Nordstjernan 1808

The Swedish North Star, continuously published since 1872. Volume 146 No. 8, May 15, 2018. Price per copy $3.50.

THE VASA STAR

travel in sweden

top to bottom Dreaming of Sweden

Where, dear reader, do you dream of going? Do you want a rush of excitement, peace and quiet, an enriching cultural experience? Maybe it depends on what province your Swedish ancestors came from. Sweden’s growing popularity with tourists is based on a wide-ranging appeal, including child-friendliness, excellent transportation, and a clean and safe environment. The old country might be the ideal destination, and we offer an overview, taking you from the top to bottom—starting in Sweden’s northernmost region and reaching all the way to Sweden’s southern tip. / P14 Apparently there’s a lot to say about knäckebröd / p13

Sweden’s consulate and honorary consul in Honolulu, Hawaii /p20

A little time consuming to prepare, but the rewards are great: smörgåstårta / p25

Year of Bergman continues

Already an established figure of international acclaim, Ingmar Bergman produced three films in the early 1960s that became some of his most powerful works. The three movies, made in rapid succession but with masterful detail and the awards to show for it, draw on Bergman’s own strict religious upbringing and are deeply personal, challenging and enriching works. Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, and The Silence are often called the Silence of God trilogy. Our movie critic offers his review during this Bergman centennial year. / P22

The legacy of Midsummer

It’s not too soon to talk about Midsummer, one of the most important celebrations in Sweden—and the U.S.—that brings together families and friends, music and good food, flowers and dancing and light. Celebrations in the U.S. don’t necessarily fall on the official date (June 22 in Sweden), but that doesn’t make them any less authentic. Nordstjernan will cover Midsummer events around the U.S. so check the calendar for what’s happening near you. It may be a lot like the party in Portland, Oregon, a tradition with roots nearly 100 years old. / P11

Björn Olin/Folio//imagebank.sweden

pages 29-43

dashboard | may 15, 2018

Fårö in the Baltic

SCANDINAVIAN QUIZ

unusual rock formations exist on 1 What the Swedish island of Fårö? A) rauks B) ales stenar C) tors D) diamonds

Name’s Days of the Swedish Calendar Namnsdagar i april

May 15 May 16 May 17 May 18 May 19 May 20 May 21 May 22 May 23 May 24 May 25 May 26 May 27 May 28 May 29 May 30 May 31 May 15

New York Chicago Stockholm Kiruna Lund Los Angeles 2 NORDSTJERNAN

Sofia/Sonja Ronald/Ronny Rebecka/Ruben Erik Maj/Majken Karolina/Carola Konstantin/Conny Hemming/Henning Desideria/Desirée Ivan/Vanja Urban Vilhelmina/Vilma Beda/Blenda Ingeborg/Borghild Yvonne/Jeanette Vera/Veronika Petronella/Pernilla |

Sunrise & Sunset

5.39 am 5.30 am 4.15 am 2.30 am 4.56 am 5.51 am

8.06 pm 8.03 pm 9.14 pm 10.45 pm 9.12 pm 7.47 pm

2 When do Norwegians celebrate their National 7 In which city was H.C. Andersen born? A) Aalborg B) Odense C) Copenhagen D) Day? A) May 7 B) June 6 C) May 17 Kalmar D) June 7 3 What Scandinavian playwright wrote the 8 Who wrote the lead song for the film Pretty Woman? A) a-ha B) Roxette C) Randy Newplays “Hedda Gabler” and “Rosmersholm”? man D) Benny Andersson A) H.C. Andersen B) Piet Hein C) August Strindberg D) Henrik Ibsen 9 What product did 19th century Swedish inventor J.F. Ljunglöf introduce? A) The AGA 4 What province is famous for its harbor seals, cooker B) The milking machine C) Metallic cliffs, archipelago and little islands on Swefoil packaging for snus D) The safety match den’s “sunny side?” A) Bohuslän B) Halland C) Skåne D) Södermanland 10 How was Ingrid Bergman related to Ingmar Bergman? A) no relation B) his niece C) his 5 Which is the northernmost railway in Scansister D) his sister-in-law dinavia and Europe? A) Malmbanan B) Kokkola-Vitangi C) Kiruna-Narvik D) Jernbaneverket Answers: 1:A, 2:C, 3:D, 4:A, 5:C, 6:D, 7:B, 8:B, 9:C, 10:A

Ingmar Bergman may have made the Swedish island of Fårö famous, but he chose the remote location because of its natural beauty in 1967. Fårö lies on the northern tip of Gotland, accessible by bridges and ferries. While it is common even for mainland Swedes to assume the name translates to “sheep island” (får means sheep – of which there are many – and ö means island), the word probably stems from the Norse word far, meaning “sea lane” or fara, meaning “to travel.” It feels a little tropical, with azure waters, sand dunes on many miles of beach and giant limestone rauks along the coast. It is a popular tourist destination. The great Swedish director, whose 100th birthday is being celebrated around the world in 2018, not only built his home there but he also shot many films on the island. Bergman died in 2007 and his home was turned into the Bergman Center for artists. He is laid to rest in the island church’s cemetery. For more on Bergman and Sweden’s landscape, see pages 12, 14 and 22.

6 What Danish territory is the world’s largest island? A) Iceland B) Gotland C) Svalbard D) Greenland

CULTURE

Namnsdagar

May 22 - Henning The man’s name Henning is an old Germanic name with unclear origins. It may come from the names Johannes or Henrik, and may mean “the one who makes peace.” It has been in use in Sweden since the 14th century and was quite popular during the latter part of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. In 2017 there were 8,077 people with Henning as their name. Henning is also a small town in Norway, as well as names of places in Illinois, Minnesota and Tennessee.

Maj

May 28 - Ingeborg The female name Ingeborg is an old Nordic name which means “under Ing’s protection.” Ing is often seen in old Nordic names, and it is possible he was a Nordic god. Birger Jarl’s first wife was called Ingeborg, and during the 17th and 18th centuries the name was often seen as Ingebor. Today in Sweden it is not a very popular name. In 2017 there were 24,767 Ingeborgs in Sweden. Right: “Pingstlilja,” the white variety of daffodil.

founded in new york city in september 1872 Nordstjernan (ISSN 1059-7670), founded in New York City in September 1872, is published by Swedish News, Inc., 570 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10022 • Readers services and editorial submissions: P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan, CT 06840 Periodicals Postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. www.nordstjernan.com, Nordstjernan is published semimonthly, except for the months of January, February, July when it is monthly and Augustwith no issue. POST MASTER: Please send address changes to Nordstjernan, P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan, CT 06840 Subscription rates: 1 yr. = $55, Two yr. = $99, outside US 1 yr. = $167.

Contact us at 1.800.827.9333, ext 10 for Reader services, ext 12 for Advertising www.nordstjernan.com • email: subs@nordstjernan.com, ads@nordstjernan.com www.facebook.com/nordstjernan • www.twitter.com/nordstjernan www.instagram.com/nordstjernan • www.youtube.com/nordstjernan free digital newsletter www.swedentoday.com

this week…

5.19-5.21 CELEBRATE PENTECOST* PINGST / The Christian holiday is celebrated 50 days after Easter. Until 2004 this was a major holiday weekend in Sweden with the Annandag Pingst off from work. This changed when the celebration of Sweden’s National Day, June 6, became a holiday in 2005. 5.22 START YOUR MIDSUMMER PREP: Offically, Midsummer is a month away - it’s celebrated in Sweden on June 22 - but it’s likely to be earlier in the month in the U.S., so double check our calendar and your local organization’s plans. 5.24 GO PLAY IN THE PARK: IT’S THE EUROPEAN DAY OF PARKS / Sweden’s national parks cover about 10% of the country’s surface, equivalent to the size of the Skåne region. 5.27 MAKE, EAT AND SHARE A BLUEBERRY MUFFIN: MUFFIN DAGEN / Muffins are not really Swedish and yet they got their own theme day. The blueberries that you often find in muffins are in abundance in Sweden and that might explain this important and delicious day. 5.27 CALL YOUR MOTHER IF SHE’S IN SWEDEN: MORS DAG / It’s Mother’s Day in Sweden. * In Sweden, Pentecost is generally celebrated starting on Saturday night with a large meal at home (perhaps a small smörgåsbord or the smörgåstårta on p25) with the family gathered together. It often coincides with the beginning of warmer weather and is also a popular weekend for confirmations, baptisms and weddings.

Though elusive, you might see this most popular zoological superstar just about anywhere in Sweden, top to bottom / p14

Photo: Bo Zaunders

May TO DO

Dashboard, p4-5

Innovation champions / The legacy of Tim Bergling / Soon coming to a dining room near you / Happy Birthday Happy Socks / Here we go again / Nordic Museum grand opening / Longest reigning king

Events calendar, p6-10

What’s going on in Swedish America. Our Swedish Honorary Consuls, who are they really? We decided to find out. /p20

NORDSTJERNAN MAIL TO: P.O. Box 1710 New Canaan CT 06840 or CALL 1.800.827.9333 - ext 10 Stay informed in a Swede way. Nordstjernan is published every other week with the exceptions of Jan.-Feb. and July-Aug.

1 year: $55 ❏ 2 years: $99 ❏ Check ❏ Credit card ❏ Regular active subscribers: call or use your personal account data, received through the mail or online. (Vasa members, call!) Please check if you are a new subscriber, this is a gift or you are renewing your present subscription Renewal ❏ New subscriber ❏ Gift ❏

Amex Disc Visa MC

❏ ❏ ❏ ❏

Ingmar Bergman, left, on Fårö with Nykvist, Josephson and Ullmann.

Swedish News, p27

Bergman at Cannes / Inroads with the eRoad /Swede’s murder stuns country / An anniversary remembered / Zlatan won’t play in Russia / Volvo Cars on the increase / State visit with Japan / Golf title for Swede

Photo: James Blake/Volvo Ocean Race

Name: __________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________ City: ___________________________________________ State: _______________________

Zip: ______________

Telephone: ________________________ Credit card#: __________________________

Exp: _____/_______

Signature______________________________________________

Sec code: _______

A Swede sails into Newport, RI during Leg 8 of the Volvo Ocean Race / p28 The Exchange Rate:

$1.00 = SEK 8.92 (05.02.2018)

MAY 15, 2018 3

dashboard | may 15, 2018

Innovation Champions The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the largest U.S. tech trade association, named Sweden one of their 2018 ‘Innovation Champions’ for policies that support innovation and technological development. The CTA’s innovation scorecard evaluates countries with two criteria: the government must influence public policy; and verifiable data must exist to compare with different nations. An expansion that includes more countries is expected in the future, but Sweden is one of 13 countries earning this designation in 2018, with its decisive legislative factors including a law permitting the operation of drones without a license and another making it easier to test self-driving vehicles. Perhaps most surprising to foreign observers is Sweden’s corporate tax law, which was among the lowest of any country on the scorecard at 22 percent. Social factors also played into Sweden’s high rank, citing strengths in the high percentage of STEM graduates, an annual new business rate of 6.87 per 1,000 people, and high internet connectivity. In addition to Sweden, CTA also named Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Singapore, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the U.S. as Innovation Champions. For more info, see www.innovationscorecard.com

The stories, the traditions, the people behind the news. founded in new york city in september 1872 executive editor & publisher:

Ulf Barslund Mårtensson (editor@nordstjernan.com) editor:

Amanda Olson Robison (editor@nordstjernan.com) managing editor & production: Everett Martin graphic design: Nadia Wojcik (design@nordstjernan.com) contributors:

Chipp Reid - Ted Olsson - Leif Rosqvist - Kitty Hughes Ulf Kirchdorfer - Valorie Arrowsmith - Olle Wijkström Bo Zaunders - Göran Rygert - James Kaplan - Gunilla Blixt publications director:

Mette Barslund Mårtensson (mette@nordstjernan.com; 800.827.9333, ext 12)

nordstjernan p.o. box 1710 new canaan ct 06840 contact us at 1.800.827.9333 ext 10 for reader services, email: subs@nordstjernan.com; ext 12 for advertising, email: ads@nordstjernan.com www.nordstjernan.com Covering three worlds: Sweden, America and Swedish America. Order your own copy, $55.00 for a year (18 issues) Choose ‘subscribe’ at www.nordstjernan.com or call 1.800.827.9333, ext 10 4 NORDSTJERNAN

Tim Bergling, AKA Avicii, performs in 2016. His family confirmed he took his own life, adding: “Our beloved Tim was a seeker, a fragile artistic soul searching for answers to existential questions. He was an over-achieving perfectionist who traveled and worked hard at a pace that led to extreme stress.” Countless fans around the world have been honoring his life and legacy.

The legacy of Tim Bergling

Swedish songwriter, producer and artist Tim Bergling, AKA Avicii, died on April 20 as one of the world’s highest grossing live music artists. He was 28 years old. Bergling was born in Stockholm in 1989. As a teenager he began a career as a DJ and released his first single in 2007, followed by a large number of singles and remixes in the following years, quickly building a reputation as a live act and hitting the charts with singles and collaborations. In 2011, he broke into the international scene and in 2012 he became the first DJ to headline New York’s prestigious Radio City Music Hall. He released his debut album “True” in September 2013, and was No. 1 for a record 14 weeks on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Songs chart with “Wake Me Up,” and continued with high-profile collaborations around the globe. He had physical and mental health setbacks, and was hospitalized in March 2014, cancelling several tour appearances. But he bounced back and released his second full-length album, “Sto-

ries,” in October 2015. His struggles with alcohol abuse and anxiety were well known, but Avicii’s 2016 decision to retire from touring was a surprise to his fans. “It was something I had to do for my health,” Bergling told The Hollywood Reporter. Bergling’s death came just two days before the American release of Levan Tsikurishvili’s film, Avicii: True Stories, which follows the artist’s life from his beginnings to the joy of his success, from his chart-topping global radio hits and subsequent struggles with his physical and mental health. Tsikurishvili followed Bergling for over four years, and captured fly-on-the-wall footage of his experiences and thinking. “I wanted to do a brutally honest film about Tim as a person and not only about Avicii. Everybody knows Avicii but very few people know Tim. I think this documentary really shows Tim’s struggle and strength of character. Being a worldwide superstar artist is not as easy as it looks on Instagram,” Tsikurishvili says.

Soon coming to a dining room near you

Reuters reports that Robots in Singapore have completed a task many humans dread - assembling flat-packed Ikea furniture. Sifting through pages of instructions and a jumble of screws and bolts to build the low-cost Swedish furniture may soon be a thing of the past given advances in technology, say researchers at the city-state’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU). The scientists spent three years programming the robot - made of arms, grippers, sensors and 3D cameras - which assembled the frame of an Ikea dining chair in around 20 minutes. It might only take us The robots assembled the frame ofa an IKEA dining chair in around 20 minutes. (It would take us 5 min. /Ed.) They say it may not be long before such robots can fully assemble a piece of furniture from a manual, verbal instruction or by just looking at an image of the finished item.

Photography: Monica Enqvist

dashboard | may 15, 2018

Happy Birthday Happy Socks

Here we go again

The Swedish pop band ABBA, whose name derives from the first letter in each singer’s first names—Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad—was formed in Stockholm in 1972 and is still known as one of the world’s most successful acts in popular music. Thirty-five years later, ABBA recently reunited to record and release new music. After announcing they would be touring in 2019—as holograms dubbed "ABBAtars" alongside a live band—they felt the incentive to make new music as well: a ballad, “I Still Have Faith in You,” and an uptempo song, “Don’t Shut Me Down.” No, they won’t be touring live again, but one of the new songs will be unveiled in a BBC documentary released this December before next year’s ABBAtar tour. In 2013, ABBA: The Museum opened in Stockholm; in 2016 there was a reunion at the opening of Ulvaeus’s new Stockholm restaurant, an eatery based on the Greek tavern featured in "Mamma Mia!" the Broadway musical that Ulvaeus and Andersson helped create after the 2008 movie of the same name. In fact, the second movie, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, is due in theaters this summer.

Above: Seattle Nordic Museum a few days prior to the Nordic Museum’s grand opening. CEO Eric Nelson touring the museum premises with early Scandinavian guests.

Right: Eric Nelson at the gigantic Nordic Wall by the entrance: “That’s where my ancestors came from.”

Monica Enqvist, press counselor at Embassy of Sweden, moderates a literature talk with authors, Danish Sara Blædel and Swedish Åsa Avdic. The program at the University Bookstore, Seattle was part of the program for the museum’s grand opening.

ROYAL

Longest reigning king

Congratulations to HM King Carl XVI Gustaf! On April 26 he celebrated 44 years and 223 days as the King of Sweden, making him the longest ever reigning monarch in Sweden, now exceeding the 44 years and 222 days that King Magnus Ericsson ruled in 1319-1364. King Carl XVI Gustaf succeeded his grandfather Gustaf VI Adolf on September 15, 1973. This falls during the year Sweden’s royal family is recognizing its 200 years of leadership. No other Swedish royal family has ruled so long, and in no other European country has the same branch of the same family under the same name ruled over a free and independent country in peace as long as the Bernadotte family. With the birth of the King and Queen’s seventh grandchild earlier this year, it’s now also the largest royal family.

Anna-Lena Ahlström/kungahuset.se

Swedish brand Happy Socks has made feet happy for 10 years. Founded in Stockholm Sweden by Viktor Tell and Mikael Söderlindh 10 years ago, the brand is now sold in over 90 countries. Known for their collaborations with various artists to create limited edition Happy Socks, the brand has worked with Snoop Dogg, David LaChapelle, the Beatles and Ellen von Unwerth, to name but a few. The design on the socks above were created by Keith Haring and released for this year’s Valentine’s Day. The founders sold a majority of their creation to a London based private equity firm, Palamon Capital Partners but remain active in the company. For more info, see www.happysocks.com

MAY 15, 2018 5

local events

Local Events California

San Pedro 06.03, 11 AM Swedish National Day: Celebrate among Swedes at the Church of Sweden with a church service but also entertainment, speeches, the elevation of the Swedish flag and lunch with dessert hosted by SWEAOC and SWEA-LA. www.orangecounty. swea.org/aktiviteter/program

Connecticut

Mystic 05.19 The Vikings Begin - Treasures from Uppsala: This exhibit, one of the world’s finest early Viking-age collections, includes priceless treasures such as helmets, shields, weapons, glass, and other artifacts. Thematic sections on Viking warfare, trade, the Baltic Sea, a ship burial, Norse gods, and relations to other cultures employ rare archaeological finds in the discovery of how this maritime society lived more than a millennium ago. On view through September 20 at Mystic Seaport, 860.572.0711 / info@mysticseaport.org / www.mysticseaport.org 05.26, 2-4 PM Book Signing with Anders Winroth: The author of The Age of the Vikings comes to discuss his book. Drawing on a wealth of written, visual and archaeological

evidence, he captured the innovation and pure daring of the Vikings without glossing over their destructive heritage – and their endeavors in commerce, politics, discovery and colonization. The Age of the Vikings sheds new light on the complex society, culture and legacy of these legendary seafarers. Get your book signed, too. Mystic Seaport, 860.572.0711/ info@mysticseaport.org / www.mysticseaport.org

Georgia

Atlanta 06.06, 6-9 PM Sweden Day: Celebrate the Swedish National Day, the biggest Swedish event in Atlanta and the southeast, with an evening of networking, hors d’oeuvres, refreshments and entertainment by Swedish pop artist Ulrika. $30-$45 at the historical Magnolia Hall in Piedmont Park, 470.378.1180 / info@sacc-georgia.org

Illinois

Buffalo Grove 06.08, 11:30 AM Scandinavian Scramble and Barbeque: Individuals and companies play golf and network with colleagues, clients and friends. Play starts at 12:30 p.m. with a BBQ at 6 p.m. at The Arboretum Club, 312.257.3002 / www.sacc-chicago.org Chicago 05.18, 11 AM Hejsan Story and Crafts: Come explore the rich music culture of Sweden. All ages are welcome to attend with a caregiver for

this free (with admission) program. Brunk Children’s Museum of Immigration at Swedish American Museum, 773.728.8111 / www.swedishamericanmuseum.org 05.19, 6 PM Smed the Mini-Musical: Smed tells the musical story of a family that chose to move north in Sweden instead of west to North America, a journey just as uncertain and difficult. Follow four generations in a story that blends fact with fiction starting in the early 1800s. The performance is mostly in English with all songs partly in Swedish. Ulf Nordwall piano, Peter Nordwall saxophone and Maria Bervelius vocals. Swedish American Museum, 773.728.8111 / www.swedishamericanmuseum.org 06.08-10 Midsommarfest: Andersonville’s annual summer street festival on Clark Street from Foster to Catalpa for two days of music, dancing, kids’ entertainment and delicious food. Vendors from around the region sell their wares and ethnic dance troupes and cutting-edge bands keep the party going.Admission to the Swedish American Museum is free. Swedish American Museum, 773.728.8111 / www. swedishamericanmuseum.org Rock Island Ongoing The Singing Evangelist: This exhibit takes a look at Elsie Ahlwén Sundeen’s life and work. It includes the advertising, correspondence and music of Sundeen, an evangelist, musician and composer

born in Sweden in 1905. She was trained at Örebro Mission College before migrating to the U.S. around 1925. She was an active evangelist and traveled widely preaching and singing. See the exhibit through June 15 at the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center, 309.794.7496 / www. augustana.edu/swenson

Iowa

Sioux City 06.09, 11 AM - 1 PM M i d s u m m e r : C e l e b ra t e a n e a r l y Midsummer with the Vasa Lodge in Sioux City. For more info contact 605.253. 2575/ ron@dalesburg.org

Kansas

06.16, 10 AM - 11:30 PM Midsummer’s Festival: A national Swedish holiday celebrated with Swedish food, music, dancing, art, games and the raising of the Midsommarstång (Midsummer pole), live entertainment throughout the day for all ages, blomkrans (crown of flowers), kubb, vendors and more. The Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers and the Folksdanslag will perform Scandinavian dances in Swedish costumes - with opportunities for you to join in the dancing, especially in Heritage Square! New this year is an evening Street Dance. Other activities include the Midsummer’s 5K/2 Mile Walk, the 5th annual kubb tournament, a night swim and an evening concert. 785.227.8687 / travelinfo@lindsborgcity. org / www.visitlindsborg.com

Louisiana

New Orleans Ongoing Why Is Everything A Rag: Stockholm-based artist Jockum Nordström exhibits in the U.S. for the first time. Children’s books, jazz and blues vinyl covers, collages, drawings, paintings and paper sculptures collected from the start of his career through today, figure in a practice animated by and built of a visual vernacular. Through June 17. Contemporary Arts Center, 504.528.3805 / www.cacno.org

Maryland

Greenbelt 05.19, 7-10 PM Scandia DC Saturday Dance: Review or learn popular Scandic dances, no partners necessary. This month’s live music features Andrea Hoag leading the Spelmannslag and Loretta Kelley. Teaching 7-8 p.m., open dancing 8-10 p.m. $10. Greenbelt Community Center Dance Studio, 202.333.2826 / linda@scandiadc. org / www.scandiadc.org.

Massachusetts

Nordic Craft Workshop

Make a completely unique, locally sourced, handmade birch bark necklace at the ASI’s next Nordic Craft Workshop on May 20. From 10 a.m.-5p.m., students are introduced to the history and ecology of birch trees, and discuss sustainable harvesting practices, then spend the rest of the day splitting bark and learning how to make three-fold, four-fold and cube style birch bark beads, combining them with colorful glass beads to string together a beautiful (and hard wearing) birch bark neck6 NORDSTJERNAN

lace. This class is appropriate for new and experienced basket weavers, and is a great opportunity to discover a new appreciation for birch and weaving. Please note that this class requires some hand strength and good finger dexterity. Minimum age 15; students under 18 must be registered with an adult. $85/ASI members, $95/nonmembers, plus an additional $25 materials fee payable to the instructor. American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org

Boston 05.20 Sweet Breads with Chef Cleo: Get your hands in some dough and learn to bake two different loaves while mastering the science of bread - start with a sweet

Do you know about an upcoming event in Swedish America? Submit it any time to our online calendar at www.nordstjernan.com/ calendar

local events

Planning for Midsummer In the United States, Swedish Midsummer celebrations take place throughout the month of June, although the official celebration is observed on the weekend of June 22 in Sweden. In Milwaukee, the annual Midsummer celebration will be at a new location on Sunday, June 24—the celebration of the summer solstice for all the Scandinavians in the area will be held at the beautiful Heidelberg Park in Glendale near Milwaukee. Just like always, everyone can bring flowers to decorate the maypole, make flower crowns, have a procession to raise the decorated pole and dance around it. Join in the program of music and dance, and enjoy a game of kubb. Bring a lawn chair and join in the free afternoon fun from 1-4:30 p.m. with food available for purchase from noon-1 p.m. For more info, contact the Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin, 414.352.7890 / swedishamericanhistoricalwisc@gmail.com or 262.366.9152 / lekstrand@wi.rr.com / www.sahswi.org Photo by George Katsekes, Jr.

cinnamon raisin loaf and end with a fragrant Swedish cardamom braid for you to take home. $48/$60. The Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover St. www. bostonpublicmarket.org/kitchen Cotuit Ongoing A Swedish Folk Tale: This art exhibit is one of the legacies of museum founder Martha Farham Cahoon (1905-1999). Born in Boston to Swedish immigrants who were talented furniture decorators, Martha blended the Swedish folk art heritage with early American and Pennsylvania-German design to create unique expressions in decorative art and painted furniture that had a bold impact on Cape Cod culture. Her work is on exhibit through June 3 at Cahoon Museum of American Art, 508.428.7581 / www.cahoonmuseum.org Newton 05.02, 6-9 PM The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc: Three fiddlers from Norway, Sweden and the Shetland Islands have found themselves in great demand throughout the world performing the rich traditional fiddle music from their Nordic countries. They have developed a sound described as unique, meaningful, intense and invigorating with a clever use of harmony, rhythm, riffs and bass lines. $20. Scandinavian Cultural Center, 617.795.1914 / kerry@scandicenter.org / www.scandicenter.org

Bergman100 / www.ingmarbergman.se Michigan

Detroit Detroit Film Theatre, 5200 Woodward Ave. / www.dia.org/events

05.26, 2 PM: Persona

Minnesota

Minneapolis Ongoing The Fantastical Worlds of Kim Simonsson: Sculptor Kim Simonsson of Finland crafts life-sized figures of child and animals in “moss-covered” ceramics, often found in natural settings that lead the viewer into an imaginative, fairytale-like world inspired by the forests of Finland. On exhibit through July 15 at the American Swedish Institute / info@asimn.org / www.asimn.org 05.16, 6:30-8:30 PM Nordic Table: Smörgås - the open-faced sandwich is important to Scandinavian culture and each country has its own spin - the sometimes elegant, always delicious smörgås is Sweden’s version. We’ll make our own Swedish rye bread and top it with a variety of ingredients (and we will also create our own chocolate sandwiches). $45/members, $55/non-members. American Swedish Institute, 612.871.4907 / info@asimn.org /www.asimn.org 05.23, 6-8 PM Svensk musik och dans: Celebrating Swedish classical and folk music with the East Metro Symphony Orchestra and featuring the Twin Cities Nyckelharpalag and the Twin Cities Swedish Folk Dancers. The Nyckelharpalag’s repertoire is drawn mostly from folk tunes in Uppland, Sweden, where the nyckelharpa tradition has its roots. In performance members of the group wear folk costumes modeled after clothing worn on special occasions in the 19th century. American Swedish Institute, info@asimn.org / www.asimn.org 06.01, 6-11 PM Cocktails at the Castle: ASI’s famous museum party is back with an enchanted

night full of quirky surprises. Surround yourself in the magic of Kim Simonsson’s exhibit and the synth-pop and dance-punk music. Make your own unique art with Northern Clay Center and indulge in one of FIKA’s famous cocktails or grab a local brew from the Indeed Tap Truck. $17/ASI members, $20/non-members. American Swedish Institute, 612.871.4907 / www. asimn.org 06.09, 2-4 PM Nordic Table: Summer Strawberry Cake. It’s time to make jordgubbstårta, a multilayered sponge cake filled with whipped cream and strawberries. Get the tips and tricks of pulling off a beautiful cake worthy

Swedesburg, IA

Midsummer Festival

June 24th - 7-8p.m. Entertainment by Lindsborg Swedish Folkdancers Parish Hall, Swedesburg

For info call: 319-254-2317

Sweden Day June 2, 2018

Come celebrate a weekend of Culture and Fellowship at:

Sveadal

8220 Croy Road, Morgan Hill, CA 95037 Presentation of Swedish artist Gunnar Widforss by Alan Petersen, Curator of Fine Arts, Museum of Northern Arizona

Akvavit Kryddat Brännvin World Championship

Activities and games Tours and hiking Saturday Evening Catered Dinner Cabin Reservations: www.sveadal.org Information: Jim Melin (408) 272-1700 jimmelin@jacklondon.net

www.vasagoldengate.org

MAY 15, 2018 7

local events

Sweden Day in Atlanta

Photo by Bengt Nyman

Celebrate Swedish National Day in the historical Magnolia Hall in Piedmont Park, Atlanta on June 6, 6-9 p.m. Join the Swedish Consulate of Atlanta, the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce-Georgia and SWEA to celebrate the Swedish National Day in an evening of networking, hors d’oeuvres, refreshments and special entertainment by Swedish pop artist Ulrika. Sweden Day is the biggest Swedish event in Atlanta, a great occasion to come together and celebrate Swedish heritage, culture, cuisine and traditions. Tickets include a Swedish Smorgasbord of heavy hors d’oeuvres, two drinks, entertainment, complimentary parking and special surprises - $30/ members of the participating organizations, $45/non-members. Parking is available in connection to the venue at Magnolia Hall, RSVP to 770.670.2480 / info@sacc-georgia.org / www.sacc-georgia.org

of any summertime occasion, with some tasting, too: whip up both a full-size and some mini strawberry cakes. This is a family friendly course; kids 10+ can register with an adult for an additional $20, $45/ASI members, $55/non-members. American Swedish Institute, 612.871.4907 / www. asimn.org 06.16, 10 AM - 5 PM 2018 Midsommar Celebration: Summer is short in Minnesota and the Nordic regions, so get outside and enjoy the highpoint of summer, one of our most festive days of the year! Make a midsommarkrans (flower head wreath) and dance and sing around the midsommarstång (midsummer pole). Enjoy Scandinavian folk music, Nordic know-how sessions through the day and birch bark love knot rings, story time and a Midsommar Seek & Find for families. There’s even a special pop-up store with Swedish clogs from Troentorp/Baståd. American Swedish Institute, 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org Scandia 05.17, 10 AM Annie’s Coffee Party: Gammelgården’s oldest resident is the inspiration behind our traditional Swedish 3-course Coffee Party, a perfect way to celebrate just about any occasion. $15. Reservations are required by the previous Wednesday via 651.433.5054. Gammelgården Museum / www.gammelgardenmuseum.org

Nebraska

Stromsburg 06.15-17 2018 Swedish Festival: Everyone is Swedish for the day with ethnic food, costumes and

dancing. Entertainment in the downtown square, the Stromsburg Public Library and around town. The Skjaldborg Vikings educate and entertain as they reenact Viking life. www.theswedishfestival.com

New York

New York 05.10, 8 PM Keyboard Conversations: Pianist Jeffrey Siegel celebrates his 10th season of his popular series with an informal commentary on the music and its composers, a full performance of each work, and a short Q & A session. Tonight he performs Bach’s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue and Gigue and Chopin’s Polonaise Fantasie and mazurkas. Scandinavia House, 212.779.3587 / www.scandinaviahouse.org 05.29, 6-7 PM Nordic Book Club: Discuss The Endless Summer by Madame Nielsen, a novel that focuses on the love story of a Danish woman and a much younger Portuguese artist. Scandinavia House, 212.779.3587 / www.scandinaviahouse.org Ongoing Lego Bricks: A Celebration! To mark the 60th anniversary of the Lego brick, the American-Scandinavian Foundation presents an exhibition featuring sculptures, mosaics and interactive play zones by renowned Brooklyn-based Lego certified professional artist Sean Kenney, along with an overview of the Lego Group’s history and educational mission and a variety of children’s workshops. Accompanied by descriptive panels, viewers can discover the myriad ways the Lego bricks can be used, and an interactive play zone featuring

Augusta’s Daughter Ever wonder what made so many emigrate from Sweden in the nineteenth century? Judit Martin’s novel, “Augusta’s Daughter,” about 19th century Swedish peasant life made such an impression on us, we decided to offer it to the Nordstjernan readership. call 1.800.827.9333 for your own copy ($24.90 incl. S&H to continental U.S.).

LOS ANGELES Lördag 19 maj kl 10.30

SVENSK GUDSTJÄNST på Sweden House, San Diego. Kyrkoherde Hans Bratt Hernberg predikar.

Söndag 20 maj kl 12.00

SVENSK GUDSTJÄNST i Angelica-kyrkan. Kyrkoherde Hans Bratt Hernberg predikar.

Söndag 3 juni kl 11.00

SVENSK GUDSTJÄNST OCH NATIONALDAGSFIRANDE i San Pedro. Kyrkoherde Hans Bratt Hernberg predikar.

Tisdagar kl 18.30

SVENSKAFTON

National archives and library for Swedish-American historical research Publishers of Swedish American Genealogist 639 38th Street Rock Island, IL | 61201-2296 309-794-7204

www.augustana.edu/ swenson 8 NORDSTJERNAN

med film, bibelstudier, sång och gemenskap.

Onsdagar kl 19.00 Kyrkans kör övar. Välkommen du också!

Fredagar kl 9.30

MORGONANDAKT Angelica Lutheran Church i DTLA: 1345 S Burlington Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90006

Through

För aktuell information om våra evenemang, se vår facebook- och hemsida.

NORDSTJERNAN

SVENSKA KYRKAN LOS ANGELES 1035 South Beacon Street, San Pedro, CA 90731 Tel. (310) 292-7080 • Epost: losangeles@svenskakyrkan.se Hemsida: www.svenskakyrkan.se/losangeles

1.800.827.9333 Ext 10

local events

Be an early immigrant for a day Experience a free day as an immigrant making a new life on a small farm in the late 1800s. As part of annual Minnesota Museums Month, visit each of the five historic and fully furnished buildings on May 27, to work and play as residents of this small farm—hauling water, packing your trunk for America, making butter, doing laundry and playing games at recess in the new school yard. Dress in period costume to add to your experience, 1-4 p.m. at Gammelgården Museum, 651.433.5053 / www.gammelgardenmuseum. org Gammelgården is in Scandia, next door to Lindström, the Minnesota town that was in an uproar after the state’s transportation board banned the letter ö on road signs in 2015. Named after Daniel Lindström, the eastern Minnesota city was a favorite of the Swedish adventurer in the mid-1800s. Today, much like in Scandia, most of the 4,500 residents are of Swedish descent, and every year the town is visited by 3,000 Swedish tourists. The decision was changed after, well, everyone complained. Learning to milk a cow—not part of the regular middle school curriculum. 30,000 loose Lego bricks to inspire builders of all ages. Scandinavia House, 212.779.3587 / www.scandinaviahouse.org

Bergman100 / www.ingmarbergman.se Pleasantville Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Rd. / www.burnsfilmcenter.org 05.15, 1:30 & 7:40 PM See: Wild Strawberries 05.22, 1:30 & 7:40 PM See: Through a Glass Darkly 05.29, 1:30 & 7:40 PM See: Autumn Sonata

Oregon

Astoria 06.15-17 Scandinavian Midsummer Festival: For more than 50 years, this Oregon Heritage Tradition has embodied the rich cultural heritage that was transplanted in region by immigrant Scandinavians. Here they found the same bounteous seas and forests as in their native lands and the demand for their skills at managing them. For these three days enjoy entertainment by dozens of Scandinavian musical, dance and theater groups, handcrafts for sale, Scandinavian

import items, and traditional Scandinavian foods. www.astoriascanfest.org. 6.16, 7 PM ABBA tribute band ARRIVAL: Is returning to the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival in Astoria, with DREAMS, Canada’s Fleetwood Mac Tribute Band. ARRIVAL takes fans back to the amazing music of ABBA, the Swedish group that became the most successful pop group in the world in 1974-1982. Clatsop County Fairgrounds, 503.791.9156 / www.astoriascanfest.org Portland 05.11, 7:30 PM Syttende Mai with Roberta Swedien: An evening of sheer cool with words and music from the elegance of 19th-century Nordic drawing rooms to the earthy peasant, folk expressions of the countryside to ancient Norse sagas to the ultra-modern, inkbarely-dry musings for solo piano. Five world-premieres for piano with renowned international pianist Roberta Swedien. Nordia House, 503.977.0275 / www. nordicnorthwest.org

exhibit, toddlers learn about this special culture. ASHM will introduce the important role reindeer play in the lives of the Sami people in Scandinavia. Join us while we read Inger’s Promise by Jamie Parkison, play reindeer games, create a reindeer craft to take home, and enjoy a snack.American Swedish Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / www.americanswedish.org 06.06, 10 AM-3 PM National Day: Celebrate Swedish National Day with free admission, guided tours at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. highlighting the history of the museum, and a special Swedish summer dessert treat. American Swedish Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / www. americanswedish.org

Ongoing Enchanting Transparency: Explore 300 years of glass production and the companies who launched their products into households around the world. See photographs and sketches from the 20th century artists and artisans who brought Swedish glass to global fame and find the magic within the everyday objects. American Swedish Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / www.americanswedish.org 06.23, 4-7 PM Midsommarfest: Celebrate our annual Midsommarfest with food, drinks, homemade Swedish pastries, music and maypole dancing, as well as crafts and games for the kids. $5-$8/pay at the door. American Swedish Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / www.americanswedish.org

Rhode Island

Newport 05.20, 2 PM The Volvo Ocean Race starts Leg 9 to Cardiff, from host city Newport. Come cheer on the sailors and find out about all the things to see and do in Newport’s Race Village. www.volvooceanracenewport.com

South Carolina

Charleston 05.19, 11 AM - 12 PM Charleston Kubb Club: Annual team meeting kicks off the season which runs May 19-Oct 1. This is a free event and open to all who love the sport. Charleston Kubb Club, 843.324.8076 / wcui2@aol.com

Ongoing Walking with Reindeer: Erika Larsen introduces us to the day-to-day lives of modern Sami families through her acclaimed photography exhibition: Sami Walking with Reindeer. American Swedish Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / www. americanswedish.org

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia 05.15, 10:30-11:30 AM Toddler Time: In conjunction with the Sami

Miniature Miniature Wooden Wooden Buoys Buoys

0.5” 0.5” xx 1.5” 1.5” hand hand made made and and painted painted with with aa flag flag of of your your choice. choice. Use Use as as keychains, keychains, jacket jacket or or bag bag zipper zipper assist, assist, holiday holiday decorations decorations ,, wreaths, wreaths, table table décor décor for for wedweddings dings ... ...

Lindsborg Midsummer’s Festival

Saturday, June 16, 2018 www.midsummersfestival.com Free Admission • Folk Dancing Children’s Activities • Fun Run • Live Music • Kubb Tournament • Food • Arts and Crafts

$7

908.295.3831 www.heritagebuoy.com MAY 15, 2018 9

local events South Dakota

06.22, 1-8 PM Dalesburg Midsummer Festival: A celebration of Scandinavian and rural heritage. Välkommen! Programs at 2 and 7 p.m. with special musical guests from Sweden, dancing, a smörgåsbord, train rides and more food. Dalesburg Midsummer Festival, 605.253.2575 / ron@ dalesburg.org / www.dalesburg.org

Washington Ballard 05.18, 6-10 PM

Ballard Jazz Festival: The Mainstage Concert at the new Nordic Museum features the Oskar Stenmark Quartet with traditional melodies from Sweden, inherited from Stenmark’s ancestors lyrical melodies with a Nordic flavor, but with the rhythm, harmony and feel found in New York City. Nordic Museum, www. ballardjazzfestival.com 05.26, 10 AM-1 PM Kids & Family Series: Check out a collection of cultural and historic Lego art (including a 1/25 scale Viking ship) and build at STEM

and STEAM-themed stations! All ages. At the new Nordic Museum, 206.789.5707 / www.nordicmuseum.org

Washington, DC

05.19, Noon-3 PM Childrens Art Workshops: Swedish artist and art teacher Karin Lithell offers classes. Free admission and no registration required. House of Sweden, 202.467.2644 / www.facebook.com/ swedeninusa

Wisconsin

Ellen Lindström “The Swedish Meatball”

Adding fun & musical flavor to every event!

917-968-2926 www.TheSwedishMeatballs.com

Ongoing Swedish Footprints: Shaping the Future celebrates Sweden’s contributions to the strong economic, cultural, political and interpersonal ties between Sweden and the U.S. with four exhibits: “Still Life” by renowned Swedish artist Karin Broos and the world premier of The Creative Nation: Swedish Music and Innovation join A Never-Ending Whispering Conversation – The Fanny and Alexander Process, and Bergman Moods – Costumes & Images. Swedish Footprints: Shaping the Future is free every weekend at the House of Sweden, 202.467.2644 / www.facebook. com/swedeninusa

Friday, June 22, 2018

Trevlig Midsommar! Dalesburg Midsummer Festival Rural Vermillion, SD Info: www.dalesburg.org

Välkommen!

Oak Creek 05.16, 9 AM-9 PM Grand Opening: IKEA-Oak Creek opens to the public at its first Wiscosnin site just south of Milwaukee along I-94. See the Swedish flag get raised, sing the National Anthem, and be among the first customers to purchase items at food at this location. https://www.ikea.com/ms/ en_US/grand-opening/oak-creek.html

For more local events in Swedish America see our online calendar at www. nordstjernan.com/calendar or download the free app Nordic in America-Events from App Store or Google Play www.nordicinamerica.com

78h Annual SWEDEN DAY A NEW YORK “MIDSOMMAR” TRADITION

Saturday, June 16, 2018 Manhem Club

658 Clarence Avenue, Throgs Neck, Bronx, New York 10465 Park Opens 11 AM

Main Program 2 PM

2018 Couple of the Year Beatrice & Bob Rasmussen $10/person. Children under 12 free (accompanied by adult) Entertainment featuring: Smörgåsbandet, Barnklubben Elsa Rix #1, kids activities, Allsång & dancing around the Maypole (Majstång). Large in-ground pool. Don’t forget your bathing suits. Drinks and food available for purchase. Miss Sweden Day & Scholarship applications: www.SwedenDayNY.com

Manhem Club - (718) 822-8965 Sweden Day Committee - (516) 565-2091 Email: SwedenDayNina@outlook.com 10 NORDSTJERNAN

readers forum

Ninety years of Midsummer in Portland, OR Portland celebrates the League of Swedish Societies’ 90th Midsummer Festival this year. Midsummer is one of the most important Swedish festivities, a celebration of the summer solstice. Families and friends get together to raise the Maypole (majstång or midsommarstång) and dance around it, sing, enjoy food and other treats, and celebrate summer at its height. Midsummer celebrations in Portland, Oregon can be traced back to 1888, when the Swedish Society Linnea was established. But 90 years ago, on June 24, 1928, the most documented Midsummer celebration in Portland, Oregon was reported on, arranged for the first time by the League of Swedish Societies at Gladstone Park in the eastern section of Portland. The main planning and carrying out of the event fell on the members of the league, which was founded just seven months before in November 1927 by the Swedish Society Linnea, Nobel Lodge, Harmoni Lodge, Alberta Lodge, Skandia, Columbia Male Chorus, Swedish Business Men’s Club, Runeberg Lodge and Swedish Dance Club. The overall purpose of the newly formed league was to promote friendship among the various Swedish organizations in Portland, cooperate on social events that would be beyond the financial powers of the individual societies, and represent the SwedishAmerican population in civic affairs. “Big Picnic Brings out 5000 Swedes” was reported by a local Portland newspaper when nine organizations of Central Council held the festival at Gladstone Park. The Midsummer Queen, Marie Olson, was coronated surrounded by her six maids and the royal court. For 90 years, Swedes, fellow Scandinavians and their descendants in the greater Portland area have celebrated the summer solstice with a Midsummer Festival representing the cultural traditions and Swedish heritage in the “new country.” About 10 percent of the Oregon population has Swedish roots. Over the years the Swedish Midsummer Festival was held at different locations; during the last several years it has been Oaks Park in the Portland metropolitan area. The league has been providing ethnic food at all Midsummer Festivals, and this is today still an important aspect, thanks to the commitment and support from the various Nordic organizations. Popular food like open-faced shrimp sandwiches, yellow pea soup, hot dogs, and Swedish pancakes are always served. For many years Ross Fogelquist and many others have been actively involved in establishing several different groups representing Swedish and Scandinavian interests. Inspired to bring all the Scandinavians groups together, Scandinavian Heritage Foundation was formed. Their effort resulted in the building of Nordia House in Portland. The Nordia House and the original log cabin, Fogelbo, are the

Musicians arriving to the festival grounds in later years.

Midsummer Dancers Mid to late 1920’s.

center for many different Nordic events and festivities. SHF has been renamed Nordic Northwest, and is the legal umbrella for the Midsummer Celebration in Oaks Park. The 2018 Midsummer Festival is the first celebration to be an official Oregon Heritage Tradition, as registered with the Oregon Heritage Commission. Leif Rosqvist For more info, see www.nordicnorthwest.org

With 10% of the Portland population having Swedish roots, the first coordinated Midsummer celebration in 1928 became big news locally. Among the historic programs to the right you find the 1928 Midsummer Program all the way at the bottom. MAY 15, 2018 11

Photo: Astrid Olsson

local events

Cultural Counselor Linda Zachrison welcomes visitors to the “Fanny & Alexander” part of the Bergman100 exhibit at the Swedish Embassy.

Bergman100 at the Swedish Embassy In early April we went to Washington, DC to visit our daughter, Juli, for a personal tour of her team’s exhibit, “Objects of Wonder” at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, which won the award for best exhibit of the year among Smithsonian exhibits. We took the opportunity to visit the Swedish Embassy and House of Sweden, where the Bergman100 centennial exhibit celebrates the Swedish filmmaker. I was able to speak with Linda Zachrison, the embassy’s cultural counselor who previously worked at the Swedish Film Institute. Of interest is that Sweden chooses accomplished cultural leaders, such as Zachrison, who are intimately familiar with all aspects of the country’s culture and who can help create interesting exhibits and activities at the embassy to serve at their embassies for a term. In Washington, DC Zachrison has worked at the embassy along the Potomac, from its grounds to its roof. Inside she and the team has arranged one of the rooms of Sweden House for each weekend’s “Story time” and art workshops for young kids in collaboration with Kulturhuset in Stockholm. In this room, everything is cleverly arranged for the youthful visitors, such as tables and crawling carpets. All the books in the kids’ library are arranged for their heights and interests. 12 NORDSTJERNAN

Years of Bergman

Zachrison viewed her first Bergman film when she was only 10, eventually studying and working with films. She studied film and theater at Stockholm University then worked at civic theaters with all the performing arts. She has been an artistic director featuring shows from all over the world, and also worked at the Swedish Film Institute. Anna Serner is the current CEO there, whose 50/50 by 2020 project Linda Zachrison greatly admires. Of course general equity would suggest this should be the ratio in all the arts. When Bergman died, Zachrison was approached by Kerstin Brunnberg and Bergman’s daughter Linn Ullman to lead the effort in making Bergman’s home on the island of Fårö, Bergmangårdarna, a center for visitors and researchers. As much as she appreciated this opportunity, she turned down the offer and never applied for the job, but she is very excited to work with the legacy of Bergman from her new position. Now Bergman Week is celebrated annually on the island at the end of June. Originally Bergman had put in his will that all his belongings should be sold and the funds split equally among his children. But it was Linn’s foresight, combined with the generos-

ity of a wealthy benefactor, who bought many of the treasures and replaced them at the home to make it a memorial to her father. Zachrison talks up the annual scholarship which allows individuals to spend a summer at the home, studying Bergman’s memorabilia in context, in order to produce research or work that year for the foundation. More information can be found at www. ingmarbergman.se or through your local Swedish consulate.

A Swedish legacy

The Swedish government has been very happy with the Bergman100 celebration. I mentioned to Zachrison the wonderful, packed showings at the complete retrospective of all his films being shown throughout this year at the Pacific Film Archive (part of the University of California, Berkeley) and we discussed our appreciation for all the young people and those new to Bergman who were attending and appreciating these showings. At House of Sweden she showed me the room where the Bergman films are shown, in addition to the retrospectives being presented at National Gallery and American Film Instititute. In one corner was a connected series of half a dozen folding screens with panels on

various aspects of the film “Fanny and Alexander.” Beside the screens was a table showing representative memorabilia: such as individual photos of Bergman and his parents in an antique trifold frame. But of most interest to me was a facsimile of his script for the movie. This was a large bound ledger with many pages. Here he jotted all of his notes as they occurred to him during his conception and production of the film. Also included are notes on other scraps of paper, pasted into the book. Many of these were sketches of character positions, camera angles and so forth. At the other end of the room were half a dozen mannequins of women’s torsos draped in some of the costumes from that film, and beside this cast of costumed figures was a screen showing clips of the gowns worn by the actors. This exhibit, called Swedish Footprints: Shaping the Future, celebrates Sweden’s contributions in general and Ingmar Bergman specifically with costumes and images from his master works. A must-see if you are in DC. Ted Olsson For more info, see www.bergmangardarna.se and check the events section at www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/ usa-washington/

readers forum Dear Friends, Who would think there was so much to say about knäckebröd? I have a story about eating knäckebröd I would like to share. Years back we started hosting a business associate of my husband Carl. Nils came from Täby, Sweden. He turned out to be more of a family member as the years went by because of his frequent visits. He became so comfortable that when eating knäckebröd, which is a staple in our home, he said at one point he was going to start putting the butter on the “dimpled” side of the bread. A guest would never put the butter on that side but on the smooth side so as not to use an excess of butter. True tale I don’t know, or was it one of his humorous tales? Martha Johnson Hurtig, MA Dear Martha, Who knew, indeed. As for your question, times in Sweden are different now from when knäckebröd was first baked in the 16th century or ealier but we’ve sometimes heard the dimpled side referred to as söndagssidan, “the Sunday side.” The term seems to refer to the same thing: an ambition to use the flat side to avoid using an excess of butter during weekdays. /Ed. Dear editors, I wanted to add a crime novel recommendation to the list Jim Kaplan has been discussing. It’s set in Australia but is written by a Swede, and as a Swede in America, I really enjoyed reading it on many levels. Borta is a novel that offers interesting insights into how the police in Australia work together as a team to solve crimes and how the criminal mind operates and is motivated. I also enjoyed the author’s expression of love for Sydney as she described the city’s great natural beauty, and the deep love relationship between Morgan Callaghan and his partner Lisa. The author, although Swedish, has lived in Australia for many years and I think she gives a true insider’s view of life in Sydney but also picks up on some unique things about Australians that I think are based on her Swedish upbringing. The main storyline in Borta revolves around the mystery of who kidnapped and killed some teenage boys who attended an upper-class private school in an affluent suburb of Sydney. But the book also

encompasses much more: different societies’ views of crime, child abuse, drug abuse, Australian mateship and work-life balance. There was lots of excitement in the story and I was surprised by the ending, but then I realized all the clues had been staring me in the face the whole time! Borta is Australian crime literature at its best (told by an immigrant). Read it because it will enrich your life and maybe even convince you to visit the places in Sydney that A.C. Efverman so lovingly describes. Eric Swanson, OR Svenska: Jag njöt verkligen av att läsa Borta på många nivåer. Författaren, som är svensk men har bott i Australien i många år, ger insikter, såväl som en insyn, på hur polisen i Sydney, Australien jobbar tillsammans för att lösa mord-brott och livet i Sydney, men hon plockar också upp unika saker om australienare som jag tror är baserade på hennes uppväxt i Sverige. Kärnan i Borta är att ta reda på vem som har kidnappat och dödat några tonårspojkar från en överklass-skola i en välmående förort i Sydney. Men boken omfattar mycket mer än så och går också in på ämnen som olika samhällens inställningar till brottslighet, barnmisshandel, drogmissbruk, astraliensk mateship och arbete-liv balans. Boken erbjuder intressanta inblickar på hur kriminella hjärnor fungerar och är motiverade, dessväl som Morgan Callaghan och hans sambo Lisas kärleksförhållande och författarens kärlek till staden Sydney och dess stora naturliga skönhet. Borta är australiensk deckareNone of Efverman’s books are at present available in English since her first book, “Game” (Skuggspel), was pulled from shelves to be re- litteratur som bäst, berättat av en translated and relaunched in the U.S. together with her second book, svensk invandrare i Australien. Läs “Gone” (Borta) reviewed here. We’ll keep you posted on the launch.

Hej, Jag såg ett litet fel på sid två i Nordstjernan No. 4, 2018; fråga nr 6 i Scandinavian Quiz. Sverige är inte nummer 3 i storlek i Europa, utan nr 5! 1. Russia, 4 miljoner kvkm 2. Ukraina, 603,628 3. Frankrike, 547,503 4. Spanien, 505,990 5. Sverige, 450,295 Göran Rygert, GA Du har rätt Göran. Även om huvuddelen av Ryssland ligger i Asien räknas landet till Europa. Europas östra gräns anses geografiskt gå vid Uralbergen vilket förstås gör att också Ukraina räknas till världsdelen Europa. (Göran is right in correcting our quiz answer from issue 4 about Sweden having the third largest land area in Europe. Russia, although mostly located in Asia, is considered part of Europe as is Ukraine since the geographic eastern border of Europe is the Ural Mountains.) /Ed. boken eftersom den kommer berika ditt liv och kanske även övertyga dig om att besöka platser i Sydney som A.C. Efverman beskriver så kärleksfullt. Det var mycket spänning i berättelsen och jag blev mycket förvånad över slutet, men sedan insåg jag att alla ledtrådar hade stirrat mig i ansiktet hela tiden!

MAY 15, 2018 13

Norrbotten

öland Gästrikland

feature

Västerbotten jämtla

öland

Hälsingland

NORRBOTTEN

Gästrikland Västerbotten

mlandjämtland

Dalarna

Västergötland

medelpad

VÄSTERGÖTLAND

Dalsland

Ha l l a n d blekinge Skåne blekinge Ångermanlandöstergötland UPPLAND Bohuslän Närke Ångermanland

Värmland

Hälsingland

västergötland

SÖDERMANLAND

SÖDERMANLAND

skåne

Närke

UPPLAND Närke

öland

VÄSTERGÖTLAND

öland Dalsland Blekinge People who know the stories of their immigrant ancestors or do some genealogy research know that the “landskap” (province) is an important part of the identifying information that traveled with those who left Sweden in search of a new life abroad. Many of us have roots or connections to specific cities or regions in the old country. Sweden is divided into 25 provinces or “landskap.” These are geographical and cultural regions, and though they have no administrative functions, they remain historical legacies and are often part and parcel of a person’s way of identifying him or herself. “He’s from Skåne,” we say. Aha, then we believe we know exactly how he is. “She grew up in Norrbotten, or Värmland, or Småland.” Ok, we immediately get a mental picture of the

person depending on what “landskap” she is from. A “landskap” was originally a small kingdom that gradually became more and more subjected to the rule of the Swedish king during the consolidation of Sweden, around 800-1000 AD. After Sweden was unified and a common Swedish monarch was established, these provinces were held as duchies. We’ll focus on Sweden’s regions later this year to see what’s specific about each of them but would also like your input—on regions and cities, on memories, be it of food items, destinations or experiences. Please send your thoughts to editor@nordstjernan.com. For now, we offer just one overview (there are so many) of what a person might encounter if they traveled the whole of Sweden.

travel in sweden,

14 NORDSTJERNAN

top to bottom

d

Whether you want your holiday to provide you with a rush of adrenaline, a bit of peace and quiet, an enriching cultural experience or a combination of the three, the old country might just be the ideal destination. Sweden’s growing popularity with tourists is based on a wide-ranging appeal to all tastes, backed by important details like child-friendliness, excellent transport links, and a clean and safe environment. While well known attractions like Lapland’s Ice Hotel, the southern archipelagos and the culture and nightlife of Stockholm get coverage in the international press, Sweden is bursting with world-class destinations and activities that have remained somewhat of a secret from the rest of the world.

Norrbotten

and

d

D

Take it from the top

Starting in Norrland, Sweden’s northernmost region which covers half the country and includes nine provinces, you have Europe’s last unspoiled wilderness and the Land of the Midnight Sun, which attracts travelers with a sense of adventure for any season wanting to get away from it all. This amazing landscape of dense forest, mountains, rivers and waterfalls provides ideal terrain for hiking, mountain biking and canoeing, plus other white-knuckle extreme pursuits. There is even mid-summer skiing at Riksgränsen. The 265-mile long King’s Trail, or Kungsleden, which is probably Sweden’s best hiking trail, winds its way through rugged mountain scenery including Kebnekaise, the country’s highest peak at close to 7,000 feet (2111 meters). The nearby – in Norrland terms – Sarek National Park, also above the Arctic Circle, is one of Europe’s oldest national parks and will challenge even the most experienced outdoorsman. South of that is Höga Kusten (the High Coast, a Unesco World Heritage Site which is actually still rising following the retreat of glaciers from the last Ice Age), with lakes, fjords and a spectacular coastline on the Gulf of Bothnia. The Örnskölds-

viks Museum at Örnsköldsvik has an interesting exhibition on local history and the history of the indigenous Sami people. Closer to central Sweden in the Siljan area of Dalarna you can join the long list of international dignitaries who own a “Dalahäst,” Dalecarlian horse. This symbol of Sweden, which may have started out as a toy for children, is often used as a gift when Swedish prime ministers visit abroad (no, we’re not sure if President Trump has one but we know the Clinton’s Dalahäst was big and possibly still in the White House). Nusnäs, just outside Mora, is the only place where they are made by hand, and you can watch local craftsmen and women carving and painting these charming figures. Continuing south and east to Stockholm, one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world, you can see and do everything you would expect in a cosmopolitan centre, with the added pleasures of the huge and stunning archipelago. Among a long, long list of highlights, worthy of mention is the warship Vasa, which was once – briefly – the world’s most fearsome vessel, until the pride of the Swedish Navy sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. Today it stands on display in its own museum, the most visited in Scandinavia.

Everyone has memories, dreams or an imagination of food items, destinations or experiences ... Let us know about “your” landskap, the region, city or province your family or ancestors are from. editor@nordstjernan.com

MAY 15, 2018 15

feature The High Coast in the Ångermanland province of north eastern Sweden, is a UNESCO World Heritage site for its unique and highly scenic land, seascape and distinctly red Nordingrå granite cliffs and rocks. The area included on the World Heritage list stretches over 100 km from north to south, with the Skuleskogen National Park at the center. (Photo: Anders Ekholm/Folio/imagebank.sweden)

Viking heritage

In Sweden’s lower third, the Baltic island of Gotland is home to hundreds if not thousands of prehistoric sites, including burial mounds, stone circles and hilltop fortresses. It was here that the biggest ever buried Viking treasure was found in 1999 – all 150 pounds of it. With long sandy beaches, desolate moors and towering cliffs, the island is Sweden’s most popular holiday destination and is served by eight ferries a day from the mainland during the summer season. Cruises on the Göta Canal take you on one river, three canals, eight lakes and 66 locks between Sweden’s east and west coasts on what is billed “the Orient Express of waterway travel.” There on the west’s Bohusljän Coast, north of Göteborg, is perhaps Sweden’s most picturesque area with rocky islands and inlets dotted with pretty fishing villages of painted houses perched right above the water. The Bronze Age rock carvings at Tanum, in Bohuslän, have been described as a unique artistic achievement, depicting people, animals and boats from 3,000 years ago.

16 NORDSTJERNAN

Quintessential Sweden

The Småland region in the south is quintessential Sweden, with its expansive forests dotted with red and white houses. The area is home to both the Kingdom of Crystal and Kingdom of Glass, each of which showcases local and national excellence in the respective arts. The many glassworks that make up the Kingdom of Crystal blend traditional glassmaking techniques and tools with the best and latest in Scandinavian design. Glasriket, to give its Swedish name, is world-renowned for its quality and designs, and visitors can watch the glassblowers in action and pick up bargains from the well-stocked factory shops. Småland is an ideal destination for families with small children with a number of theme parks including the wild-west themed High Chaparral, Boda Borg Adventure House, and Astrid Lindgren’s World, featuring many of the creations of Sweden’s most popular children’s author, not least Pippi Longstocking.

Photo: Bo Zaunders

Kometen, a true classic with a twist. As much a cultural institution as the art museum and the opera, Kometen is now under direction of the famous TV chef Leif Mannerström and the food is all first-class in an amazing setting; Spisa Matbar, an immediate favorite. With well prepared delicacies from Italy, Spain and France, it’s a great place to have a wonderful meal. No wonder first-time visitors to Sweden all say that they want to return! By Henrik (Håkan) Hernvall

Favorite spot in Sweden: Gothenburg. The salty city by the sea Gothenburg, or Göteborg, on Sweden’s west coast, has several first rate attractions and is in my opinion the top entertainment city in Scandinavia. The compact, pedestrian-friendly city center offers a wealth of culture, shopping, sights and amazing restaurants. In recent years the city has undergone an exciting transformation. The old waterfront areas previously devoted to shipping are now reclaimed. There are many wonderful condos (very expensive) with views of the harbor areas, lots of salty places to eat and more coffee houses than Seattle. Perfect for a fika at any time. They recently added parks and walking paths everywhere and even built one of the largest outdoor fresh water pools for summer fun. Liseberg amusement park is one of the best in all of Europe, there are ongoing events of both indoor and outdoor concerts, trade fairs and a good number of museums, not to mention the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra which is first-class.

Everyone’s favorite spots, however, are the idyllic fishing villages in the stunning Bohuslän archipelago. Restaurants here serve the tastiest seafood anyone can possibly eat. Seafood such as oysters, lobster, crayfish, crab and prawns from the cold North Atlantic is world famous. Explore the area by sea kayak, take a lobster safari and appreciate the spectacular natural surroundings and outdoor lifestyles. What has given Göteborg a worldwide reputation in recent years is the culinary experience. Many of Sweden’s best chefs hail from the city and there is a wide range of fine restaurants including five with Michelin stars. That’s more than most world cities. Three of my very favorites that have gained five stars in a short time are: Upper House Dining, on top of the 25th floor of Göteborg’s new luxury boutique hotel. It offers ultra fine dining with service to match, and the views will take your breath away;

Henrik Hernvall has run the boutique travel agency Redwood Skytours in San Francisco since 1982. We caught up with the seasoned traveler and travel organizer in March just after he returned from a gorilla trekking tour to the mountains of Uganda. Born Håkan Hervall in Göteborg (it figures, they say all people from Sweden’s second largest city are forever rooting for their town /Ed.), Håkan became Henrick while the young Swede went to high school in San Diego—another reason the job with Laker Airways and a permanent move to San Francisco felt natural in 1979. Laker Airways went bankrupt in 1982 and Henrick was able to take over the name of the failing airlines’ charter operation, Skytours. He later purchased the oldest agency, Redwood Travel, north of the Golden Gate and added Redwood to the Skytours name. Henrick has two grown kids with his American wife Judy, and outside of family and running a successful travel operation he seems to spend as much time as possible doing what he loves most both personally and professionally: traveling. For more info, see www.skytours.com

MAY 15, 2018 17

feature

Air travel, for worse and better

Air travel these days is really better than ever. You fly to Stockholm from the U.S. east coast in about 7-8 hours. In 1946, flying time from Stockholm to New York on a DC-4 “Skymaster” was 27 hours (via Copenhagen, Prestwick and Gander). The price is about the same as 50 years ago, so why do we sometimes feel air travel never’s been worse? Well, for one, the security check lines, which seem to have grown since their inception in the early years of the new millennium—and for good reason—can be a bit of a hassle. Also, the seats in economy class might actually be smaller now, and are the cushions getting thinner? Of course everything costs extra: bags, food, sometimes even seat assignments and carry-on luggage. When will we start using coins to use the bathroom? More comfortable travel comes at a price. We recently checked the premium cabin of the other Scandinavian airline, Norwegian, after realizing a return trip to Scandinavia via SAS business class, which in spite of massage seats that convert into fully flat beds, was not for us. (It would set us back almost three times more than the fellow Scandinavian airline’s new Boeing Dreamliner aircraft’s premium offer, and besides, who can sleep in an airplane anyway?) The premium cabin ticket at the time (it was the slow season at the end of February), was a little under $700 one way since we flew economy class—with one stopover in Oslo on the way out. The premium

Norwegian ticket, and treatment overall, became a pleasant surprise: from checking in at separate counters, being able to check two bags, more privacy, space and comfort in a quiet cabin with premium food and service during the trip. Right from the start at the terminal, Norwegian doesn’t have the really, really long line of tourists and budget travelers (which we had been going the other way), underscoring why Norwegian, recently voted Value Airline of the Year by Air Transport Magazine, is the budget choice for many, not seldom surpassing its older colleague’s passenger volumes on a monthly basis. Instead I breezed through to a separate counter, checked my two bags and received an invite to the Eventyr Lounge—a place to relax, enjoy a buffet and drinks and high speed WiFi prior to boarding. The Dreamliner is a brand new airplane and the wider seats with footrests of the premium cabin, while not equipped with massage, allowed me at 6’4” enough room to comfortably relax while enjoying a couple hours of work, a couple hours of in-flight entertainment and a (yes) nice tasting three-course meal. I’ll admit there are advantages with flying SAS, which flies from Newark instead of JFK and has a huge variety of classes from business over plus, plus saver to several price levels called go (a new term for economy class), but there’s something compelling about making things simple, economy or premium, flex or not. SAS also belongs to Star Alliance, which gives you a wide range of alternatives if flights have

The beautiful south

Reaching Sweden’s southern tip, Skåne can boast some wonderful sandy beaches and rolling hills of green and yellow. It’s a destination for sun-seekers, and the beautiful trails and vineyards lure hikers, cyclists and foodies alike. The region is also becoming a destination for golf tourism, with many of Sweden’s top courses along with great restaurants and excellent accessibility from the Continent. Just a short hop over the Öresund Bridge from Copenhagen airport, Skåne boasts more than 70 golf courses within a 90-minute drive, many offering packages to international visitors. Golfers seeking challenging and varied courses can play all year round. Five of the courses were ranked in the country’s top 10 by the Swedish edition of Golf Digest. The jewel in the crown of Skåne’s courses may be Barsebäck, which has been voted Sweden’s best golf course and one of the top 10 courses in mainland Europe or Falsterbo on the southern tip of the “Näset,” the “Falsterbonäset” peninsula.

Photo: Andreas Hyltén 18 NORDSTJERNAN

to be cancelled or delayed, but the premium choice with Norwegian became a comfortable, relaxing experience and proof that a premium service doesn’t have to break the bank. Try it next time. Fly Scandinavian: www.norwegian.com, www.flysas.com

art and culture

Harmony in nature

About 360 million years ago, a 2.5-mile wide meteor fell from the sky, impacting what is now Sweden. That third-largest meteorite impact in the world created Lake Siljan and shaped one of the most beautiful regions of Sweden. It also gave birth to a limestone quarry that is now known as Dalhalla, one of the most beautiful open air stages in the world. Dalhalla is located about 174 miles from Stockholm, just a few miles north of Rättvik, in Dalarna. The Lake Siljan region has been called the heart of Sweden, and Dalarna is probably the most Swedish of all Swedish counties and provinces. So this is Sweden’s heartland, of Carl Larsson, Dala horses, fiddler tunes and a perfect Midsummer celebration. And Dalhalla! Dalhalla was built in Draggängarna, a former limestone quarry, in the middle of a deep forest. Mining created a natural amphitheater at 1,300 feet long by 575 feet wide and 200 feet deep, with a beautiful green lake in the middle. Discovered by former opera singer and radio producer Margareta Dellefors, Dalhalla is an unique entertainment stage of international radiance and with exceptional acoustical qualities. Undoubtedly one of the world’s most beautiful outdoor arenas, Dalhalla is now regarded as a Swedish cultural Mecca, especially during the summer months when the venue hosts a variety of musical extravaganzas—summer 2018 offers a variety of performances, from hard rock band Deep Purple, Icelandic multi-artist Björk to classical concerts and opera. The acoustics in the natural amphitheater that sits close to the shores of Lake Siljan are magnificent and allow the audience to pick up every audible nuance from the performers. If ever the phrase “order out of chaos” were in question, then doubters should take time to unwind in the idyllic surroundings of Dalhalla. For more info see www.dalhalla.se, www.dalhallaopera.se

Augusta’s Daughter Ever wonder what made so many emigrate from Sweden in the nineteenth century? Judit Martin’s novel, “Augusta’s Daughter,” about 19th century Swedish peasant life made such an impression on us, we decided to offer it to the Nordstjernan readership. call 1.800.827.9333 for your own copy ($24.90 incl. S&H to cont. U.S.). The sequel,

Kajsa

was just released. The story of 15-year-old Elsa-Carolina’s illegitimate daughter Kajsa,who was cast out into the world from a foster home at the age of 8.

Please send me ____ book(s) “Augusta’s Daugheter” x $24.90 = _______ Please send me ____ book(s) “Kajsa” x $24.90 =

Incl. S&H (in continental U.S.)

_______

Total: _________

Name Address City State Zip Tel. m Check enclosed payable to Nordstjernan m Please charge my credit card: Card# Signature

Exp. Date:

/

SSC Code:

Mail to: Nordstjernan, P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan CT 06840

MAY 15, 2018 19

local events

Sweden’s Honorary Consuls in the U.S. Who are they? In an effort to find out more about the Swedish consuls in America, the work they do and the people they represent, contributor Helen Teike interviewed each of them, published here throughout the year.

hawaii

Honorary Consul: Anders Nervell, Honolulu What Swedish traditions do you keep alive? My family and I usually spend Christmas with my parents on Maui where we enjoy a full Swedish Julbord, a Christmas table with all the traditional dishes - the herrings, julskinkan (Christmas ham), rödkål (red cabbage) and of course glögg. What Swedish company has everyone heard of? H&M, which has a big store near Waikiki, and there’s a Volvo dealer on the island. IKEA, which ought to do really well here since most people live in rather small homes. But with the high real estate prices, we will probably not see an IKEA store on the islands any time soon. What is Sweden most known for by the general population? Most people have an idea of Sweden, How many visit the consulate? For what purpose? Last year, which was my first full year, we had a number of Swedes visiting the consulate for emergency passport applications and pick-ups. Also, retirees come for their life certificates. People visit for passport and driver license pickups, as well as for coordination number applications for their children, and applications for visitor and work permits. How long have you been the Swedish consul in Honolulu? I was appointed in March 2016, took over the duties from the previous consul in October 2016, and my position became official in April 2017. What is your full-time occupation? I am a lawyer. I practice in the areas of real estate development, transactions, financing and also general business law. How much time do you spend on consular matters? It depends. Some weeks more, some weeks less. My legal assistant also assists me with consular matters. How many Swedish citizens are in your area? I do not know for sure, but I estimate there are 500 to 800 Swedes residing in the state of Hawaii. There are also about 10,000 Swedish visitors to the islands annually. 20 NORDSTJERNAN

What local Swedish organizations do you cooperate with? The consulate is in contact with SWEA. Does your district differ from the other Swedish honorary consulates? I’m not sure, but as a popular resort destination, we have a relatively large number of tourists visiting the islands.

what it’s about and its health care system. I’m proud of my heritage, and as my daughter grows up and keeps asking questions about ‘my’ country, all our accomplishments come to mind: in sports, in music and industry. What Swedish person do you admire most? Raoul Wallenberg What is Sweden’s biggest achievement in history? Maintaining peace, prosperity and neutrality for over 200 years. What does being Swedish mean to you? As far as character traits, Swedes may be more reserved and less outgoing than Americans but also trustworthy, straight-forward and easy to work with Swedes and I also have a renewed affection for Sweden and its culture, people and government. Also, through the Honolulu Consular Corps, I have met some really great people. I find it very rewarding. I went back to Sweden in 2016 for the first time in 10 years and now look forward to returning for the consular meeting in May this year. What made you choose to accept the position? The previous consul had served for almost 30 years, and he told me how he had found the experience very rewarding. What is your personal connection with Sweden? I was born and raised in Sweden, and moved to Hawaii in 1983. I am an American citizen.

How much are you guided by directions from the embassy in Washington DC? The embassy is very helpful, and I do receive guidance from Washington, particularly on migration matters.

Fondest memory of Sweden? I grew up in the city of Varberg on the west coast, and Varberg in the summer is a very special place.

What do you appreciate most about the position? The position has caused me to reconnect with Sweden. I came here in 1983, and for many years I had very little contact with Sweden and Swedish people. With this position, I now come in contact with other

Swedish Honorary Consulate in Honolulu 700 Bishop Street, Suite 2100 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 808.528.4777 honolulu@consulateofsweden.org

local events

Swedish American of the Year Bruce Karstadt is honored for his work in making the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota the successful cultural institution it is. He is the “Årets Svensk-Amerikan 2018”

The Vasa Order of America is very proud to appoint Bruce Karstadt as the Swedish-American of the Year 2018. This award recognizes exceptional work by an individual in his or her profession or valuable work for promoting good relations between Sweden and the U.S. or Canada, in part highlighting Swedish America. Bruce Karstadt is honored for his work in making the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota the successful cultural institution it is. Karstadt was born in 1951 in Lindsborg, Kansas, a town founded by Swedish immigrants to which his great-grandparents immigrated in the late 1800s. He was the fourth generation of his family to graduate from Bethany College, then he went on to law school at the Washburn University School of Law. He later joined Bethany’s administrative staff as Legal Counsel and Executive Assistant to the President. There, he became involved in supporting the organizing committee for the New Sweden ’88 bi-national celebration, which led to his interest in pursuing a career that would contribute to strengthening relationships between Sweden and America.

Bruce Karstadt, photographed for Nordstjernan at the Turnblad Mansion by Henrik Olund.

In 1990 Karstadt was named the president and CEO of the American Swedish Institute (ASI) in Minneapolis, an organization founded in 1929 by Swedish newspaper publisher, Swan J. Turnblad. He was first appointed as Honorary Consul of Sweden in 1995, and since 2003 he has served as Honorary Consul General of Sweden for Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska. Notably, Karstadt has also overseen the design and construction of the ASI’s acclaimed 2012 contemporary addition to the original Turnblad mansion, which has allowed the institute to grow more dynamically in serving the community as a vibrant museum and cultural center with work of internationally recognized artists and in collaboration with many leading institutions in Minnesota, Sweden and the Nordic region. Karstadt is the 58th winner of this award, a commemoration of the Swedish immigration to North America by the Vasa Order of America since 1960. The celebration of Bruce Karstadt will take place in Växjö, Sweden on August 10-12.

Chilled for freshness, no matter where it’s sold. GeneralSnus.com/Find

©2018 Swedish Match North Europe AB

FäRSK WARNING: Smokeless tobacco is addictive.

MAY 15, 2018 21

feature

Movie review:

The Silence Trilogy In 1962-63 Ingmar Bergman produced three films that deal with angst, faith and love: Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light and The Silence. Bergman himself deemed them a trilogy of faith called the Silence of God trilogy, but he later rejected this connection; many critics retain the name. In February and March of this Bergman centennial year, the Pacific Film Archive showed this trilogy, and professor Bart Testa, senior lecturer at Innis College and the Cinema Studies Institute at the University of Toronto, lectured on it. To discuss the trilogy it seems best to quickly summarize the plot of each film, and then discuss its meaning before considering what might cohesively bind these three films together. www.bampfa.org

Karin and Minus in Through a Glass Darkly.

David (father) and Martin (husband) attend to Karin after her relapse.

In The Silence, Ester, Johan and Anna seem to operate on different planes.

Pastor Tomas clings to Märta in his church, though he renounces her.

Through A Glass Darkly (Såsom i en spegel, 1961)

David goes to the family cabin with his teenage son Fredrik (aka Minus), his daughter Karin and her husband Martin. Karin was recently hospitalized for schizophrenia but yearns for a union with God and rejoining the family. Minus hopes for attention from his father who is busy observing Karin for his next book. During a rainstorm she shelters in an old boat hull, and when Minus finds her, they conjoin. Karin later escapes to the attic to be enraptured by God but flees screaming, saying she has seen God who is a spider. Alone, Minus and David finally talk. Minus says, “Papa talked to me!”

Analysis

Acknowledging the superb acting, the illuminating photography, and the compelling script and directing, let us examine the story as a whole and its meaning. While they enjoy each other’s company, all four characters are empty and searching for fulfillment. Each has framed his or her expectation of reward, according to previous social and religious norms. Perhaps that is the problem. In searching for God, they impose limits on “Him” and confine “Him” to an anticipated appearance; such human hubris for divine omniscience and omnipotence! They are looking for the God that has been preached to them, rather than for a divine essence, whatever its manifestation. A most curious aspect of the film is the penultimate scene in the wrecked and dripping boat, where Karin has sought refuge, and together with Minus has experienced a fulfillment. This setting, the boat itself, becomes rather symbolic of their condition. In an earlier scene with her brother in the attic, 22 NORDSTJERNAN

she anticipates the rapture of a sexual union that seemed to be her only vocabulary for imagining the Lord revealing himself to her. What is so interesting to me is that both Karin and Minus use their father as their confessor. More significantly, both describe to him, in almost the same vernacular, the same dualistic challenge (mundane vs heightened reality) seen from different perspectives, and each comes to different conclusions. Both confess they are at a dilemma to choose between these two aspects of reality. However, Karin chooses to return to the sterile asylum, where her urges can be controlled and suppressed unnaturally by drugs and restraints; whereas Minus is taught by his father that his longings can be managed as long as he has “something to hold onto.” If we focus on the final conversation between father and son, and how the son views it as a personal form of salvation, the words cannot be ironic. And no one could conclude a film of this magnitude without taking the meaning of the dialogue seriously: God is love, or more importantly, love is God. If that is the case then, like Karin, we must become shattered when the form of God is transformed into something not merely unexpected but dreaded. But if Karin were an arachnologist seeking God,

she would not recoil in horror at the appearance of the domestic spider in the attic. A scientist might admire the wondrous way God adapted to her expectations, to meet her in a way she could appreciate how God’s power applies to all creation. So, we are left with the problem of faith and the manifestation of a god being the problem of the perceiver, not the problem of God. Perhaps after all, pantheism—appreciating daily miracles in physical nature and human nature—might be more helpful in discovering divinity. No one seeing this film and understanding its references can help but conclude that though the course to the morale may be tortuous, the lesson is clear: Love is the great commandment for all.

Winter Light

(Nattvardsgästerna, 1963)

The ironically named Pastor Tomas Ericsson not only doubts God’s existence but he also fraudulently continues to minister. After a sermon, Jonas a parishioner, worried by the specter of the new atomic bomb, seeks counsel for doubting God. The pastor confesses that he too no longer believes in God. Subsequently Jonas commits suicide. Märta, a schoolteacher and atheist, admits her love for the pastor; she takes him in but he brutally rejects her. Then he asks her to drive him to Jonas’s grieving

family. The pastor cannot console the pregnant widow. Märta drives him to his second service in a nearby parish where the hunchbacked sexton, Algot, suffers daily from his affliction. The organist, Fredrik, also an atheist, advises Märta to abandon Tomas and enjoy life, but she prays as Tomas preaches to an empty church.

Analysis

This movie goes beyond the first one. Here an isolated church official, who despite his avowed atheism, fraudulently continues his practice. His isolation is so complete that he cannot comprehend his own personal salvation standing in front of him: Märta’s unconditional love. For that matter, one pities her for not heeding the organist’s advice to leave Tomas, especially in light of Bergman’s lesson in this story: that religion may provide meaning for many, but it is not necessary for everyone to enjoy a fulfilling life. If God had no concern for the wartime atrocities that Tomas witnessed, then we must be equally wary of humans as the cause of these. The intellectual sexton makes a telling point to the contemporary concern at the time of this movie, about the silence of God in the face of a threat such as the atom bomb. There is no universal salvation from a humanly maniacal instrument such as this bomb. Above all, this film proclaims that man is not merely faithless but blind, and cannot recognize divinity in love even when it stands before him. While Märta’s love is unlikely to wear out Tomas’ resistance, Fredrik — who clearly is in love with Märta though she cannot see this — it seems a terrible price for one person to pay for another’s blindness. But such is this condition that when we do not comprehend the central role of love, we can never find meaningful religion.

The Silence

(Tystnaden, 1963)

Two grown sisters are traveling by train from a warring central European country where they don’t speak the language. The older sister, Ester, the intellectual, is dying; Anna is sensual and travels with her 10-year-old son, Johan. Because Ester is sick, Anna agrees to disembark at Timoka. While Ester remains at the hotel, smoking, drinking and befriending Johan, Anna walks the town. She goes to the theater and is seated near a fiercely intimate couple. Afterward, she brushes by an attractive waiter she saw on her way in. Johan sees her kissing the waiter and entering another room in the hotel. The next morning Anna tells Ester that she and Johan are leaving; on the train, Johan opens a parting gift from his dying aunt: a list of five words that she has translated.

Analysis

To understand The Silence, we must comprehend several crucial themes: alienation, love and sex, and communication. The relationship between the title and the main

Bergman confers with the cast and crew of Through a Glass Darkly (L-R): Unknown/film editor?, Ingmar Bergman, Gunnar Björnstrand, Lars Passgård and Max von Sydeow.

characters’ situation is important. In a foreign country, they do not speak or understand what others say to them. Additionally they are confined to themselves for mutual support: they sink or swim. The sisters often hurt each other in word or deed, as well as misinterpret each other’s intentions. Yet at times they can be tenderly kind. Johan, a shy but observant boy, is caught between them. The title suggests silence can be deadly; striving for communication and comprehension is a critical survival skill. Their plight is amplified because the country is arming for war, which terrifies Johan. The sexual personalities of the sisters are starkly different. Anna indulges in sex to taunt Ester, saying, “How nice it is that we don’t understand each other,” before wishing that Ester were dead (a harsh substitute for not meddling). In her walk outside, she walks against a stream of men (no women). Anna is reviled by a couple fully engaged in sex. Her carnal lust is that of a rutting animal; she’s stuck in a rut. Finally there is the love expressed by the dying aunt’s parting gift to her nephew. Translated words —such communication is how we open ourselves to others. With her dying breath she tells him, “Johan! It’s important, you understand! You must read it carefully. It’s all I … you’ll understand. Don’t be frightened. Be brave.” It cannot be the five foreign words that he learns as he’s departing their language community. It must be the act of learning to communicate with others—to break the silence—that’s the essential quality of being human. Sharing is the first step toward love of another.

The angst, faith and love of all three movies

The most interesting thing about seeing all Bergman’s films in retrospect, and arranged thematically rather than chronologically, is seeing how times have changed, What was radical then (renewed religious faith; the existential angst of that period; the sexual revolution) are viewed differently now. Bergman’s trilogy at the time was considered to wrestle with the conundrum of keeping faith in a silent god. The ultimate theme in the trilogy (and several earlier films) was then considered to be: what is man’s god and is there any responsibility between the two if the god is silent? At the conclusion of Darkly, love and God are synonymous. The very act of love (caring for another as much as for oneself) is by definition experiencing the divine. However, the many forms the divine may take and the effects of not finding the answer in the manner you were expecting are haunting. By the time we move from Darkly to Light, even a pastor doubts his faith. The proof of his self-created hell is that no one attends his services (except for the one who tortures herself by unrequitedly loving him). Throughout the trilogy, we find characters looking for love in all the wrong places. Or, not knowing what they are seeking. It is almost as if these pathetic lost souls immunize themselves from others, in turn infecting themselves. One feels pity for these characters, and by extension for ourselves, Continues on next page MAY 15, 2018 23

local events

The Silence Trilogy Continued from previous page when we trap ourselves in our own delusions. In The Silence, not only is God not communicating with mankind, but we also conclude that hell is not communicating. We have moved from that to focus on human cruelty: the opposite of true love, the saving grace. Moreover, by something so isolating as silence, we create our private cell of hell. By the end of the trilogy, the aunt’s parting gift of love to her nephew is valuable, not for the words themselves—hand, face, spirit, fear, joy—as much as for teaching another (the son she never had) how and why to learn to communicate and share with others. Winter Light becomes the hinge, where faith is

abandoned even by the minister. In his presentation, Professor Testa noted the near coincidence of the centennial of Bergman’s birthday as well as last year’s 500th anniversary of the Reformation when Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door. This act not only trashed indulgences and other practices of the Catholic Church, but in particular it fundamentally changed the nature of the church. More importantly, it vested authority in the Bible, not the Church nor its doctors and interpreted doctrines. And it gave each person a direct relationship with God. In Lutheran and other Protestant denominations, according to Testa, the individual stands before an impersonal God without any assurance of grace. Above all, he felt this trilogy is in particular a product of Bergman’s and Scandinavian religious traditions. This trilogy works out how to focus upon and

expose our own demons. Though Bergman specializes in chamber dramas, Winter Light ended his fascination with the silence of God and with the existence of a god. Now he would pursue more fruitfully how human love can fulfill or thwart us, how family and community are important, as are love or charity as the means of unlocking a wellspring of life. What does not change is that he remains didactic and autobiographical. I marvel that while he is often regarded as dark, brooding and foreboding, almost every third film throughout his long career was more comedic than tragic. And I am grateful through this year to appreciate his creativity and especially his mastery as an author. Ted Olsson The Bergman Trilogy is available through the Criterion Collection. Search for it at www.amazon.com

Scandinavian connections: Oakland’s Bjornson Hall For over 40 years, the Swedish Tegner Lodge #149 has met on the third Thursday of the month at the Sons of Norway Bjornson Hall in Oakland. The Bjornson Hall Norwegians meet on the first Friday, going back as far as the 1950s, when they purchased the building. Members of both groups interact and support each other, the Swedes attending the annual Norwegian lutefisk dinner, the Norwegians attending the Swedish crayfish parties. (Some have double memberships.) Both groups strive hard to keep Scandinavian history and culture alive in our city. The article “California Swedes” in the March 1, 2018 issue of Nordstjernan referred mistakenly to San Francisco as the location of Bjornson Hall. (San Francisco’s own Fylgia Lodge meets in the Swedish American Hall in that city.) In an attempt to make amends to Bjornson Hall for this error, I researched the history of the hall and found some interesting connections between the Tegner and Bjornson lodges. First of all, their historical roots reflect the period of the great migration from Scandinavia to the U.S. The Sons of Norway was founded in 1895 in Minneapolis; the Vasa Order of America was formed in 1896 in New Haven, Connecticut. The Oakland Bjornson Lodge was founded in 1910, only two years after the Vasa Tegner Lodge #149 was formed. Both lodges picked the names of distinguished writers in the wake of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, a time of cultural regrouping in the East Bay. Tegner was named for the Swedish poet Esaias Tegner. Tegner was one of the most well-known Swedish writers of the 19th century, known especially for his translation of the Icelandic Fritholf’s Saga, which was admired throughout Europe. Tegner was known as the father of modern poetry in Sweden. Bjornson was named for the Norwegian poet, 24 NORDSTJERNAN

Bjornstjerne Bjornson. (The lodge’s first choice was Edward Grieg after the great composer, but that name was already taken.) Bjornson was a poet who received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1903, distinguishing himself as one of the four great Norwegian writers. He also wrote the lyrics for what is known as the Norwegian national anthem. Bjornson Hall displays his photo as well as a small Norwegian flag, which Bjornson’s oldest son gave the lodge; the flag once sat on the poet’s desk. Today, both lodges are open not only to all men and women with Scandinavian roots, but also to anyone with an interest in Scandinavian heritage and culture. Another fascinating historical tidbit: The building that eventually housed Bjornson Hall was originally a Hagstrom’s Store. It was one of many stores owned by a Danish immigrant by the name of Emil A. Hagstrom, who worked his way to America and started his first business with $75 in his pocket. He first located in Oakland in 1915, opening a small store that grew into a chain of 325 stores by 1929, known as the Mutual Stores. Purchased by the MacMarr corporation in 1929, the chain in turn merged later with Safeway stores. Safeway at the time was buying up parts of as many grocery chain stores as it could, including many Piggly Wiggly stores, Skaggs stores and Krogers. In 1932, by then a millionaire, Hagstrom started his own smaller business, the Hagstrom Company.

Hagstrom Stores operated a creamery, bakery and an ice cream plant. One of the store’s managers had the surname of “Stockholm” and was almost undoubtedly a Swede. I can’t help wondering if he worked in the creamery or the bakery. The building permit for the Hagstrom Store that houses today’s Bjornson Hall is dated May 1, 1939. The contractor was Harry K. Jensen, the architect was Irwin Johnson, and the civil engineer was Carl S. Replogle. Ancestry records show a Harry K. Jensen in California, who was born to Danish parents, who most probably is this Jensen. Irwin Johnson was born in California to Norwegian immigrant parents. Jensen and Johnson worked together on four other local buildings between 1945 and 1952. These firstgeneration Scandinavian builders relied on their familiar social networks to create identifiably modern American architecture. Built for $9000, the building today retains distinctive external features, with its canted corner entry and rounded canopy with speed lines; the architectural style is known generally as Moderne, or Streamline Moderne. Hagstrom’s closed by 1952, and the store was briefly an independent grocery known as Fairview Market, before it became the Sons of Norway Bjornson Hall. Today, Bjornson Hall (in Oakland!) remains a tribute to the ongoing networking between the various Scandinavian groups and individuals who helped shape the rich history of Oakland and the East Bay. And to the plucky Scandinavians with a keen eye for opportunity who made their way in America. Thank you to the City of Oakland’s Cultural Heritage Survey staff for invaluable assistance in researching the history of Bjornson Hall. Also, to Karl Eikeberg, long-time Bjornson Hall member, for providing background information on the Sons of Norway. By Kitty Hughes

art and culture

Ahh, the smörgåstårta

Smörgåstårta literally means “sandwich cake” —a very popular Scandinavian food made like a sandwich but with fillings so it resemble a layered cream cake. A smörgåstårta is served cold and sliced, usually including egg and mayonnaise at the base, with layers of one or many of the following: liver paté, olives, shrimp, ham, cold cuts, caviar, tomato, cucumber, cheese and smoked salmon. The first reference to smörgåstårta can be found in Danish playwright Ludvig Holmberg’s (1684-1754) comedies. It didn’t become popular in Sweden until the 1940s, however, but is today served frequently, especially during the spring and summer holidays. Smörgåstårta is perfect for Midsummer, at birthday parties, garden parties or as lunch, brunch or night snack. It works well with coffee, tea, cider, wine or champagne. Here’s a recipe just in time for Sweden’s Mother’s Day and early summer. Ingredients -2 loaves of two kinds of bread, preferably one light and one dark. French bread and something whole wheat. -1/2 cup roe (caviar) -3-4 tbsp chopped dill -3 hard boiled eggs, chopped -1 cup soft cheese, cream cheese or similar -1/2 cup smoked ham, chopped -3/4 cup liverwurst/paté (soft spread) -4 tbsp cucumber pickles, chopped -butter -1 cup of mayonnaise Garnish decorations: lemon slices / shrimp / dill / tomatoes / ham / cucumber / cheese / salmon

Directions Mix 1: roe (caviar) and dill, hard boiled eggs. Mix 2: soft cheese, smoked ham. Mix 3: liverwurst/paté, cucumber pickles Mix each of the mixes in separate bowls. Cut the bread in 1/2-inch slices and cut off the crust (the crust destroys the smörgåstårta). You need two slices of light and two slices of dark bread. Spread a thin layer of butter on both sides of the bread except the bottom and the top sides. Start with a light piece of bread and spread an evenly layer of Mix 1 on it. Put a dark piece on it and cover it with Mix 2, then a light piece of bread and cover it with Mix 3. Then you put a dark piece of bread on that. Cover the cake with plastic foil and press it together a little. Put it in the fridge for a couple of hours, but preferably the day before you’ll serve it. (You can also store it in the freezer for a couple of weeks, before you take it out to decorate it and serve it). Take out the cake and spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on it. Decorate it with the following: Lemon slices, shrimp, dill, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese, ham or salmon. You can also cut the corners to make it look more like a tort. Serve the smörgåstårta with tossed salad. Yield: 10-15 servings Prep time: about 60 minutes Chill time: about 2 hours Tip: If garnishing with shrimp, get the small, peeled Greenland shrimp sold at many Ikea stores.

Lunch, brunch or night snack, prepared early ...

not my time to die Titanic and the Swedes on Board by Lilly Setterdahl The 123 Swedes on board made up the third largest ethnic group on the Titanic after the American and the British. The book profiles each of the Swedish passengers; including the 34 survivors... Perfect bound, large size paperback, 296 pages. Richly illustrated.

Please send me

book(s) x $19.95 =

S&H (in the continental U.S.) + $4.95 Total: Name Address City, State, Zip

Mail order form to: NORDSTJERNAN P.O. Box 1710 New Canaan CT 06840 Or call 1.800.827.9333 ext. 10

Tel. Check enclosed payable to Nordstjernan Please charge my credit card:

Card #

Exp. Date:

Signature

SCC Code: MAY 15, 2018 25

viewpoints

DIRECTORY ADS Want to retire in Florida with no mortgage? *

A quarterly journal devoted to Swedish American biography, genealogy, and personal history. Founded in 1981.

Björnkläder

Subscription Subscription $28 per calendar year. $30 per year

Subscribers invited Subscribers areare invited toaagenealogical genealogical to Workshop in Salt workshop in Salt LakeLake City October. Cityeach each autumn.

Swedish American Genealogist Swenson Center Augustana College Rock Island, IL 61201-2296 Phone 309 794-7204 www.augustana.edu/sag

Innovative workwear for Professionals info@facelineinc.com Phone : 510 215 2211 Toll free: 877 234 9511 www.facelineinc.com

Till vardag och fest

Crown Bakery

Claes R. Carlsson

(1 block after Super Shaws)

Worcester, MA 01606 Tel: 508-852-0746

Alternative Realty Inc.

321-333-3300

Mon. 6-5. Tues-Sat. 6-6. Closed Sunday

* Call for info!!!

We ship UPS anywhere

EST. 1960

claes.realtor@gmail.com

Try our outdoor café and new sandwich lunches

Tax & Accounting - US Tax Returns

Svensk Butik

Ann-Christine Westerlund, International Tax Advisor

Swedish

www.westmusa.com

1204 Fifth Avenue San Rafael, CA 94901 Phone: 415-454-4932 Fax: 415-454-5783

Gifts

1465 Draper Street Kingsburg, California 93631 (559) 897-5119

235West 48th St # 42B, New York NY 10036 Tel 1 212 582 3647 Email westmusa@aol.com

www.skytours.com

Facebook: Svensk Butik Swedish Gifts

One of The Largest Selections of Scandinavian Foods in the US For order form

Call: 1-800-854-6435

2709 San Pablo Ave. Berkley, CA 94702 Phone: 510-705-1932 Fax: 510-898-1753 Web Site: www.nordichouse.com Email: pia@nordichouse.com

Dala Horses and much more!

A SWEDISH AFFAIR swedensfinest.com Toll Free: (888)867-9567

SWEDE AMONG THE REDNECKS

katrin, almost american

A humorous collection of essays about growing up, reaching adulthood and maturity on two continents and in two separate cultures.

A new novel by Lilly Setterdahl,

Loved by Rednecks, Bluenecks, Swedes and Americans: “… something any Swedish American will enjoy” … “A humorous look at Swedes and Swedishness” … “[written with] the gift of clarity, humor, pathos, and joy” A book from Nordstjernan, also available on Amazon.

Please send me

book(s) x $16.95 = Inc. (in the continental U.S.)

Total: Name

the author’s 20th book. Please send me

book(s) x $15.95 =

S&H (in the continental U.S.) + $4.95 Total: Name Address City, State, Zip Tel.

Address

26 NORDSTJERNAN

Garanterat!

Nestled in the heart of the Swedish Village of Kingsburg...

Business- Individuals- Expats • Income Tax Treaty Sweden-USA

Mail order form to: NORDSTJERNAN P.O. Box 1710 New Canaan CT 06840 Or call 1.800.827.9333 ext. 10

Billigaste Priset Till Sverige.

Scandinavian Pastries 133 Gold Star Blvd.

Each Office Independently Owned Operated

Perfect bound, paperback, the ideal companion on a winter’s night.

NORDIC HOUSE

Importer of Swedish Workwear

Check enclosed payable to Nordstjernan Please charge my credit card:

City, State, Zip Tel. Check enclosed payable to Nordstjernan Please charge my credit card:

Card #

Exp. Date:

Signature

SCC Code:

Card #

Exp. Date:

Signature

SCC Code:

Mail order form to: NORDSTJERNAN P.O. Box 1710 New Canaan CT 06840 or call 1.800.827.9333 ext. 10

news in brief

Swedish News Volvo Cars on the increase

Going against the overall market trend, Volvo Cars increased U.S. sales drastically in April. The company sold more than 8,300 cars during the month, an increase of 17 percent compared with April last year. Throughout 2018, up to and including April, Volvo Car’s U.S. sales have increased 38 percent over the same period last year. The XC60, the medium-sized SUV, named SUV of the Year and 2018 World Car of the Year, showed the biggest sales at 2,476 units sold.

Inroads with the eRoad

Sweden has begun study of the eRoad, on trial for two years with trucks carrying freight. eRoadArlanda is the world’s first public road that allows electric vehicles to recharge while driving, con-

nected to an electrified rail embedded in the middle of the pavement. The eRoad stretches along two kilometers (1.2 miles) outside Stockholm. It is safe, designed not to electrocute humans or animals and similar to a slot-car track, one of several projects the Swedish Transport Administration has created to develop and test technologies that may help the country reach its target of being fossil fuel free by 2030. “We now have a solution that will make this possible. Sweden is at the cutting edge of this technology, which we now hope to introduce in other areas of the country and the world,” says Hans Säll, chairman of the eRoadArlanda.

Swede’s murder stuns country

Danish inventor Peter Madsen was convicted of murdering Swedish freelance journalist Kim Wall. Wall, 30, who grew up in Trelleborg in southern Sweden, was renowned for reporting on conflicts, crises and natural disasters around the world but also stories not often featured in mainstream journalism. She had gone missing while interviewing the inventor on board his submarine in August 2017. Her dismembered remains were found by Danish police at sea 11 days after she interviewed him. Madsen, 47, has been sentenced to life in prison, a sentence similar to that in Sweden, in which after serving 12 years a prisoner can ask authorities to commute the life sentence to a set number of years. His legal team announced he will appeal the decision.

92nd MIDSUMMER at Vasa Park

JUNE 10, 2018 9am - 8pm

FREE ADMISSION

An anniversary remembered

A Swedish prosecutor demanded life in jail for Rakmat Akilov, who confessed to ramming a stolen truck into a crowd in Stockholm one year ago in April 2017, killing five people and injuring 14 others. Akilov, 40, from Uzbekistan, the only suspect in the attack, is considered a security risk to society. He said he wanted to punish Sweden for joining a coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

ball Federation and play for the World Cup. Ibrahimovic retired from international soccer in 2016 and recently joined the LA Galaxy in the U.S., hinting he could make a return to the national team for the World Cup in Russia.

State visit with Japan

While 63 Japanese cherry trees were blooming in in Stockholm in April, HM King Carl XVI Gustaf and HM Queen Silvia spent a week in Japan to mark 150 years of diplomacy between Japan and Sweden. A highlight was spending time with Emperor Akihito and attending a special exhibit on Swedish natural sciences in Tokyo, which featured key Swedish scientists who have influenced Japan, including Carl Linnaeus who set the basis of a systematic scientific classification. Akihito, a marine biologist specializing in gobies, was awarded an honorary degree in 2007 for his research from the university where Linnaeus studied. The King and Queen attended a state banquet, a business seminar and other events while in Tokyo.

Swede claims golf title

In a glowing example of golf’s growing popularity among Swedes, it was Sweden’s Alexander Björk who claimed a one-stroke victory as he won the European Tour at the China Open. Björk, 27, who trailed by one stroke after three rounds, had a 72-hole total of 18-under 270 on the Topwin Golf and Country Club on April 29. It was his first European Tour title in his 44th event.

Bergman at Cannes

Ingmar Bergman’s 100th birthday is being celebrated around the world – and at the Cannes Film Festival with the world premiere of Jane Magnusson’s documentary “Bergman – A Year in a Life” on May 8-19. Magnusson’s documentary, Bergman – A Year in a Life, is a deep dive into 1957, the year considered to be Bergman’s most productive and intense. He shot both The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries, had their respective premieres, produced four plays at the theatre, one TV movie, and struggled with several relationships and six children.

Zlatan won’t play in Russia

VASAPARKRESORT.COM For more information 3560 W Lake Samammish Pkwy SE, Bellevue WA PH 425.746.3260

Contrary to previous reporting, it turns out Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not make a comeback with the Swedish Foot-

Bergman on set in the late 1950s. MAY 15, 2018 27

Volvo Ocean races toward U.S. shores The Volvo Ocean Race is headed for Newport, Rhode Island and Swedish sailor Martin Strömberg is right in the thick of the battle to take top honors in Leg 8 of the round-the-world race. The fleet left Itajai, Brazil on April 22. Race organizers expect the fleet to arrive in Rhode Island on May 8. Strömberg and his environmentally themed Turn the Tide on Plastic was in third place, 16 nautical miles behind the leaders, Team Brunel. Brunel was the first yacht to escape from a mild Doldrums crossing and led the fleet in reaching conditions. Now in the northeast trade winds, Brunel was averaging nearly 20 knots, extending a narrow lead out to double digits. However, there is a new hazard for the fleet to deal with: huge clumps of seaweed floating on and just below the surface. “Sometimes, especially at night, you can go from doing 18 knots, all of sudden down to 12 knots,” Brunel skipper Bouwe Bekking told the Volvo Ocean Race website. “Quick action is needed to get rid of the weeds around the rudders, keel, daggerboard and the sail drive. We have a good trick, but I’m not sharing this right now as it seems we did alright during the night and made some gains, so probably we’re sailing with less weed stuck to us.” The leg marks the last time the teams have to cross the equator – and deal with the dreaded Doldrums – in this edition of the race as the remaining legs all take place in the northern hemisphere. Traditionally crossing the Doldrums – an ever28 NORDSTJERNAN

changing band of low pressure characterized by fickle winds and thunderstorms – in the west means a relatively unhindered passage, and compared to the previous crossings in this race, this experience has been relatively benign. Brunel held a slim lead midway through the nearly 6,000-nautical mile leg, leading Dongfeng by 10.5 nautical miles as of the latest update on May 1. Turn the Tide on Plastic skipper Dee Caffari relished the fight with rivals Vestas 11th Hour Racing and Team Brunel. “We are sailing back in sight of Vestas, who are ahead and Brunel who are by our side,” she said. “The three of us seem locked in battle. The only sad news today was that we saw our first sighting of the infamous Sargasso weed. We shall see if that will be our next challenge following the Doldrums.” At the time Caffari spoke with organizers, American skipper Charlie Enright and Vestas led the pack. Vestas, however, hit a patch of dull winds, allowing Brunel to surge past. Spanish crew MAPFRE ran into difficulties after discovering an electrical problem that left them with no power on board. The team is now up to full speed after replacing a main battery fuse, but after jury-rigging a solution to move the keel, the team does not have the capability to control the movement from on deck. Since making the repair, the Spanish team has been gaining miles on the leaders and MAPFRE

is now further north than Dongfeng, team AkzoNobel and Scallywag, albeit out to the east of their rivals. Scallywag remained in last, 67 miles behind the frontrunners. However, with more than 3,000 miles of the 5,600-miles remaining, spirits remain high on board. “We’re behind the eight ball a little and we’ve got our work cut out for us, but there’s plenty of miles left and a fair bit of scope for change in the weather,” Scallywag’s Luke Parkinson said. “We’re not down and out, that’s for sure. We’re looking toward the end of the leg where we’ll have some fast sailing through the Caribbean, and as we get closer to Newport there’s a big park-up in the weather files at the moment. Currently it looks like it will all be to play for in the last three days, whether you’re first or last. We’ve just go to keep pushing until we get to that point, be as fresh and as ready as we can and wait for the opportunities.” Newport is the traditional U.S. stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race. The race village, which features exhibits, the yachts and sailors, and sailing activities, is open to the public from May 8 to May 20, when Leg 9, which runs to Alicante, Spain, begins. Leg 10 takes them to Gothenburg, Sweden and Leg 11 ends the race at the Hague. Chipp Reid For more info, see www.volvooceanrace.com or www.volvooceanracenewport.com

Leg Zero, Prologue, Turn The Tide on Plastic training before the Prologue in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo

sports

THE VASA STAR VASASTJÄRNAN

spring 2018 Publication of The Vasa Order of America

Svenska Kids Musik Club danced at the spring meeting of Norden Lodge No. 684, Fresno, CA.

THE CONVENTION IS AROUND THE CORNER

National Archive News

The Vasa National Archives in Bishop Hill opened a new exhibit on the Vasa Order during WWI and WWII. / p31 archive news » p31

dear vasa members, My term is coming to an end and with that I am now writing my final message to you as Grand Master. I have enjoyed all the travel and visiting with many of you over the last four years. During my travels I have had the opportunity to make new friends, in Canada, Sweden and all across the United States. Friendships that will last a lifetime. Thank you to all who greeted Birgitta and me at your events. Your generosity is without bounds. My only travel since my visit to DL Pacific Southwest No. 15 in late

February has been a weekend trip to Lodge Officers have received their District Lodge Arizona No. 21 for information packets to study before their convention held in Oro Valley, they get to spend a week working for a short drive from Tucson. I will at- the future of the Order, considering tend an additional two conventions as almost 90 different motions, of which Grand Master: my own District Lodge more than 50 are affecting the ConGolden Gate No. 12 and District stitution. I will assign every Delegate Lodge Lake Michigan No. 8. to multiple committees and also select I am now focused on preparations someone to chair each committee. for the Grand Lodge Convention. By The motions will be assigned to the the time you read this, that convention, appropriate committee(s) that will in Sacramento CA, is just about two then study them, present them and months away. All Grand Lodge Board make their recommendations for or Members, Grand Lodge Delegates, against each for final determination / continued on p32 Past Grand Masters and Past Grand

Grand Lodge News

‘My life with a GL officer’

Unforgettable memories and fun experiences in conjunction with the Grand Lodge Convention in July. / p32

grand lodge news » p32

convention schedule » p34

A respectful contribution to how we can best (only) order Vasa items: a step-by-step guide to hang on your kitchen wall / p36

district lodge news » p37

Local Lodge News

The end of the year is just as festive and warm in the old country as it is here in America. / p37

local lodge news » p37

swedish news » p42

THE VASA STAR / Spring 2018

EDITOR’S MESSAGE Spring has finally come; Sweden also had a late spring, so we were in solidarity with each other once again. This month brings other good things as well, including the birthday of the Vasa Order’s namesake, King Gustav I Vasa of Sweden, who was born 522 years ago on May 12. He is known as the Father of Sweden, the one who laid the foundation of a more efficient government for modern Sweden. Spring is perfect timing for us, the staff of the Vasa Star, to renew our efforts of producing an efficient and effective newspaper for the modern Vasa Order – for all our readers, old and new, royal and otherwise! (And as many of you know, Swedish royalty DOES know about the Vasa Order and reads the Vasa Star.) More and more local lodges are sharing interesting information about their activities as well the events that are yet to happen: Your submissions are a great vehicle for advertising things your lodge will soon be doing, where and when – the information encourages others to visit. And lodges to grow.

Submit Material to vasaeditor@gmail.com

issue highlights

I couldn’t say that without also including a reminder that more large, clear digital photos are wanted. I know a lot of people take photos at various events (Midsummer is right around the corner!) and if you get a good photo, share it with your lodge. Share it with the person who submits information for the Vasa Star; you could even send it directly to us at vasaeditor@gmail.com. That applies to every event you have. This is the last time you’ll see Grand Master Tore Kellgren’s column on page one of the Vasa Star; his four-year term is ending with the Grand Lodge convention in California in July, where new officials will be elected. Many of you will be gathering there for an informative business meeting that also promises to be really fun and exciting! See pages 32-35 for information on what to expect as well as special tours you can choose among. If you are as lucky as I am to have an opportunity to travel to the homeland this summer, please let us know about it -- and anything else you may be doing that is “Swedish”! Have a wonderful summer. in truth and unity, amanda olson robison

110th anniversary at the Runeberg Lodge No. 137. / p37

Easter witches stopping in Höganäs. / p43

the vasa star Spring 2018 Vol. 110, No. 2, Serial 850 Published by The Vasa Order of America www.vasaorder.com

Lee-Ann Andersson Hurtubise. A word from a highly supportive “Sven” (Swede by love) / p36

Vasa Star PO Box 13331 Milwaukee WI 53213-0331

Entertaining and fun tours at the Grand Lodge Convention you won’t want to miss this summer. /p32

For our next issue:

By August 15

HEADQUARTERS Grand Secretary / Joan Graham 5838 San Jose Avenue Richmond, CA 94804 (510) 526 5512 vasajlg@aol.com Grand Master / Tore Kellgren 5971 W. Walbrook Drive San Jose, CA 95129 Phone: (408) 996 1970 gmtore@kellgren.org Editor / Amanda Olson Robison

Remember the Vasa Archives

Family Tree Släktutredningar

when you are making a memorial donation

I am a member of the Vasa Order in Sweden and an expert in Swedish genealogy. Over the years I have helped many Vasa members to find their roots in Sweden.

Send your donations to: Vasa National Archives PO Box 101, Bishop Hill, IL 61419

If you want my help to find your Swedish ancestors, please email me for further information: swedengen@telia.com

DONATE to the Education & Scholarship Funds Send your donations to: Vasa Order of America, Joan Graham, Grand Secretary 5838 San Jose Ave., Richmond, CA 94804

page 30

Managing Editor / Liza Ekstrand Send articles, photos & memorials to: The Vasa Star PO Box 13331 Milwaukee WI 53213-0331 vasaeditor@gmail.com Circulation Manager / Joan Graham 5838 San Jose Avenue Richmond, CA 94804 (510) 526 5512 circulationvasastar@gmail.com Send address changes and bottom section of application for new members to Joan Graham. Membership Chairman / Bruce Elfvin 3231 E. Overlook Road Cleveland Heights, OH 44118-2434 bruce@ekrtlaw.com Advertising Call 1.800.827.9333, ask for Vasa Star rates vasaeditor@gmail.com Layout & production: Nordstjernan, Swedish News, Inc.

WWW.VASAORDER.COM

Spring 2018 / THE VASA STAR

ARCHIVES NEWS A message from the president of Vasa National Archives dear vasa brothers and bisters, Four years have passed since I became President of the Vasa National Archives. Serving in this role has been both a challenge and a source of personal fulfillment. There have been numerous accomplishments this term, including property upgrades, expansion in web presence and digital access, exhibit and program revitalization and successful fundraising efforts. Notably, the number of visitors to the Archives

has increased from an average of 350 to 1,350 annually. Please read Archivist Kathy Cuff’s article defining the need for donations toward the vital textile preservation project under way. I hope you will visit the Archives in the coming two years to view the new exhibit featuring the membership of the Vasa Order during the years of the world wars. Kathy has become an active participant in the community of Bishop

Hill and continues to work toward It has been a pleaachieving the Archive’s goals regard- sure serving the ing genealogy and digitizing historical Vasa Order in many information for all members. Financial roles and I look forsupport from the Grand Lodge over the ward to serving the past four years has been imperative for Order and the Arthe sustainability of the Archives and chives in the future. that support continues to be essential going forward. The VNA is the home of i n tru th a n d u n ity , b i ll lu n d q u is t the history of the Vasa Order and it re- p r es id en t va sa n atio n al a rch iv es mains vital that our members continue to support it financially and physically.

Greetings from the Vasa National Archives greetings vasa siblings, The Vasa National Archive, just like the rest of you, is not-so-patiently waiting for spring to arrive. A brief warm spell allowed us to work outside putting down fresh mulch by Carl’s Garden and trimming the bushes. Our fingers are crossed that everyone had good weather for Valborg. The Vasa National Archive debuted a new exhibit on the Vasa Order during WWI and WWII on April 4. The new exhibit features rarely seen collection pieces, excerpts from lodges in the U.S. and Canada, and info on Sweden and Canada during each world war. We held a Grand Opening for the exhibit on April 7 with light refreshments throughout the day. Bad weather and calls for snow kept visitor numbers low for this event, but the exhibit will be up for two years and we hope you get the chance to see it. We put a video of it on Facebook, too.

The VNA was accepted into the Upper Mississippi Digital Image Archive and our 2017 intern scanned over 3,000 applications. Nearly 75 percent of last year’s research requests concerned the genealogy of former members. The membership records provide addresses, occupations, relatives and other information collected between census years. We will be steadily working to add to this collection and will add other items in the near future. VNA collections can be found here: http://www.umvphotoarchive.org/digital/ We attempted to secure a grant from the Illinois Historic Records Advisory Board this winter to properly house our large textiles (altar cloths, regalia, flags, etc.). Sadly, we did not get the grant, and we are looking for donors to help us complete the project which is scheduled to begin this summer. If you want to donate to this project, contact us for information on supplies we need.

If you have any questions about the collections or the archives, feel free to contact us at VasaArchivist@gmail. com or 309.927.3898. For more current information on Bishop Hill or the Vasa National Archives, like us on Facebook. i n tr u th a n d u n i ty ,

k ath y c u f f , a r c h i v i s t

vas a n ati o n al a r c h i v es

Events at the archives:

• Quilt Square Coloring (May 19, 10–4, during Quilt Show) - You and your children are invited to participate in this free activity of coloring quilt squares in chalk on the sidewalk in front and around the Vasa National Oscar II No. 81 honor roll during WWII. Archives. If it rains, we will have a quilt square coloring activity inside. • Midsummer Respite (June 23, 10–6, during Midsummer) – If you get too hot or dry while exploring Bishop Hill during this summer celebration, the Vasa National Archives invites you to take a break and enjoy the Swedish custom of fika with us. We’ll also have a make-and-take clay sculpture station for you.

George Anders Nord, 1926-2018 George Anders Nord, Past Grand Master of the Vasa Order of America (1990-1994), Past District Master of New Jersey District #6, and Past Chairman of Local Lodge Lyckan #507 died on February 17, 2018 in Wallingford, CT. George was born in Perth Amboy, NJ on February 22, 1926. During World War II he served as Quartermaster on the USS LST 309 during the Normandy invasion on D-Day 1944, the Pacific Theater on V-J Day in 1945 and received the Bronze Star.

WWW.VASAORDER.COM

Past Grand Master of the Vasa Order of America, George Anders Nord.

After his military service, he began his long career in management of the Marketing and Purchasing division of the Chevron Corp. He married his high school sweetheart Margaret (Marge) Lahovich in 1947. George and Marge were married 66 years when Marge died in 2014. During George’s almost 70 years of membership in the Vasa Order of America, he was involved in all levels of the Order. George and Marge traveled extensively through the United States, Canada and Sweden

attending Vasa meetings. Among their favorite memories was the trip to Sweden in 1993 where they met King Carl XVI Gustaf, and accompanied the 1993 Swedish American of the Year, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, to receive his honor. George is survived by his daughter Nancy and son-in-law Alan Lefkowitz, and his son David and daugherin-law Elaine Nord, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

page 31

THE VASA STAR / Spring 2018

GRAND LODGE NEWS The Grand Master’s Message (continued from page 29) by all voting members. By now, quite a few of you have signed up and are hopefully looking forward to going to Sacramento. I know I am. If you have not yet registered, there is still time. The deadline has been extended and you now have until June 20 to sign up. You can register online at www.vasaorder. com where you find both a form to print and fill out, or as an alternative, there is an interactive online registration. Elsewhere in this issue and also in the last issue of Vasa Star you can find all the information for registering and making your hotel reservation. I highly recommend that you take the opportunity to attend this very special Vasa event that only happens once every four years. You will have the opportunity to meet Vasa Members from Canada, Sweden and from all over the U.S. In addition to sitting in during

the meeting, you can choose to attend the Thursday golf tournament, the Friday Welcome Reception, the Saturday Opening Banquet and the closing Friday Grand Banquet, as well as one or more of the planned tours. You should notice that the evening part of the 4th of July tour, which originally was planned to include fireworks at the Folsom Rodeo, has been changed and is now a tour of the Railroad Museum with dinner there, followed by watching the fireworks over the Sacramento River. You may wonder why the change, well, Folsom Rodeo rescheduled its fireworks to July 3rd. The next issue of Vasa Star will have some highlights from the convention including pictures and an introduction of the new Grand Lodge

Executive Board. I want to thank all who served on the Grand Lodge Executive Board for a fantastic four years. The spirit of your work has been truly infectious. I could not have wished for anyone better. We have accomplished a lot thanks to your dedicated work. During the term we have had three Board meetings where we all got to sit face to face in the same room. We also had many email discussions, always with well thought out results. I want to also thank all the Appointed Grand Lodge Officers for your work. Your dedication has moved Vasa forward in many ways. Thank you also to the Grand Lodge Deputies for acting in my stead in your area and for sending me reports keeping me apprised of and resolving issues in your area. I also want to thank the

Chair of the GL Convention Committee, Victoria Fedor-Thurman, for your dedicated work in making this a successful event. Special thanks to Grand Secretary Joanie Graham for keeping us all on the straight and narrow. Joanie, you are the backbone of the GLEB. Special thanks also to Grand Treasurer Keith Hanlon for your wisdom in financial matters and organizational governance. Keith, your untiring work has made Vasa Order of America Grand Lodge a world class organization. Finally, thanks to you, the readers, for inspiring me to write this column, for taking time to read it and for giving me great feedback on many subjects. in truth and unity, tore kellgren,grand master

GRAND LODGE CONVENTION 2018 – COME AND VISIT OLD CALIFORNIA

Here is a taste of what we are planning for your enjoyment when you come to the Grand Lodge Convention in Sacramento, California during the week of Friday, June 29 – Friday, July 6, 2018. The entire group will enjoy two trips – to San Francisco and to the Gold Country. While the delegates and Grand Lodge officers are in their meetings, spouses and guests will enjoy more trips around beautiful Northern California. Everyone on Sunday, July 1st: San Francisco San Francisco is a city rich with history and influenced by a multitude of cultures. This diversity represents itself best in the thousands of sights and activities throughout the city. We will arrive in San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge then listen to the legends that made San Francisco famous as we drive by the city’s wellknown, historic landmarks, including: the bustling Civic Center (a monumental grouping of federal, state and city structures showcasing the recently refurbished City Hall,) and the War Memorial Opera House. We will drive past the historic Swedish-American Hall and hear about how, immediately following the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed almost half the city, the early Swedes bought this property and erected this building, the masterpiece of Swedish-born, San Francisco master architect August Nordin. Fylgia Lodge #119 has met in this beautiful building since it was instituted in 1907. page 32

Images courtesy of California State Parks, Visit California, Lake Tahoe Visitors Bureau, Wine Country Table

We will travel through Union Square, the shopping mecca of the city, Chinatown, where 30,000 people live in 24 square blocks, see the beautiful Coit Tower that sits above Little Italy on our way to Fisherman’s Wharf/Pier 39 at the Embarcadero. We will enjoy free time at one of San Francisco’s most popular attractions: the historic waterfront district with a myriad of restaurants, shops, museums & points of interest. Experience the tangy smell of sourdough bread wafting through the air, street performers hamming it up for the crowd, and beautiful views of the bay. Return about 7:30 pm. $70 per person.

WWW.VASAORDER.COM

Spring 2018 / THE VASA STAR

Smaller Group: Sacramento Tour & Lodi Wine Country Tour

Sacramento, the capital of California, is deeply rooted in the legacy & legends of the great California Gold Rush which triggered the single greatest peacetime migration in US history. The mark of these prospectors, lawmen, outlaws and visionaries runs throughout the region. Begin with a walking tour inside and outside the magnificent State Capitol Building, erected in 1872 and restored in the 1970s. Travel around Sacramento to see the Old Governor’s Mansion, Sutter’s Fort, and the majestic Stanford Mansion. A box lunch and then wine tasting at St. Jorge Winery in Lodi, then on to two additional stellar Lodi wineries. Return about 5:00 pm. $99 per person.

Sample image from Wine Country Table - a taste of Sonoma. (The pictured winery is not necessarily part of your tour)

Smaller Group: Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe is one of America’s amazing national treasures! Visitors from around the world come to experience the enchantment of Lake Tahoe. This large alpine lake is 22 miles long and 12 miles wide, at an altitude of 6,225 feet. Its average depth is 989 feet with the deepest point being 1,645 feet. Surrounded by the majestic peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, it is a sight to behold. Our trip will visit the South Shore where we will spend some time shopping and gambling at one of the area’s beautiful casinos and then cruise on one of Lake Tahoe’s paddlewheel boats. Return about 5:30 pm. $125 per person

Smaller Group: Sonoma Sonoma is known as the birthplace of American California, for it was in this town plaza that the Bear Flag Revolt took place and the Bear Flag was first raised on June 14, 1846. Today, the Sonoma Valley is a world-renowned center for wine making. The sister Valley to Napa, Sonoma makes some of the best white wines and sparkling wines in the world. Once in Sonoma you will taste a mix of red, white, and sparkling wines from two wineries that will send your wine senses soaring. You will have lunch at the world-famous Sonoma Cheese Factory where the delicious Sonoma Jack Cheese was invented. You will then have time to shop the quaint village of Old Sonoma and visit the northern-most of the California missions. After lunch, have another wine tasting at one of the Valley’s 300 wineries before heading back to Sacramento. Return about 5:30 pm. $129 per person

Right: A stunning view of the Edgewood golf course, Lake Tahoe

Everyone on Wednesday, 4th of July: The Gold Country It all started on January 18, 1848, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains just east of Sacramento, when James Marshall found tiny nuggets of gold and started the stampede that changed the world. Travel to the Gold Discovery Site in Coloma, California, where 50,000 hopeful men (and a few women) arrived in 1849 to find their fortune. Time has stood still in this well-preserved State Park where you can see the old miner’s cabins, Chinese Store, and State Historic Museum and maybe even get a bit of gold fever as you walk to the very spot on the American River where gold was discovered and is still found today!! Buffet lunch on the American River before heading back to our hotel and a little down time. A change of plans has us leaving the hotel about 6:00 and going to the California State Railroad Museum for dinner and then a spectacular end to the evening with the fireworks show over the Sacramento River. $130 per person.

WWW.VASAORDER.COM

Transportation by deluxe motor coaches. Driver, Professional Tour Director and gratuities included. James Marshall cabin, Marshall Gold Discovery State Park, Coloma, CA. This is where James Marshall first discovered gold in the American River in 1848.

submitted by joanie graham, chairman, tours committee vasajlg@aol.com 510-526-5512

page 33

THE VASA STAR / Spring 2018

VASA ORDER OF AMERICA GRAND LODGE CONVENTION, Hosted by Golden Gate District No. 12 39th Quadrennial Convention, June 29 to July 6, 2018 The DoubleTree by Hilton, 2001 Point West Way, Sacramento, CA 95815 Activity Schedule

Thursday, June 28

Golf Tournament at Bartley Cavanaugh Golf Course; Ed Netzel, Golf Chairman (916-416-1144; edlnetzel@att.net)

10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Registration Desk open.

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Welcome Reception sponsored by the Past District Masters Club of DL Golden Gate No. 12.

Friday, June 29

10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Saturday, June 30

9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Swedish Genealogy help desk open. Find your ancestors today.

Registration Desk open.

8:30 am – 10:00 am

New delegate breakfast, hosted by the Grand Lodge.

11:00 am

Photographer, Officers and Delegates.

introduction of Grand Lodge Officers.

9:00 am – 10:30 am

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm

2:15 pm – 2:45 pm

Officers and Delegates pick up Convention Binders.

Opening Ceremony by DL Golden Gate #12 with special greetings, presentation of the flags, entertainment, and

Coffee break.

2:45 pm – 4:30 pm

Opening Session for Grand Lodge Officers and Delegates; Vasa members invited to join.

Artichoke Chicken - $55/person.

6:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Opening Banquet. Western theme for the Banquet. Entrée Cost: Teriyaki Grilled Flank Steak or Parmesan

Sunday, July 1

San Francisco Tour. No Grand Lodge Session. Buses leave hotel at 8:00 am and return about 7:30 pm. $70/person.

9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Session for Grand Lodge Officers and Delegates.

Monday, July 2

7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Tuesday, July 3

9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Non-delegate tour to Sacramento Tour and Lodi Wine Tasting. 9:00 am – 6:00 pm. Cost: $99/person. Seminar –Membership, presented by Grand Lodge Executive Board. Session for Grand Lodge Officers and Delegates.

Non-delegate tour to Lake Tahoe. 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Cost: $125/person.

Wednesday, July 4

Gold Country and Railroad Museum and Fireworks tour. Buses leave hotel at 9:00 am and travel to the Gold Country,

7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Thursday, July 5

9:00 am – 5:00 pm

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Friday, July 6

9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Seminar – Archives, presented by Archives Board.

lunch included, and return to hotel about 2:00 for some free time. Depart at 6:00 pm for dinner at the Railroad Museum and Fireworks over the Sacramento River. Cost: $130.00/person; Evening itinerary has changed. Session for Grand Lodge Officers and Delegates.

Non-delegate tour to Sonoma Valley and Wine Tasting. 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Cost: $129/person. Cocktail Reception for all officers, delegates, and Vasa members, hosted by Vice Grand Master.

Session for Grand Lodge Officers and Delegates; election and installation of new officers.

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Cocktail hour (cash bar) and photo opportunities.

Entrée Cost: Prime Rib or Salmon with Dungeness Crab - $75/person.

7:00 pm – Midnight

page 34

Grand Banquet with entertainment and dancing. Formal or Dressy attire. Dance music by Smörgåsbandet

WWW.VASAORDER.COM

Spring 2018 / THE VASA STAR

Convention Registration Form

39th Grand Lodge Convention • June 30 – July 6, 2018

Submit one copy of form per attendee Advance Registration is required for all events, including the Welcome Reception. Online registration and credit card payment can be done at https://vasagoldengate.regfox.com/GL2018

Registration has been extended: June 20, 2018

Attendee Information: Please Print Clearly

www.vasaorder.com

Name ______________________________________________________ Local Lodge & No. ____________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________ District Lodge & No. ____________________________________ City ___________________________________________ State/Prov. ________________________ Zip/Postal Code _________________ Country _______________________ Phone Number: Country Code/Area Code/Number ________________________________________ E-mail Address ____________________________________________________ (so we can notify you of any additional information) I register as a: Delegate GL Officer (Elected) GL Officer (Appointed) GL Honorary Life Member Archives Board Member Vasa Member Guest Desired Title for Badge: _________________________________________________ Expected arrival date _____________ Expected departure date _____________ Sharing room with ___________________________ NOTE: * Grand Lodge Officers, Honorary Life Members of the Grand Lodge and Delegates receive complimentary tickets for the Saturday and Friday nights banquets and the Sunday and Wednesday tours – indicate “comp” in $ column. Spouses and other participants are responsible for payment of all events in which they partake.

https://vasagoldengate.regfox.com/GL2018 GL2018@VasaGoldenGate.org Please make your Hotel Reservations directly with the Hotel to ensure Convention Rate at DoubleTree by Hilton, Sacramento by calling 800-686-3775, Group Code: “VAS” or make your reservation online at: https://goo.gl/2N5Z4o DoubleTree By Hilton 2001 Point West Way Sacramento, California

• Room rate: $119 + tax $17.91=$136.61 per night for all rooms. • Rooms contain either One King or Two Queen Beds • All rooms are non-smoking• Special $119 room rate is available for dates between June 27 and July 8 • Room Reservation deadline to obtain above room rate is June 6, 2018

For committee use – Date rcvd/# ________________ /_________________ Check no. ___________ Amount _________________ WWW.VASAORDER.COM

page 35

THE VASA STAR / Spring 2018

of the Vice Grand Secretary. while she holds the position of Vice My life with the Vice Grand Secretary Husband Lee-Ann knew she had to get the Grand Secretary has given me a great

Lee-Ann ANDERSON Hurtubise, Vice Grand Secretary of the Vasa Order of America.

system running consistently. A letter appreciation of her and all the Past was sent to all the District Secretaries Vice Grand Secretaries. My advice to share these changes with their Dis- is, if you see any of them, bow before trict and Lodges but from the results it them, kiss their ring, look them in the appears many of them got “lost in the eyes and know that you are before mail” or got used in the bottom of a a truly wonderful person filled with bird cage. To reach all of you wonder- Generosity, Truth and Unity. The only ful and caring Vasa members and have person who could top them is the everyone in the same Viking ship, I de- Grand Secretary but then we would cided (with the Vice Grand Secretary’s be talking about sainthood – just ask blessing, of course) to inform everyone Grand Secretary - Saint Joanie Graham by putting the information in the best … we LOVE HER! publication we know: the Vasa Star! Following the guide below will make With the greatest respect, it a satisfying experience for you and Carl J.A. Hurtubise help improve my life … my sincere Proud Husband of Lee-Ann ANand heartfelt thanks! DERSON Hurtubise, the Vice Grand Seriously, supporting Lee-Ann Secretary

It is 12:30 a.m. in Rhode Island and “They don’t give me an address to send I am awakened by my beautiful wife to!” “We have to know who is receivPlease, PLEASE! read below and then put it in your Vasa folder, place a copy with deep Swedish roots, Lee-Ann ing the 70-year pin!” “My zebra won’t ANDERSON Hurtubise, Vice Grand eat its pizza!” Okay, I threw in the last on your refrigerator next to your kids’ artwork, or repeat it time and time again Secretary of Vasa. She is on her phone one to see if you are paying attention. until you have it memorized. Whatever you do, make sure the next person in responding to an email from a Vasa It was a privilege to be the one to hear charge of requesting the items (that would be either the District or Lodge Secmember from California. I thought it all these comments because I am the retary) has the information! was an adjustment when Lee-Ann was the District Master of Rhode Island #3 Your step-by-step guide for ordering Vasa items and she would wake me up at 2:30 in the morning so I could jot down an idea she had to advance the District, but nothing prepared me for what my life would be like once she took over as Vice Grand Secretary. The first change, now that she was in charge of all the jewels, pins, small white binders and all the printed material that went into them, etc., was to make room to store all of the very important Vasa items.… Yes, we miss the den and have adjusted to the slant the house has now due to the weight of it all. We just keep reminding ourselves that it is all for the glory of Vasa! My very beautiful and intelligent wife jumped right into the job. In the past, you ordered the items, they were sent to you, and then the payment was sent … or sometimes (many times) it wasn’t or took forever to get! Lee-Ann did not think that process made sense, so with the blessings of the Grand Lodge Executive Board (especially our incredible Treasurer Keith Hanlon), she changed it so payments are made before the order is sent out. Other changes were made, and I wasn’t surprised because I was constantly hearing the following words: “Calling them back costs money!” “They want it by Friday? ... it’s Tuesday!” “They just expect me to send it!”

page 36

WWW.VASAORDER.COM

Spring 2018 / THE VASA STAR

DISTRICT LODGE NEWS DL Pacific Southwest No. 15

THE VASA , / District Lodge Pacific Southwest held its 103rd anORDER IS nual Convention February 24 -25 at DoubleTree Hotel in Irvine, CA. AtAMERICA’S tending part of the meeting was Irma Wendell, 103 years young. Irma was LARGEST District Master 1975-1976 and First Lady of Vasa 1978-1982 when her FRIENDSHIP late husband Andrew Wendell served as Grand Master. Irma regularly atAND tends the Past District Masters Club meetings, where she participates with CULTURAL great interest. ORGANIZATION FOR NORDICS IN NORTH Moving? AMERICA. Be sure to send address irvine california

submitted by grand master tore kellgren

changes to:

WWW.VASAORDER.COM

circulationvasastar@gmail.com Irma Wendell is visiting with Grand Master Tore Kellgren.

LOCAL LODGE NEWS Fylgia No. 119

many of its citizens immigrated to the U.S. west coast when the Öland waters san francisco, ca / It’s been an excit- no longer provided a living for them. ing beginning to 2018. In February we We also gathered for our annual Aquavit hosted fika for all clubs that meet in Infusion. At our May fika we’ll taste the Swedish-American Hall. Chis and each others April’s Aquavit effort with Bob Olson presented a travel program an added competition of pickled herring with photos and stories of Iceland. Scott recipes. We will also have our Golden hosted a guleärter (yellow peas) cooking Gate Day at the Races event. Then on class with Jane Kelley in Berkeley. In June 2-3 we have our Sweden Day event April, guest experts Johan Theorin and at Sveadal and the International Aquavit Niclas Wimmerber discussed the fish- Competition. ing industry history of Öland and why submitted by dianne dahlberg

Above: Historian Jean Nelson (left) with Fylgia group and famous mystery author Johan Theorin and Kalmar News reporter Niclas Wimmerber, who presented a program on the fishing industry in Öland. Far left: Jane Kelley at the guleärter cooking class. Left: Fylgia’s Bob Olson, Niclas Wimmerberg and author Johan Theorin WWW.VASAORDER.COM

page 37

LOCAL LODGE NEWS

THE VASA STAR / Spring 2018

Group picture of members and friends celebrating the anniversary.

Runeberg No. 137

minneapolis , mn / Our lodge cel-

ebrated its 110th anniversary in March. The other Minneapolis lodges were asked to join us, and several members and friends attended. We enjoyed entertainment provided by the VASA Junior Folkdancers and had a great time visiting and renewing friendships. The day concluded with a light supper including anniversary cake.

Runeberg No. 137 - 110th Anniversary cake submitted by eunice dietrich

Shown presenting the historical record is (L-R): past chairman and past New York State District Master Edwin Sandberg, lodge chairman Tom Eckberg, and historian John Sipos.

Thule No. 127

jamestown/bemus point, ny / Hello

from Thule. We met for the first meeting of the year on St. Patrick’s Day, which began the 111th year for the lodge. A fine gathering was held with a table full of food, and lodge historian John Sipos prepared a book of all the many events of the lodge held the previous year. Thule Lodge

page 38

is looking forward to the annual Scandinavian Folk Festival to be held July 20-22, which will include music, dancing, food, Swedish items and talks. Thule Lodge is located at 4123 Pancake Hill Road in Bemus Point, and if you are in our area, we welcome visitors. “God dag” to all, and a happy summer season. submitted by john sipos

Long-time Tegner member Marie Ann Hill blows out the birthday cake candles.

Tegner No. 149

group to Sweden this summer. Long oakland, ca / In January, Richard Orlando told us about the few early time member Marie-Ann Hill and Swedish explorers who tried to reach honorary member Carol Golden the North Pole. They were not suc- celebrated February birthdays. We cessful. In February, Tim Rued show are looking forward to enjoying us pictures of a much more success- Sveadal this summer since the road ful trip he had taken, escorting a to the camp that was destroyed last small group of Swedes, including our year has now been repaired. members Kitty Hughes and Richard submitted by ann tennis Orlando, around Sweden last summer. Tim is hoping to take another

WWW.VASAORDER.COM

LOCAL LODGE NEWS

Spring 2018 / THE VASA STAR

Brahe No. 245

rockford, il / We met in January at a local restaurant for installation of officers and initiation of new member, Carol Johnson. We also celebrated our 105th anniversary. Special guests included Marianne Ekstrand, District Deputy, and Marge Gruel from Linde Lodge. Our meetings are held the 4th Sunday of each month at 1 p.m. Location varies each month depending on activity.

submitted by carol johnson Celebrating Brahe Lodge’s 105th anniversary (L-R): Marianne Ekstrand, Dennis Eksten, Gunnal Stewart, Jean Berggren, Karin Ylitalo, Roy Ylitalo, Carol Johnson, Charlotte Tollin, Gary Johnson, David Tollin and Marge Gruel.

Svea No. 296

erie, pa / We installed new officers at the February 18 meeting at Luther Memorial Church in Erie. Standing behind the lectern is Cheryl Brown, new chairperson, with retiring Chair Lorraine Johnson to the left. To the right of Cheryl is Dick Erickson who came from Cleveland to officiate at the installation ceremony.

submitted by gary larson

Installation of new officers at the February 18 meeting of Svea #296.

Svea No. 253 indianapolis, in / This year we’ve

had a number of wonderful presentations, including “Jens Jensen: Maker of Midwestern Landscapes,” “All that Glitters: Swedish Royal Tiaras” and “Swedish-American Landmarks in the U.S.” For our upcoming events we have: May 6 - Jan Boettcher, “My Journey into Rosemaling,” May 12 and 19 are Midsommar song rehearsals, and then on June 23 is our Midsommar celebration. Save the date for the Kräftskiva on August 4, and on September 9 is the presentation by Svea No. 253 convention delegates about their experiences at the District Convention. submitted by james hook

WWW.VASAORDER.COM

Dr. Robert (Chris) Baas presented “Jens Jensen” in February.

Brenda Miller presented “All that Glitters” in March.

Dr. Alan Winquist and wife Jessica presented “Swedish-American Landmarks in the U.S.” in April.

page 39

LOCAL LODGE NEWS

THE VASA STAR / Spring 2018

Linde No. 492 milwaukee, wi / January started traditionally with the installation of officers - and a bonus: the initiation of newest member Ben Kramer, a very talented high school junior. He found Sjölunden language camp and went there with his family’s blessing every summer, and now he is a Swedish language teacher at the camp. We are looking forward to including Ben in many activities, and possibly reactivating our Skansen Children’s Club. In March guests Brigita and Gary Roth presented a travel program on Iceland, and we celebrated Marge Jothen’s 99th birthday. She is a very active lady, still driving, playing piano, and researching genealogy in her spare time. Our snowy April meeting included a soup lunch, and “tell us about your favorite Swede” discussion. Going forward, we have a luncheon on June 3, Midsommar at Heidelberg Park in Milwaukee on June 24, our annual Kräftskiva on August 25, a field trip to Bishop Hill & Ag-Days September 29-30, and the annual Scandinavian Festival on October 6. Contact us for more info (Liza 262.366.9152 or lekstrand@wi.rr.com) and remember – you are always welcome to join us.

submitted by liza ekstrand

Above, installation of Officers (L-R): Jan Kamholtz, Brent Erickson, Liza Ekstrand, Marianne Ekstrand, Marge Gruel in front and Dist. Deputy David Tollin performing the installation. Right, Marianne Ekstrand shared her love for Pippi Longstocking, Mr. Nilsson & Lilla Gubben: her favorite Swede(s).

Pioneer No. 506

Chairman George Glover (L) presents Millie Johnson with her 75-year pin and her grandson David Fasteson his 25-year pin.

cranston , ri / On March 6 Pioneer Lodge celebrated its 90th anniversary and the presentation of pins to members who have been in the lodge for 25 and 75 years. Pioneer Lodge was the 1st lodge in the state of Rhode Island to hold their meetings in English, hence the name Pioneer. Millie Johnson was presented with her 75-year pin and David Fasteson (Millie’s grandson) his 25-year pin. So great to see the Vasa spirit staying in the family. Millie has actually been associated with Vasa for 86 years if you include her 11 years as a member of the children’s club. Way to go Millie. We are making plans for our annual Midsummer Celebration at Little Rhody Vasa Park in Foster, RI on June 23 - we hope everyone will join us to dance around the Midsummer pole, eat sill sandwiches and join in some good Vasa fellowship. Festivities start at 1 p.m.

submitted by kris onsrud

each calendar year. At our last meeting in May, we’ll offer “The Värmland phoenix, az / April featured our 54th an- Gift” with information obtained from niversary with an open-faced sandwich the American Swedish Institute of smörgåsbord and a lively Springfest Minneapolis. We are happy to report celebration with music and dancing, that our own Deja Taggart has been one of our meeting highlights during awarded the scholarship from District

Phoenix No. 677

page 40

Katarina Ivarsson and Ken Ahlberg pictured with the Phoenix #677 Springfest “tree.”

21 in Arizona. Deja was also our 2017 months with our monthly luncheons Lucia. She received her award in person at various restaurants in the Valley. at the Arizona District Lodge conven- We are delighted that participation of tion on April 7, 2018. Way to go Deja, members and guests at these monthly you deserve it. We will soon go on our social meetings has increased. Guests well-deserved summer hiatus, though are always welcome! we continue through the summer submitted by romy solomonson

WWW.VASAORDER.COM

LOCAL LODGE NEWS

Spring 2018 / THE VASA STAR

Norden No. 684

fresno, ca / Spring is here and Norden Lodge had a great monthly meeting in April with delicious open-faced sandwiches and salads, and the Svenska Kids Musik Club danced for us. We had a fun field trip to the home of Dee and Dennis Donnelly where we painted Dala horses - to be used as center pieces at the District Convention. Four new members were initiated last month, and on May 5 was our annual Valborgsmässoafton event to welcome spring at the home of George and Carol Sell. We alway have fun singing songs around a bonfire.

submitted by clyda dehn

Svenska Kids Musik Club dance / Left: Norden Lodge members Helen Fosdick and Anders Lindhe.

Bishop Hill No. 683

bishop hill, il / We celebrated our 50th anniversary. We had pea soup and Swedish pancakes, followed by special music. Our next big event will be the Midsummer festival in Bishop Hill on June 23, from 11 a.m-7 p.m.

submitted by judy anderson

to view “A Swedish Folktale,” Vinland No. 703 May an exhibit of colorful designs on

antique furniture, decorative objects been learning about literature and and paintings on display through June films that are popular now in Scan- 3. Our Midsommarfest on June 23 dinavia. At our April meeting, Judy with a “bring your own picnic” lunch Peterson shared information about begins at noon followed by songs and Easter traditions in Sweden, and we dancing around our Maypole on the will observe our Memorial Remem- church lawn. brance at our May 19 meeting. A visit submitted by dorothy ann to the Cahoon Museum of American ellner kean Art in Cotuit, MA is planned for late cape cod, ma / Our members have

WWW.VASAORDER.COM

Clockwise from top left: Initiation of new members (L-R): Roy Swenson, Grace Johnson, Anita and James Sexton / Anniversary cake (inset) / Entertainment by “No Name” with Terry Smith, Jim Blucker and singer Jane Kelley

Moving? Be sure to send address changes to: circulationvasastar@gmail.com

page 41

SWEDISH NEWS

THE VASA STAR / Spring 2018

SWEDISH NEWS Skåne No. 570

malmö, sweden / Utomhus är det fortfarande vinter

och vi längtar till våren. Då känns det trevligt att komma in i Vasa-gemenskapens värme. Ordförande Sy Marie Wickström hälsade egna och gästande syskon varmt välkomna till mars månads möte. Sy Britt-Marie Fihnn avtackades med en stor och vacker blomsterbukett för sin tid som logens Finanssekreterare. Under Kontakt Amerika berättade jag om ett nyhetsbrev från Linde Lodge i Milwaukee. Efter mötet väntade en välsmakande middag med helstekt fläskytterfilé, svampsås och tillbehör. Som vegetarian kan jag klart inte avgöra smaken på fläskfilén, men jag får alltid ett fullgott/bättre alternativ. Efter maten berättade Elisabeth Tyler om sin resa som ensamseglare i Medelhavet. En fantastisk kvinna som inget är omöjligt för. Kvällen avslutades med gruppens lotteri och medlemslotteriet.

Föredragshållaren Elisabeth Tyler tackades av VO Evert Bengtsson.

Maj-Britt Nilsson och Agneta DD Gull-May Åstradsson omgiven av Lena Ovelius Bergman och Bengt-Arne Åstradsson. Västerstjärna. I bakgrunden står Lilian och Sivert Alexandersson.

submitted by bo västerstjärna

Kulturafton i april - Ett 50-tal Vasasyskon samlades till vårens sista möte. Ballotering gehöganäs, sweden / Systrarnas afton i mars - nomfördes för fyra nya medlemmar. DD Br Rolf Vårsolen lyste med sin frånvaro när Systrarna Hansson installerade tjänstemän som inte var bjöd till vårfest, men trots det blev det en varm närvarande vid installationen. Kvällens föredrag och trivsam kväll. Salen var pyntad i vårens och ”Från Polen och Auschwitz till Sverige och USA ” påskens färger och O Sy Inger hälsade kvällens en gripande berättelse om hur föredragshållarens gäster och blivande medlemmar välkomna. mor kunde återförenas med sina syskon efter Efter kaffet serverats uppenbarade sig fem påsk- att de skilts åt i de tyska koncentrationslägren. kärringar, som var på väg till Blåkulla, och till Nästa aktivitet i Logen är en utfärd med buss till allas förtjusning fick de sällskap av våra kändisar underbara Österlen i maj och den 16 juni är det Beda och Beata. Varje bord fick uppgifter att dags för det sedvanliga Sverige-Amerikamötet genomföra; sjunga, bilda ord och gissa vikten med intagning av nya medlemmar. Såväl svenpå ett påskägg. En av uppgifterna bestod i att ska som amerikanska Vasa-medlemmar hälsas en person vid varje bord skulle balansera ett ägg varmt välkomna! i en sked och till allas jubel ta sig runt i salen. submitted by berit och hans bogren

Höganäs No. 634

Påskkärringar på väg till Blåkulla stannade till i Höganäs.

Kvällens värdgrupp vid det välfyllda lotteribordet.

and Gavin Collins; in Edmonton, Alberta

was Asst. Master of Ceremonies. She also

Monitor Lodge No. 130 chairman in

Memorial Notices should be mailed with - Jim and Erika Johnson. Evelyn was an check or money order to The Vasa Star, Honorary Member of Local Lodge Skandia PO Box 13331, Milwaukee, WI 53213-0331. No. 549, in Edmonton, Alberta, having joined on April 2,1955. Email: vasaeditor@gmail.com. The fee is $10 - max. 40-45 words, and $25 for ARIZONA longer obituaries - 50-120 words. All notices must be typed and in a format similar to what you see here. NO news- ALBERT ERNEST ALBRECHTSEN, died peacefully Dec. 14, 2017 in Prescott, paper clippings If you submitted an Obituary and it is AZ. Al is survived by his wife of 51 years, Gunhild; son, Eric; daughter, Lisa; along not listed here, please resubmit to be with four grandchildren. Al and Gunhild included in the following issue.

She will be greatly missed by all North Star members.

TEXAS

Johnson, Kiri, Duane, liked to read books. She is survived by two 1997, and sang with the Vasa Voices until IN MEMORIAM -BenBrianandandAlexWendy Wysynski; in Victoria, B.C. brothers who live in Illinois and Indiana. 10 years ago.

CANADA

EVELYN GRACE JOHNSON, 102, died peacefully on February 19, 2018 in Edmonton, Alberta. She was predeceased by her husband, Ingvar (Don) in 1980. Evelyn was a remarkable woman and will be missed by her loving family: in New Mexico, USA - Geri, Gary, Eric, Anessa page 42

have been members of the Scandia Lodge No. 728 in Prescott since 1994. CALIFORNIA

KAREN JOHNS died in Los Angeles on January 11, 2018 at the age of 75. She was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 21, 1942. Karen had been a member of North Star Lodge No. 106 since 1995 and

MARY ETHEL PIERSON died in Atwater on April 1, 2018 at the age of 87. She was born in Bluefield, West Virginia on May 1, 1930. Mary Ethel was a member of Skandia Lodge No. 247 in 1991 and dual member of North Star Lodge No. 106 since 2005. She is survived by two sons Jim Becker and Joe Becker, her sister Jane Hendricks and great-grandson Nathaniel Walker, whom she raised. Mary Ethel was the current Chairman at North Star Lodge. She also served as District Master in 2009 for District 15.

JARL BENNY RUNO “BEN” FRIBERG died March 10, 2018 in Fort Worth. A longtime member of Carl XVI Gustaf Lodge 716, Ben was our current GL Deputy, also our famous Santa Claus. He is survived by his wife Joyce, Swedish family and many friends. WASHINGTON

ETHEL CATHERINE TAYLOR died on December 21, 2017 in Burien, age 101. She was born in Minnesota but moved with her family to Seattle during OHIO the Great Depression. She was an active member of Frihet Lodge No 401 since DOROTHY CARLSON, 98, an active May 1999. You always knew dessert and loved member since 1979, died on would be delicious when Ethel and her March 1, 2018. She served as Nobel- sister Irene made it. She will be missed. WWW.VASAORDER.COM

SWEDISH NEWS

Spring 2018 / THE VASA STAR

Tomelilla No. 631 tomelilla, sweden / Logen hade möte i februari i Tomelillas Folkets Park.

Som brukligt är, började kvällens möte med gemensam inmarsch till taktfast musik från vår musikmästare Gert Lantz. Ordförande Jan-Anders Ingvarsson hälsade oss alla, egna och gästande logemedlemmar, varmt välkomna. Sedan följde sedvanlig mötesordning. I veckan hade vi enligt almanackan firat Alla Hjärtansdag och om denna ”kärlekens dag” berättade vår bitr. PS Britt Lantz lite roliga fakta om. Bengt-Arne Åstradsson, vår logehistoriker, berättade om olika händelser som har förekommit i vår loge genom tiderna. Eftersom det finns medlemmar som lägger ner både hjärta och själ i att hålla igång VOA här i Tomelilla, kan vi med glädje nästa år fira 65 år. Efter att ha ätit pyttipanna med vändstekta ägg och rödbetor, och beundrat de vackra Vasa båtarna på borden, var det dags för kvällens bravader. Kvällens tema ”Brödernas afton”. Vi kvinnor skulle visa vad vi kan. Först skulle vi knyta en slips. Sedan var det dags för lite lekar på tid, där vi skulle vika ihop en IKEA låda, byta proppar och slå ner en låååååång spik. Innan kvällens final skulle vi åldersbestämma några av de manliga medlemmarna. Kvällens final; lägga fyllning mellan tårtbottnar och dekorera en tårta, som skulle avnjutas till kaffet. Kvällen avslutades som sedvanligt med lottdragning och medlemslotteri. submitted by britt lantz

Full aktivitet då systrarna tillverkar kvällens tårtor.

Vinnande laget “Hjärter äss” bestående av systrarna Eva Newin LL 617, Gull-May Åstradsson, Carola Örnhed och Mona-Lisa Andgart. I bakgrunden båda domarna bröderna Bo Wigren och Paul Danielsson.

STORMÄSTARENS MEDDELANDE kära vasasyskon, inför en veckas arbete för vår ordens Min tjänst som Storframtid i juli. Det blir mycket läsning mästare närmar sig med nära 90 olika motioner, varav mer sitt slut och med det än 50 påverkar konstitutionen. skriver jag nu för sista Inom den närmaste tiden kommer jag gången min spalt här. att utse delegater och ordförande till Det har varit fantasalla Storlogeutskott. Många delegater tiskt trevligt att lära kommer att sitta på mer än ett utskott. känna så många av er de senaste fyra Motionerna kommer att tilldelas lämpåren och med det få många nya vän- liga utskott som sedan ska studera dem, ner—i Kanada, Sverige och i hela USA. presentera dem och ge sina rekommenDet är en vänskap som kommer att vara dationer för eller emot. livet ut. Tack till alla som hälsat Birgitta Hittills har en del av er anmält sig och mig välkomna när vi kom till era och jag hoppas att ni ser fram emot möten. Er generositet ser inga gränser. att komma till Sacramento. Jag vet Efter min resa till DL Pacific Southwest att jag gör det. Om du inte anmält och nr 15 i slutet av februari har jag bara registrerat dig för mötet ännu så har tagit en weekendresa till District Lodge du fortfarande chansen. Sista dag för Arizona nr 21 för deras distriktsmöte i registrering har senarelagts och är nu Oro Valley, nära Tucson, Arizona. Som den 20 juni. Anmäl dig online på www. stormästare kommer jag att delta i yt- vasaorder.com där du hittar en blankett terligare två distriktsmöten: vår egen att trycka ut och fylla i, eller som ett Distriktsloge, Golden Gate nr. 12 och alternativ, gör en interaktiv onlineDistriktslogen Lake Michigan nr. 8. registrering. På annan plats i denna Jag ägnar mig just nu mest åt för- utgåva och även i den förra Vasa Star beredelser för Storlogemötet i Sacra- finns all information om att registrera mento, Kalifornien, som det bara är och reservera hotellrum. Jag rekomtvå månader kvar till. Medlemmar i menderar starkt att du tar tillfället i akt Storlogens Exekutiva Råd, Storloge- och kommer till detta mycket speciella delegaterna, alla f.d. Stormästare och Vasa-evenemang som bara händer en f.d. Storlogetjänstemän får snart sina gång vart fjärde år. Du kommer att träfinformationspaket för att förbereda sig fa Vasa-syskon från Kanada, Sverige

WWW.VASAORDER.COM

och från hela USA. Förutom att vara gda resultat. Jag vill också tacka alla med och lyssna under mötet kan du utnämnda Storlogetjänstemän för ert också välja att delta i torsdagens golf- arbete. Er dedikation har drivit Vasa turnering, gå på fredagens välkomst- framåt på många sätt. Tack också till mottagning, lördagens öppningsfest, alla Storlogedeputerade som agerat i den avslutande Storlogebanketten och mitt ställe, skickat mig rapporter för att sist men inte minst, åka med på en eller hålla mig uppdaterad och löst problem flera planerade turer. Det är en ändring i när sådana kommit upp. Jag vill också kvällsdelen av turen den 4 juli. Den var tacka ordföranden för SL-konventionsursprungligen planerad att inkludera kommittén, Victoria Fedor-Thurman. fyrverkerier på Folsom Rodeo, men Tack för ditt idoga arbete för att göra har nu ändrats och är i stället ett besök detta ett framgångsrikt Storlogemöte. på Järnvägsmuseet med påföljande Särskilt tack till Storlogesekreterare middag och därefter fyrverkerier över Joanie Graham för att du hållit oss alla Sacramentofloden. Denna ändring var på rätt väg. Joanie, du är ryggraden i nödvändig eftersom Folsom Rodeo har Storlogens Exekutiva Råd. flyttat sitt fyrverkeri till 3 juli. Nästa Särskilt tack också till Storlogekassör utgåva av Vasa Star kommer att in- Keith Hanlon för din klokhet i ekononehålla några höjdpunkter från mötet miska frågor och organisationsstyrning. inklusive bilder och en introduktion av Keith, ditt outtröttliga arbete har gjort Storlogens nya Exekutiva Råd. Vasa Order of America Grand Lodge Jag vill tacka alla som tjänstgjort till en organisation i världsklass. på Storlogens Exekutiva Råd under Slutligen tack till alla ni läsare, för dessa fantastiska fyra år. Samarbetet att ha inspirerat mig till att skriva den har verkligen varit givande. Jag kunde här kolumnen, för att ni tagit er tid att inte ha önskat mig ett bättre team. Vi läsa den och givit mig bra feedback i har uppnått mycket tack vare ert idoga många frågor. arbete. Under perioden har vi haft tre styrelsemöten där vi alla träffats och i sanning och enighet, tore kellgren, grand master kunnat arbeta tillsammans i samma rum. Vi hade också många diskussioner via email, alltid med väl underbyg-

page 43