Stoughton
Courier Hub The
Syttende Mai edition
Thursday, May 18, 2017 • Vol. 135, No. 43 • Stoughton, WI • www.unifiednewsgroup.com • $1
Honoring the heritage
Syttende Mai festival returns for 19th year Unified Newspaper Group
Stoughton will be a sea of bunads this weekend as thousands descend upon the city for the annual Syttende Mai festival. Coordinator Tricia Suess estimates the event, which runs from May 19-21, will draw about 20,000 people this year. Syttende Mai is the annual celebration of “the 17th of May,” when Norway’s constitution was signed and the country declared itself an independent nation. And though the American celebration of Syttende Mai dates as far back as 1868, the festival reached the popularity we see today 19 years ago, when the city reintroduced it as an annual event to celebrate Stoughton’s Norwegian heritage. Chamber of Commerce executive director Laura Trotter recently commented on the Facebook page for Syttende Mai, writing that the festival has been c e l e b r a t e d u n o ffi c i a l l y since Norwegians settled in Stoughton in the 1800s “with varying levels of pomp.” Attendance has steadily grown over the past 19 years. She added that the first booster button she saw – the pin that grants entry to most festival events – was from 1968, the first Commemorative Coin was minted in 1966 and the first Syttende Mai King and Queen, Odvar and Esther Haug, were declared in 1969. All of those symbols are part of what makes the Stoughton Syttende Mai Festival the large-scale celebration it is: an actionpacked weekend full of activities, Scandinavian
At a glance King and Queen Marty and Jean Lamers Prince and Princess Theodore Chose and Caitlin Kreger Festival dates Friday-Sunday, May 19-21 On the web stoughtonwi.com/ syttendemai
dances, heritage presentations, and maybe most importantly, Norwegian food. Almost all of the events are expected to return from recent festivals. Suess said that even though she has her own list of tasks to complete, the festival “puts itself together” because of all the File photo by Scott De Laruelle people involved. From left, Ron Peterson from Appleton and Roger Johnson from Menasha smile as they recognize some names of towns “ H u n d r e d s o f p e o p l e where their ancestors came from in southern Norway during an open house at the Livsreise Norwegian Heritage Center last worked countless hours by year at Syttende Mai. pitching in their time and helping out, and it is so critical to the success of the festival,” she told the Hub. Whether you’re Norwegian or not, there’s plenty of Meet the royalty Kluge featured at quilt Music includes Norwegian events – from long-celebratfavorites, Ryan McGrath ed to brand new – throughPage 2 show out the weekend that can Band Costume show returns Page 7 pique your interest.
Inside this issue
Contact Amber Levenhagen at amber.levenhagen@ wcinet.com.
Page 3 What is Syttende Mai? Page 4 Festive feast
Inside
Page 5
A day-by-day look at the most popular Syttende Mai festivities
Events calendar Page 6
Page 15
Courier Hub
Art fair moves outside
Page 8 Visit first community market Page 9 Characters return for SVP show
Page 11 Run returns for 45th year Page 12 New landscape for canoe race Page 13 Mandt Lodge feast
Page 10
Page 14
Experience Our Annual Syttende Mai Cheese Tasting! Saturday, May 20, 1-3pm • Sunday, May 21, 11am-1:30pm
Ahh…the Culinary Ease of Cheese!! e e hav w , s e Y elost Nokk ese! Che
• 130 Varieties of Cheese • Cheese Trays • Fresh Curds • Cheese Gift Boxes - Always Enjoyed, Never Returned 183 E. Main Street, Downtown Stoughton www.Cheesers.com • 608-873-1777
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AMBER LEVENHAGEN