Velkommen to Norskseattle.com!
Velkommen to norskseattle.com! A Web site with its finger on the pulse of Scandinavian events in the Puget Sound area
Tasha King maintains a website – norskseattle.com – dedicated to Nordic happenings in the greater Seattle area. She decided to create the website because it seemed she and her friends “Always heard about things just afterwards.” It was clear to her that there was a need for a “one stop shop” that can provide timely information on the ongoing activities of the various Scandihoovian organizations around Puget Sound. Tasha does a great job of gathering information, and the calendar at norskseattle.com lists several events every week – virtually one a day since she started the site.
Businesses and organizations are encouraged to send information to Tasha that she can use to update the calendar. The e-mail address admin@norskseattle.com is for this purpose. Those promoting the activities can send an e-mail with “when”, “where” and “details” to be posted on the calendar (a “mouse click” on a calendar posting opens the submitted information).
Many of the calendar entries are of the “lutefisk and leikarring” variety hosted by Sons of Norway, but just as many are Scandinavian film or musical entertainment at commercial venues or book signings. For example, in the weeks to come we look forward to the Norwegian Male Chorus spring concert at the Leif Erikson Lodge in Ballard (Apr. 18), Scandinavian/Baltic Study Conference in Seattle (Apr. 22), Norwegian Heritage Festival at PLU in Tacoma (Apr. 24) and the Viking Fest at Poulsbo (Weekend of May 14) leading into 17 mai parade in Ballard (17 of May, of course).
In addition to the calendar page, norskseattle.com features several pages highlighting ongoing Nordicness. There is a page for Gift Shops, Norwegian Crafts, Films, Folkdance, Food, Language Instruction, Music and Organizations.
Tasha is a University of Washington grad with a degree in Scandinavian Studies. She speaks Norwegian fluently, participates in a Norwegian language book club and the Scandinavian Language Meetup Group that meets in the Seattle area.
Norskseattle.com is a labor of love. Tasha’s mother Solveig came from Sauda (near Stavanger on the Southwest coast of Norway). Solveig came to Polsbou to practice her English and met her husband to be Larry Swanson when he was sent to pick her up at the airport. Solveig passed away just over one year ago, and her loss is one of the reasons Tasha decided to become more proactive in maintaining her own connections to her Norwegian heritage.
For more information, visit www.norskseattle.com.
This article was originally published in the April 23, 2010 issue of the Norwegian American Weekly. For more information about the Norwegian American Weekly or to subscribe, call us toll free (800) 305-0217 or email subscribe@norway.com.