

Nidarosdomen, among the most beautiful cathedrals in the world.

I have been to a few cathedrals, such as St. Peters Basilica in Rome, The Cathedral of Valencia, Spain, Notre Dame in Paris, and also the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City. Norwegians tend to believe that things must always be grander and more magnificent beyond our own borders, but the fact of the matter is, at least in this writer’s opinion, that the Nidaros Cathedral elegantly takes it’s place among the most beautiful cathedrals in the world. Also, something truly spiritual has been preserved within its walls, despite the constant rush of tourists coming from all over the world.

Stjørdal Station, a piece of old Norway. The station opened in 1902 and is one of the many wonderful things to see along the Trondheim-Verdal train route.

The train ride from Trondheim to Stiklestad is a great way to see a part of Norway that is mostly gone from the more urbanized areas of the country, offering scenic views of the Trondheim Fjord with Steinvikholm castle dating back to the 1520s and one of the final hiding places of the German battleship Tirpitz during World War 2. This last detail was pointed out to me by our very friendly train conductor Per Nygård.

Professor Torgrim Titlestad lectures to the audience at Stiklestad National Cultural Center

At Stiklestad we launched our book The Great Saga of St. Olav with a lecture by Torgrim Titlestad, professor in history at the Stavanger University, about the historical validity of the Sagas. There is now a dawning consensus among many historians that these ancient documents may be regarded as credible sources to our early history. This is important because they help us understand why the democratic traditions are so strong in our culture, and why it is crucial that we strive to preserve them.

Spelet om Heilag Olav.

After the lecture we all went to see “Spelet om Heilag Olav”, a play written by Olav Gullvåg to commemorate the Battle of Stiklestad, and performed every year since 1954 at the end of July, and has throughout the years featured some of Norway´s most prominent actors, directors and conductors. After more than fifty years, the music is still vital, fresh and captivating, leading me to think about the great artists, composers and poets our country has produced.

I believe Norway has a unique history in the world. We must not forget this, few as we are. We must keep working to preserve our heritage so that it can serve as an example, and a force for good in troubled times. In the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, look to Norway!

Country romance.