Heritage Week 2018
Thief River Falls celebrates all things Norway
Photo courtesy of Norwegian Heritage Week
An exhibit by the Pennington County Historical Society displays the area’s Nordic heritage.
Norwegian Heritage Committee
Thief River Falls, Minn.
Since May 2012, the Snorre Lodge of Sons of Norway in Thief River Falls, Minn., has celebrated Norway with Norwegian Heritage Week. More than half of the 9,000 residents of this small city list their heritage as Norwegian!
For nearly 40 years, Northern State Bank, owned by the Beito family originally from Oppland, Norway, has held an open house on Syttende Mai, with coffee and Scandinavian goodies served by Snorre Lodge.
Zion Lutheran Church hosts a Scandinavian smørgåsbord of favorite foods of the “old countries.” Most of the charter members of Zion came directly from Norway or were children of Norwegian immigrants with a few Danes and Swedes among them.
To expand on these annual celebrations, Snorre Lodge offers musical concerts, authors and lecturers, artisans, movies, dancing, and stage performances.
To learn more, see the Snorre Lodge facebook page, www.visittrf.com, or call the Convention and Visitors Bureau at (218) 686-9785, or Snorre Lodge at (218) 686-0205
Norwegian Heritage Week 2018:
• May 12, 1-4 p.m.: Uffda Day at Pioneer Village. $5 adult, $3 children
• May 13, 7 p.m.: Migrasong: The tunes they carried across the sea. United Methodist Church. Freewill donation.
• May 14, 7 p.m.: Award-winning 1948 Movie I Remember Mama. NCTC Auditorium. Freewill donation.
• May 15, 7 p.m.: Dr. Odd Lovoll, author of many books on Scandinavian immigration, will speak on “Observations on the History of the Norwegian American Experience.” NCTC Auditorium. Freewill donation.
• May 16, 5-7 p.m.: Smørgåsbord dinner, Zion Church. $12 adult, $5 children 12 and under.
• May 17, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Open house, Northern State Bank.
• May 18, 7-11 p.m.: Old Time dance at the Eagles Hall with the Cathy Erickson Band, with folk dance instructions by Jeanne O’Neill. $7.50, includes lunch.
• May 19, 10 a.m.: Author Susan Foote speaks on Minn. mental institution reform led by Engla Schey, daughter of Norwegian immigrants. TRF Public Library. Free.
• May 19, 7 p.m. & May 20, 2 p.m.: Ole & Lena’s Wedding comedy theater performance by Change of Pace Productions of Duluth, Minn. NCTC Auditorium. $10.
This article originally appeared in the May 4, 2018, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.
