The Swedish North Star, continuously published since 1872. Price per copy $3.50. Volume 147 No. 10, June 15, 2019.
Photo: August Dellert/Visit Sweden
Naturum Tåkern
Sweden’s 32 “naturum” centers draw crowds as much for their striking architecture as for the rare birds and plant life they celebrate. Nestled beside the wonders of the natural world, every naturum is a curiosity in itself; one of the most extraordinary examples bids us welcome from the shore of Lake Tåkern. / p 14 Swedes of the West / p4 Will air taxis be a reality in just a few years? / p5 Midsummer celebrations all over Swedish America / p8 Page 14
Filling up the car in Sweden or trusting your own legs? / p27
Edible Kultursverige
From the mountains of the north to the beaches of the south and every tree, river and meadow in between, Sweden’s great outdoors affect every Swede’s life. Swedish nature is also reflected in food and cooking, so much so that a new program is turning the country into a do-it-yourself gourmet restaurant. / p 12
A city’s DNA: San Francisco
Rock on, San Francisco. The whole bay area has some of the most complex and active geology in the world. San Francisco’s growth and modern development, and the influence of Swedish immigrants there, have a direct relationship with the city’s geology – and earthquake history. / p 20
dashboard | june 15, 2019 SCANDINAVIAN QUIZ
stjernan by the light of the midnight sun C) 39-42% of a year’s babies are conceived this weekend
2 What occupation did Swedish inventor Jonas Offrell (1803–1863) have when he developed the revolver? A) engineer B) taxidermist C) priest D) doctor If a girl picks flowers all alone and speaks to no one, the flowers have great power on Midsummer.
The flowers of Midsummer
Midsummer marks the onset of summer at the summer solstice, the longest day and shortest night of the year, when darkness barely falls in most parts of Sweden. It’s long been considered a magical night, with water turning to wine and ferns into flowers. A wreath or a bouquet made with seven (or nine) different flowers has special powers if a girl picks the flowers all alone and speaks to no one. And if you dare to pick one flower from a cemetery, the power increases even more. Girls and women are encouraged to pick seven different flowers and lay them under their pillows so their future husbands will appear to them in a dream. Popular folklore also has girls eating salted porridge so their future husbands might be revealed in their dreams bringing water to quench their thirst. Of course flowers are generally important for everyone at Midsummer–with people donning flower wreaths in their hair and decorating the Maypole with fresh flowers.
Name’s Days of the Swedish Calendar Namnsdagar i juni
June 15 June 16 June 17 June 18 June 19 June 20 June 21 June 22 June 23 June 24 June 25 June 26 June 27 June 28 June 29 June 30 June 15
Margit/Margot Axel/Axelina Torborg/Torvald Björn/Bjarne Germund/Görel Linda Alf/Alvar Paulina/Paula Adolf/Alice Johannes Döparens dag David/Salomon Rakel/Lea Selma/Fingal Leo Peter/Petra Elof/Leif |
New York Chicago Stockholm Kiruna Lund Los Angeles 2 NORDSTJERNAN
Sunrise & Sunset
5.24 am 8.28 pm 5.14 am 8.27 pm 3.31 am 10.05 pm above horizon 4.22 am 9.52 pm 5.41 am 8.05 pm
3 The Great Dane breed of dog originally came from what country? A) Denmark B) Norway C) England D) Germany
4 Which Nordic country uses 100% renewable electricity, making it the “greenest” country in the world? A) Denmark B) Iceland C) Finland D) Sweden 5 The 20th century’s great novelist Roald Dahl was born in the UK to immigrants from what country? A) Norway B) Sweden C) Denmark D) Iceland CULTURE
Namnsdagar
6 In 1835, the first edition of Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales was published in which country? A) Denmark B) Norway C) England D) Germany 7 The word “Viking” probably comes from the Old Norse word, vik, meaning “men of” what? A) the king B) the creek C) wealth D) the boat
8 With what city did Stockholm have a mutually beneficial trade agreement in the 1250s? A) Lübeck, Germany B) Limoges, France C) Zurich, Switzerland D) Bruges, Belgium 9 What Swedish group topped the American Billboard charts with “Hooked on a Feeling” in 1974? A) ABBA B) Blue Swede C) The Hives D) Roxette
10 Many of the Gustavian supporters gave what name to the first King of the House of Bernadotte? A) The Frenchman B) The French Corporal C) The Swedish Marshal D) The Swedish Chef Answers: 1:C, 2:C, 3:D, 4:B, 5:A, 6:A, 7:B, 8:A, 9:B,10:B
isn’t true (to our knowledge) about Midsummer? A) ferns were 1 What worn as clothes B) people read Nord-
June
Görel – June 19 The female name Görel is an Old Norse name which means “protective spear.” It has been used in Sweden since the mid-1500s chiefly among nobility, and has kept some of its noble touch throughout the years. The name has never been common and is in fact extremely uncommon among today’s youngest generations. There are now 1,377 women with the name Görel in Sweden whose median age is 66. Selma - June 27 The female name Selma is a Celtic name which means “beautiful” or “peaceful.” Selma became common in Sweden at the end of the 18th century after Frans Michael Franzén used it in one of his romantic poems about a woman named Selma. There are at present 7,389 women with the first name Selma plus two people whose last name is Selma. Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940) was a Swedish author and the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1909. We wrote about her briefly in issue 8 this year since she was born at the Mårbacka estate in Värmland.
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.
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this week…
June TO DO 6.15 GO FOR A SWIM. NUDISTERNAS DAG. Henry David Thoreau did, as did Carl Larsson, Albert Engström and many others. Enjoy skinny dipping, that is. This is International Naturists’ Day. As most of you born Swedes know, Scandinavians in general have a somewhat different opinion about showing skin than we do in the U.S. There are 75 naturist beaches in Sweden. 6.21 MOVE SLOWLY ... LÅNGSAMHETENS DAG / International Day of Slowness. Do you think everything is spinning too fast in today’s society? Hit the brakes and celebrate the Day of Slowness. Buy a hammock, relax, think a bit more about how to get from point A to B. Walk a lot. Slowly. 6.21 MIDSOMMARAFTON, MIDSUMMER’S EVE / Comments superfluous.... (This year Midsummer’s Eve also falls on the International Selfie Day— don’t hesitate to take a selfie and send us a note on how you celebrated.) 07.01 YOU’VE GOT MAIL*: Sweden’s first stamp was published on this day in 1855. The stamp had been invented by English merchant William Dockwra and his partner Robert Murray in 1680. Soon other countries followed; in 1841 and 1842 a few local stamps were published in the U.S., in 1843 it was Brazil’s turn. In 1851 the first stamps came out in Denmark, followed by Sweden and Norway in 1855, and Finland in 1856. The motif on the Swedish stamps was the coat of arms of Sweden. *On July 1, 1855 the first Swedish stamp was published. Here, a fairly old Swedish stamp and for sure one of the most valuable: the “Treskilling Yellow,” or the Gul tre skilling banco, a stamp known to exist in only one copy holds the world’s record sale price at auction for a postage stamp. It last sold for $2.3 million in 2010.
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Page 12
Experience Sweden in a new way. Edible Country Sweden invites you to a DIY gourmet experience out of the ordinary. /Page 12-13
Dashboard, p4-5
Stockholm Trio / Swedes of the West / Swedish American of the Year 2019 / Artist Helena Hernmarck honored / SAS and Airbus to research electric flights / Air taxi anyone? / Stay away from the subway.
Events calendar, p6-10
What’s going on in Swedish America.
San Francisco, from top to bottom. Page 20
Food & Culture, p24-25
After all the herring and other salty food, not to mention August’s crayfish, it’s no wonder Swedes develop a sweet tooth.
Swedish News, p28-29
Filling up your car? This is how much it will cost in Sweden / Best counties for biking in Sweden / Swedes eat meat / Slower population growth / Abortions on the decrease.
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JUNE 15, 2019 3
dashboard | june 15, 2019
New university alliance: Stockholm trio
Three Stockholm institutions—Karolinska Institutet, KTH and Stockholm University—recently entered an alliance. Their aim is to strengthen the development of the Stockholm region and highlight the overall research and education environment that the universities create together. Close collaborations between the three have existed for a long time in several areas, but according to a press release, the May 27 agreement will make it easier for the three universities in the Swedish capital to enter joint collaborations with universities around the world. By acting as a common player, the Stockholm trio recently finalized a cooperative agreement with Tokyo University, supporting joint functions that will become increasingly important in the future.
Swedes of the West
Ted Olsson takes us on a walking tour of the geology of San Francisco on page 20 in this issue. And geology has everything to do with the first Swedish settlers in the West. California lured Swedes long before the railroad got there. In 1848 gold was found near San Francisco, California’s biggest seaport of the time and with that the Swedes began to arrive.
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
Monica Enqvist, press and communications counselor at the Swedish Embassy in Washington, DC, is leaving her post at the end of June. We captured Monica, above, at the Embassy’s polling station for the Swedish election to the European Parliament in late May. After five years in Washington, she will soon start a similar position with the Swedish Embassy in Berlin. Her replacement in September is the present Head of the King’s Household, Marshal of the Court, Lars-Erik Tindre. Monica’s professional aptitude paired with her never-ending energy and supportive nature has made her a joy to work with. With thanks for her hard work and support of our mutual cause in the U.S., we wish Monica and her family all the best in the future and hope to see her again in her new capacity—in Germany, Sweden or the United States.
The thought of striking it rich enticed the impoverished Swedes. They came sailing, walking and riding, all in search of a better life. Those who understood how to make America their land of opportunity helped lay solid foundations for California’s future. Many Swedes worked their way over the oceans as sailors and deserted their ships in the port of San Francisco. One of them was Lars Johan Berglund who jumped ship there in 1851. In a letter to his mother he writes: “We are presently a large number of Swedes and Norwegians. We help each other digging and washing gold, but none has yet gained any great wealth or made a lucky find.” Berglund and his fellow gold diggers weren’t the only misfortuned ones. Many Swedes who immigrated, or migrated from other states, to California, would return home empty handed. Some gave up on the gold and tried to make a buck off the gold rush in other ways, like opening inns for other gold seekers or trading equipment. Many on their way to and from California were never heard from again. Before the birth of the railroad, to travel across the country involved many dangers. It wasn’t called the Wild West for nothing. Robbers would kill for a pair of boots and Indians were scalp hunting. Not to mention the wild animals which were always a threat to travelers. Still the smell of gold was irresistible. One group of Swedes, on their way to California to dig gold, passed through Salt Lake City in Utah in 1859. From there one of them wrote home to the family in Sweden: “Yesterday evening we arrived at Salt Lake City and are now in the midst of the Mormons and their wives. In the evening we will continue our journey to California. We have a two month trip ahead of us, making the duration of our entire journey five months. We praise God that we have met no misfortune. In order to lighten the load for the oxen we have walked the entire distance and we have to do likewise on the road to California.”
dashboard | june 15, 2019
Swedish American of the Year 2019
Eric Nelson, CEO of Seattle’s recently designated National Nordic Museum, is Swedish American of the Year 2019. With the new Nordic Museum, which opened in May 2018, Nelson and his team have created a U.S. institution for Nordic culture and a symbol of Nordic cooperation for generations to come. In the above image Eric is showing us around the new museum facility a few months prior to its grand opening in 2018. The SAY award will be presented in conjunction with celebrations at the Kinship Center in Karlstad, Sweden this summer. For more info, see www.vasaorder.com
SAS and Airbus electric flights Scandinavian Airlines and Airbus are collaborating to investigate the development of a hybrid-electric aircraft. “We are proud of our ambitious sustainability work and are now pleased that Airbus has chosen SAS to partner with for this future project. If this becomes a reality, it will revolutionize emissions,” says Rickard Gustafson, CEO, SAS. The unique partnership between SAS and Airbus will aid the understanding of the opportunities and chal-
lenges regarding operations and infrastructure linked to large scale introduction of hybrid and electric aircraft in commercial traffic, according to a press release. The collaboration also aims to involve a renewable energy supplier to ensure genuine zero emissions operations. SAS’s goal is to reduce emissions by 25 percent by 2030, mainly by modernizing the fleet and increasing the use of biofuels, which they say is the next step beyond the current technology.
Air taxi anyone?
Helena Hernmarck honored
Renowned Swedish textile artist Helena Hernmarck was this year’s outstanding achievement honoree at American Swedish Historical Museum’s annual Spring Ting dinner banquet in May. We recently covered Hernmarck’s amazing work for the Hudson Yards development in Manhattan in issue 4 this year. Her monumental tapestries and her unique photography-like weaving style puts her in a class of her own among today’s artists. Above she is seen during an animated discussion with Sweden’s ambassador to the United States, Karin Olofsdotter.
Airbus and Scandinavian Airlines are not alone in their quest for more environmentally freindly air travel. The German technology giant Bosch believes air taxis will be a reality in just a few years, with self-flying taxi vehicles in the skies as early as 2025 (air taxi test flights are already scheduled to begin in Dubai, Los Angeles, Dallas and Singapore in 2020). Skype founder Nicklas Zennström’s venture capital company Atomico invested heavily in Lilium GmbH in 2017. The German company, founded in 2015, carried out a test flight with the first full-scale model of a drone that has room for five passengers in May this year. The test flight with Lilium Jet was done without driver or passenger. The company plans to start mass production and have the first flight taxi in traffic in 2025.
Customers will be able to order the taxi via an app and it should be able to land and lift vertically from a landing platform. According to the company, the vessel will have a range of 185 miles and a top speed of 190 mph (300 km per hour).
Avoid Stockholm subway this summer
The Stockholm public transport authority warns of a difficult summer with long lines and crowded platforms, and advises travelers not to take the subway during rush hour. Three major renovations are planned during the coming summer: the platform at Fridhemsplan; extensive rebuilding work at Gullmarsplan; and an upgrade of the Söderströms Bridge. Renting a bike instead is easy. There are several rental options (www.gamlastanscykel.se, www.citybikes.se, www.cykelstallet. se, www.rentabike.se), and pedaling around is a sure way to experience Stockholm at its best. Check local offers for the best deal and most convenient location for you. JUNE 15, 2019 5
local events
Local Events Colorado
Denver 06.18, 6-8 PM Network Mingle for SSE: Stockholm School of Economics offers an exciting and unique academic path to refine your business skills and build up your network of connections with leading companies. Get the latest update about SSE’s graduate program. www.hhs.se/en/about-us/calendar/ meet-us/2019/network-mingle-in-denver / studentrecruitment@hhs.se
Illinois
Chicago 06.21, 11 AM-8 PM Pop-up Café: Midsummers Eve is traditionally celebrated with pickled herring served with the first potatoes of the season and a cream and strawberry cake dessert. We are serving cream and strawberry cake all day and will add pickled herring with potatoes after 6 p.m. The Swedish American Museum, 773.728.8111 / museum@samac.org / www.swedishamericanmuseum.org 06.28, 6 PM Exhibit Opening-The Master of Ancient Mythology: Swedish artist Bengt Lindström (1925-2008) became well known around the world with his bold art influenced by the ancient mysteries and deities of Nordic mythology. Lindström was born in Storsjö, Sweden and he studied in Chicago, where he painted his first sketches, now part of this exhibit. Through Sept. 22 at the Swedish American Museum, 773.728.8111 / museum@samac.org / www.swedishamericanmuseum.org
Iowa
Forest City 6.24 Jaerv is touring the U.S. again, sharing their Midsummer with us, seducing American audiences with their melodic music. Rooted in several different musical traditions, Jaerv offers a varied stage performance where vocal, five-voiced tunes blend in with energetic dances and free improvisations Swedesburg 6.25, 6:30 PM Jaerv is touring the U.S. again, sharing their Midsummer with us, seducing American audiences with their melodic music. Rooted in several different musical traditions, Jaerv offers a varied stage performance where vocal, five-voiced tunes blend in with energetic dances and free improvisations. Swedish Heritage Museum, 319.254.2317 / john.r.taylor@ gmail.com / www.jaerv.com
Minnesota
Minneapolis 06.19, 5:30-8 PM Nordic Table Workshop – Herring through the ages: From pickled to smoked to deep fried, herring has a long history from Viking times through to the present – with plenty of surprises. Get ideas for incorporating herring into summer meals in this demonstration-based class. American Swedish Institute, 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org 6 NORDSTJERNAN
06.20, 10 AM-12 PM How Do You Say Viking in Swedish? Familyfriendly workshop for Swedish learners interested in vocabulary specific to The Vikings Begin exhibit. Spend the first part of class learning Swedish words and phrases related to the Vikings before heading into the exhibit to practice! (Also offered 07.20 and 08.21) American Swedish Institute, 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org 06.28, 9-11 AM Babies at the Castle: This “carrier tour” will immerse you and your young one in ASI’s newest exhibition, The Vikings Begin. Tours are about 30 minutes plus 15 minutes of sensory play. $15/babies up to 15 months with their grown-up. American Swedish Institute, 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org Ongoing The Vikings Begin: See the highly anticipated exhibit of 1400-year-old artifacts from the early Viking Age, on view for the first time in the Midwest at American Swedish Institute through October. 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org Moorhead 06.21, 10 AM - 4 PM Scandinavian Festival and Viking Fest: Authentic event featuring dancing, entertainment, food, Viking-age crafts, demonstrations, seminars, children’s area with Lego. $10. Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, 218.299.5452 / nordiccultureclubsoffice@gmail.com / ww.facebook.com/Nordic-Culture-ClubsScandinavian-Festival-289261261186419 Scandia Ongoing The attic stores immigration stories: Gammelgården’s Attic exhibit hosts a wide variety of items that are relevant to telling the story of Swedish immigration and settlement. Many are on display in the Passage Room of the Välkommen Hus where they can be enjoyed and help tell the story of immigration. Gammelgarden Museum, 651.383.7351 / www.gammelgardenmuseum.org
New York
Corning 05.12.2019 - 01.05.2020 New Glass Now: The special exhibition features works by 100 living glass artists, including Kosta Boda artists and others in Sweden’s “glass country” as well as Denmark, Finland and around the world. The Corning Museum of Glass, 607.937.5371 / www.cmog.org New York Through 06.23 Summer on Österlen: An exhibit by photographer Karin Seastone through June 23. Swedish Church in New York, 212.832.8443 / www.svenskakyrkan.se/ newyork 06.15, 2-3 PM Children’s Educational Music Program: “What Papa does is Always Right,” based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, includes puppets and stuffed animals. Musicians of the Scandia Symphony perform and teach young audiences about musical instruments at Anne Loftus Playground in Fort Tryon Park, 828.505.3997 / info@nyscandia.org / www.nyscandia.org
Pickled, smoked or fried: What’s your favorite?
The American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis is curating a special Nordic Table Workshop just in time for the summer picnic season. At 5:30-8 p.m. on June 19, learn about herring through the ages: From pickled to smoked to deep fried, the popular fish has a long history from Viking times through to the present ... with plenty of surprises. Herring aficionado Patrice Johnson offers many delicious ways for incorporating herring into summer meals, from light suppers to picnic lunches. This class is demonstration-based with some opportunities for participation—on the veranda (weather permitting). Register online $45/members, $55/non-members, American Swedish Institute, 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org 06.16, 2 PM The Scandinavian Music Festival in Fort Tryon Park, now in its 14th season, is a unique series of three outdoor summer concerts performed by musicians of the Scandia Symphony with guest Frank Foerster, viola. The artists speak to the audience as they introduce musical characteristics and history of the music and the culture and traditions of Scandinavia. Free, bring a blanket - to Billings Lawn below the Heather Gardens. 828.505.3997 / info@nyscandia.org /www.nyscandia.org 06.20-06.27, 7:30 PM Summer Jazz Series: Performances from some of Scandinavia’s most talented young jazz musicians, composers and singers starts with a pre-reception on the Volvo Hall Terrace at 7 p.m. Scandinavia House, 212.847.9729 / www. scandinaviahouse.org June 20: Icelandic bassist & composer Sigmar Matthíasson+ ÁRÓRA June 24: Danish recording artists Mikkel Ploug Trio June 25: Finnish group Kari Ikonen Trio June 27: Swedish reedplayer Thomas Backman
Oregon
Portland 06.19, 5-7 PM Summer Series / Wine Wednesday: Enjoy
light refreshments and taste a selection of wines from Oregon wineries with Nordic connections. Nordia House, 503.977.0275 / www.nordicnorthwest.org 06.26, 7:30 PM The Nordic Singers: These four opera singers come together from the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark to give concerts with a large and varied repertory from Opera’s greatest hits as well as ABBA and Queen! Forget everything about traditional concerts with printed programs and quiet audiences - you can sing along with the music, in fact, Nordic Singers expect you to sing along! $30$35, Nordia House, 503.977.0275 / www. nordicnorthwest.org 06.28, June 28, 7-9:30 PM Bergman’s Final Film Screening and Discussion: Saraband (2003). Professor Professor Tom Birnie presents Bergman’s last film. Synopsis: Some 30 years after divorcing Johan, Marianne sdecides to visit her ex-husband at his summer home. She arrives in the middle of a family drama between Johan’s son from another marriage and his granddaughter. $10/suggested donation, RSVP to info@ nordicnorthwest.org. Nordia House, 503.977.0275 / www.nordicnorthwest.org
local events
Skål to summer nights with Nordic wines A new summer series at Nordia House in Portland is what you’ve been waiting for: Wine Wednesdays bring Oregon wines with Nordic connections to your tastebuds. Sit on the patio and taste great regional wines and light refreshments with other Scandifile wine lovers. Kick off the summer series with Bergström Wines at 5-7 p.m. on June 19; other dates are July 17, August 14 and September 18. 503.977.0275 / www.nordicnorthwest.org
Master of mystery in Chicago
Swedish artist Bengt Lindström (1925-2008) became a world-renowned artist with his signature style of painting portraits with thick, bold colors. See his work in the new exhibit, The Master of Ancient Mythology, opening at the Swedish American Museum on June 28. Lindström’s work was influenced by the people of Lapland and he was deeply inspired by the ancient mysterious monsters and deities of Nordic mythology. Born in Storsjö in western Sweden, he came to the U.S. and began his career as a student at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1946, where he painted his first sketches—now part of this exhibit. Opening reception starts at 6 p.m.; the exhibit runs through Sept. 22, 773.728.8111 / www.swedishamericanmuseum.org From Sweden to Oregon, the immigrant experience: By 1930, one in 10 immigrants in Oregon was a Swede. This exhibit follows the Swedish immigrants to Oregon and reveals what became of their lives, hopes and dreams. Through July 8 at Nordic Northwest, 503.977.0275 / lailas@nordicnorthwest.org / www. nordicnorthwest.org
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia 06.18, 10:30-11:30 AM Toddler Time: Kids learn what Midsommar is all about and dance in one of Sweden’s most famous maypole traditions - Små Grodorna. Play fun frog games and have a hopping good time! $5/child, free/ members and accompanying caregivers. American Swedish Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / info@americanswedish.org / www.americanswedish.org 6.22, 5 PM Jaerv is touring the U.S. again, sharing their Midsummer with us, seducing American audiences with their melodic music. Rooted
in several different musical traditions, Jaerv offers a varied stage performance where vocal, five-voiced tunes blend in with energetic dances and free improvisations. American Swedish Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / john.r.taylor@gmail.com / www.jaerv.com Ongoing Outdoor Adventures: Explore the history of Nordic navigation, compasses and the modern-day sport of orienteering in this exhibit with Swedish roots. Swedish American Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / info@americanswedish.org / www. americanswedish.org
Washington
Seattle 06.15 , 12 PM The Finnish Sauna: Hear about the provenance and recent restoration project involving the museum’s authentic Finnish sauna and the art of Finnish log construction. Nordic Museum, 206.789.5707 / devonk@nordicmuseum. org / www.nordicmuseum.org
Studio 54 Photographs in Seattle Hasse Persson’s photographs from the late 1970s and early ’80s New York nightclub will be in an exhibition at the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, running now until August 25. Hasse Persson is one of Sweden’s most respected photographers. He worked as a news photographer in
the U.S. from 1967 to 1990, capturing everything from presidential campaigns to the decadent Studio 54 in New York. He has released five photography books and received His Majesty the King’s Medal for his aesthetic achievements as a photographer. For more info, see www.nordicmuseum.org
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Happy Midsummer!
JUNE 15, 2019 7
local events Swedesburg 06.25, 6:30 PM Midsummer with the JÄRV quintet from Sweden. The Swedish Heritage Society, 319.254.2317 / swedish@iowatelecom.net
Midsummer Events 2019
KANSAS Lindsborg 06.15, 8 AM - 11 PM Midsummer Festival: Midsommarstång, music, dancing, art, games, Swedish food, folk dancers, kubb tournament and 5K/2 mile walk, 785.227.8687 / www. midsummersfestival.com
Midsummer is celebrated in Sweden on the Friday (and weekend) closest to June 21, the summer solstice, when the sun doesn’t set and people dance with abandon as friends and family gather for this celebration of summer. In the U.S., we celebrate on various dates in June, mimicking the authentic Swedish festivities, flowers, food and fun as much as possible — they are all here in our comprehensive listing of Midsommar celebrations throughout Swedish America. CALIFORNIA Agoura 06.23, 8:30 AM –6 PM The Swedish American Central Association Annual Midsummer Festival at Vasa Park. Maypole, dancing, singing, youth activities, Spelmanslag and folk dancing. www. vasapark.org / 562.923.5828 Alameda 06.15, 10 AM - 2 PM Midsummer celebration with SWEA San Francisco, wreaths and dancing around the maypole, www.sanfrancisco.swea.org / program@sweasanfrancisco.org Los Angeles 06.29 5-9 PM Annual Midsummer Shrimp Feast at Nansen Field in Rolling Hills Estates. Dancing around the maypole and allyou-can-eat you-peel shrimp, RSPV anitabergsten@yahoo.com / 310.831.9936 Morgan Hill 06.22, 10 AM–11 PM Swedish American Patriotic League 125th Midsummer Celebration at - Sveadal. Maypole, dancing, parade, music and dinner. Tickets and info www.sveadal.org/ midsummer San Diego 06.23 House of Sweden’s midsummer celebration, www.houseofsweden.us / houseofswedensandiego@gmail.com COLORADO Estes Park 06.22-23, 9:30 AM - 4 PM Scandinavian Midsummer Festival with with Scandinavian music, folk dancers, Maypole, crafts, Scandinavian market and Viking village, 303.947.7627 / www. estesmidsummer.com CONNECTICUT Fairfield 06.22, 12-3 PM A n n u a l M i d s u m m e r Fe s t a t T h e Scandinavian Club. Maypole, music and dance, www.thescandinavianclub.com / scanclubnews@hotmail.com South Meriden 06.23 , 11:30 AM Traditional Swedish Midsommarfest 8 NORDSTJERNAN
MAINE New Sweden 06.21 – 06.23 Ne w S w e d e n H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y Midsommar Celebration. Maypole, dancing, fun and food, www.facebook.com/ NewSwedenHistoricalSociety
Rain or shine, it’s Midsummer
Midsummer may be most authentically Swedish if there’s a little rain. Come prepared and enjoy the long awaited festivities, no matter the weather ... just as everyone does in Sweden.
at Vasa Park with Maypole, music, dance, entertainment, games and food. Reservations 203.281.1261 / ppsfualum@ gmail.com FLORIDA Davie 06.01, 2-7 PM Sommarfest: Celebration of Sweden’s Na t i o n a l D a y , M i d s u m m e r a n d skolavslutning with a big festival! Tickets: www.svenskakyrkan.se/florida / florida@ svenskakyrkan.se GEORGIA Gwinnett County 06.22, 11 AM - 5 PM Midsummer Celebration with Nordic Lodge of Atlanta and local Scandinavian groups: Celebrate with a traditional potluck, singing and dancing around the Maypole. Pavilion No. 1 at Jones Bridge Park, 708. 678.294.6486 / www.vasalodge708.org ILLINOIS Bishop Hill 06.22, 11 AM – 7 PM Midsommar Music Festival. Free concerts in the park, decorate the Maypole, procession to the Colony School. Cool off with fika at the Vasa National Archives. 309.927.3899 / bhha@mymctc.net / www.bishophillheritage.org Chicago 06.07 – 06.09 Midsummerfest: Andersonville’s annual summer street festival: dancing, kids’ entertainment, delicious food and ABBA Salute. Swedish American M u s e u m , 7 7 3 . 7 2 8 . 8 1 1 1 / w w w. swedishamericanmuseum.org Chicago 06.07 SACC Chicago Annual Golf Outing with a midsummer buffet. www.sacc-chicago.org
Chicago 06.08 Midsommar with the Swedish American Museum: Traditional Swedish music and dancing around the Maypole! www.swedishamericanmuseum.org / museum@samac.org Geneva 06.16, 9 AM – 3 PM Swedish Days, Geneva’s 109th Midsommar Festival. Maypole raising and dancing, Scandinavian food and family fun at Good Templar Park, 630.232.4208 / www. swedishday.net Geneva 06.18 – 06.23 Geneva Swedish Days Swedish Days is celebrating 70 swede years! Enjoy fabulous food, carnival rides live music & entertainment, plus Sweden Väst for six days. Geneva Chamber of Commerce, 630.232.6060 / www.genevachamber.com Rockford 06.15, 10 AM - 9 PM Midsommar Fest 2019: Main Stage entertainment, Viking encampment, vendors, children’s area, Pancake Eating Contest, parade and raising of the Majstång, ABBA Salute Concert at Veterans Memorial Hall, $15. 815.963.5559 / www. swedishhistorical.org IOWA Iowa City 06.23, 4-7 PM Swedish Club Midsommar Fest with Majstång, games and potluck dinner at Willow Creek Park, www. iowacityswedishclub.com / joannemadsenic@gmail.com Sioux City 06.08, 12-2 PM Midsummer: Välkommen! Celebrate an early Midsummer with the Vasa Lodge in Sioux City. 605.253.2575 / ron@dalesburg.org
MARYLAND Bethesda 06.29, 3-6 PM Midsommar Celebration in Carderock Park: Enjoy the potluck (see details online), children’s games, maypole decoration and procession, dancing and live music. adunhem@gmail.com / www.drottlodge.org MASSACHUSETTS Erving 06.23, 2-5 PM Midsummer Celebration with Maypole, decorations and dancing. Bring flowers and a dish for potluck. VOA Viking Lodge, estherjohnson4@comcast.net Shrewsbury 06.22, 11 AM - 4 PM Scandinavian Midsummer Festival at SAC Park, www.facebook.com/ SwedishNationalFederationofWorcester MICHIGAN Farmington Hills 6.23, 6 PM Sons of Norway Midsummer celebration with Viking Walk, bonfire and lawn games at the Swedish Club, www. detroitnorwegians.com / nordkap@ detroitnorwegians.com Grand Rapids 06.22, 11 AM – 4 PM SAHS/WM Swedish Midsummer celebration in Alaska. Dancing around the maypole, music, food, games and more. www.sahswm.org / info@sahswm.org MINNESOTA Battle Lake 06.20, 4 PM Leif Erikson, Sons of Norways Midsommar celebration with music, games and potluck dinner at Glendalough State Park, 218.769.4296 Duluth 06.30, 2-5 PM Swedish Cultural Society of Duluth’s Midsommar Fest! www.facebook.com/ Swedishculturalsociety Fargo 06.20, 6-8 PM Midsommar celebration with potluck and dancing around the Maypole. Swedish Cultural Heritage Society of the Red River Valley, valleyinc@msn.com / 701.293.3417
local events PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia 06.22, 4-7 PM Annual Midsommarfest: Maypole dancing, food, drinks, music, crafts and games for kids. American Swedish Historical Museum, www.americanswedish.org / 215.389.1776 RHODE ISLAND Foster 06.22, 12-6 PM Mid Summer Celebration at Little Rhody Vasa Park. Dancing around the Maypole, children’s games & smörgåsbord. RSVP to Pioneer Lodge 401.529.8119 SOUTH DAKOTA Dalesburg 06.21, 1-8 PM Dalesburg Midsummer Festival: A celebration of Scandinavian and rural heritage. Smörgåsbord, children’s activities, crafts, Midsummer pole. 605.253.2575/ www.dalesburg.org
is transformed into Sweden Väst (Sweden west), Swedish Days Festival streets on June 22 & June 23 – with specialty items and Swedish The granddaddy of Illinois festivals celebrates 70 years this summer! Geneva, Illinois’ Annual Swedish Days Festival, June 18-23, offers shopping, arts, food, fun and nightly musical entertainment. The corner of 4th and State Minneapolis 06.15, 10 AM-5 PM Midsommar at ASI: Dance around the midsommarstång, Scandinavian folk music, make a midsommarkrans, family activities, crafts and more. 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org Minneapolis 06.23, 9 AM – 5 PM Scandinavian Summer Fest at Minnehaha Falls Park: Music, dancing handicrafts, music and crowning of Miss Svenskarnas Dag. www.facebook.com/SvenskarnasDag Moorhead 06.21-06.22, 10 AM – 4 PM Annual Scandinavian Hjemkomst & Midwest Viking Festival at Hjemkomst Center. Dancing, entertainment, food, Viking-age crafts, demonstrations, seminars, children’s area. w w w. NordicCultureClubs.org Scandia 06.22, 10 AM – 4 PM Gammelgården’s Midsommar Dag: Majstång, Swedish music, dances, flower crowns & smörgåsbord. 651.433.5053 / www.gammelgardenmuseum.org NEBRASKA Oakland 06.02 Swedish Heritage festival, www.facebook. com/pages/Swedish-Heritage-CenterOakland-Nebraska/316494311871854 Omaha 06.23, 11–4 PM 10th Annual Scandinavian Midsummer Festival at Elmwood Park Pavilion. Games, Vikings, Maypole, products
gifts, dancing ’round the Maypole and music by Swedish groups, both local and international. Festival-goers are encouraged to consider the Scandinavian theme with their attire! www.genevachamber.com
and handicrafts, cultural booths, ice cream social. 402.830.6679 / www. omahamidsummer.wordpress.com
folk dancing, decorating the Maypole and wreath making. www.bpcparks.org / www.swedenabroad.com
Stromsburg 06.14 – 06.15 Midsummer Festival: Maypole, dancing, Swedish food, dancing, crafts, games and entertainment. www.theswedishfestival. com / 402.764.5265
NORTH DAKOTA Fargo 06.20, 6-8 PM Midsommar Celebration: Potluck supper and dancing around the Maypole. Swedish Cultural Heritage Society of the Red River Valley, 701.293.3417 / valleyinc@msn.com
NEW JERSEY Budd Lake 06.22, 10 AM – 6 PM Midsummer Celebration: Maypole, folk dancing, musical entertainment, Scandinavian food and children’s activities at Vasa Park, 973.985.8190 / korywarner@ gmail.com NEW YORK Bronx, Throgs Neck 06.15, 11 AM 79th Annual Sweden Day – Midsommar celebration at Manhem Club. Majstång, Smörgåsbandet, Elsa Rix and more. www. swedendayny.com / SwedenDayNina@ outlook.com Jamestown 06.22 American Scandinavian Heritage Foundation Midsummer celebration at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church: Maypole with folk dancing, music by Svenska Spelman, strawberry cake. www.scandinavianjamestown.org / 716.665.5046 Manhattan 06.21 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM Swedish Midsummer Festival in Battery Park. Swedish delicacies, traditional music,
OHIO Cortland 06.21-06.23 Ohio Viking Festival & Midsummer: Come for great entertainment, food, torch lighting ceremony and more. www. vikingfestohio.com
TEXAS Dallas 06.22, 5-9 PM SWEA Dallas Midsummer Celebration at Shawnee Park. Dancing around the Maypole; bring your own picnic. www. dallas.swea.org / sweadallas.program@ gmail.com
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.).
Lewis Center 06.29 Scandinavian Club of Columbus Nordic Midsummer Celebration at Alum Creek. www.scandiclub.com / ScandiClubInfo@ gmail.com OREGON Astoria 06.21-06.23 Scandinavian Midsummer Festival: Music, dance and theater groups, handicrafts, Scandinavian import items and food. Astoria Scandinavian Heritage Association, 503.791.9156 / www.astoriascanfest.org Portland 06.08, 11 AM – 6 PM Portland Midsummer Festival at Oaks Park. Maypole, flower wreath making, food, music, dancing and children’s activities. www.nordicnorthwest.org / 503.977.0275
Through
NORDSTJERNAN 1.800.827.9333 Ext 10
JUNE 15, 2019 9
local events
Swedish American Central Association of Southern California
99th Midsummer Festival
UTAH Salt Lake City 06.22, 3-8 PM Midsommar Fest: Music, dancing, maypole and smörgåsbord with Swedish Heritage Society of Utah. www.swedishheritagesociety.com / swedishheritage2@aol.com
WASHINGTON, DC Bethesda - Carderock Park MD 06.29 3:00 – 6:00 PM Midsummer Celebration hosted by Drott Lodge and ASA. Maypole, dancing, activities and Potluck dinner dancing and live music. For more info www. scandinavian-dc.org/events/
VERMONT Landgrove 06.23, 2 PM Nordic Harmoni’s annual Midsummer Festival at the Landgrove Inn. Wreath making, decorating of Maypole, songs by the chorus. vartland@comcast.net / 802.824.6578
WISCONSIN Amery 06.29, 5-9 PM Midsommar with Amery Swedish Club at DD Kennedy Park. Music and dancing around the midsommar stång. www. foreverswedish.net / ristarbuck@ centurytel.net
WASHINGTON Bellevue 06.16, 9 AM– 8 PM Midsummer Festival with Swedish music, dancing and old fashioned recreation, Swedish food at Vasa Park resort. Free, www.vasaparkresort.com / 425.746.3260
Milwaukee / Glendale 06.23, 1 - 4 PM Midsummer: Dancing around the Maypole, wreath making, dancers, kubb, games and music. Food available for purchase. Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin, 262.781.6113 / www.sahswi.org
Kenmore 06.30, 11 AM– 6 PM Skandia Midsommarfest at Saint Edward State Park: Majstång, dancing, music, food, kids activities. Skandia Folkdance Society, www.skandia-folkdance.org / publicity@ skandia-folkdance.org Seattle 06.21, 4-10 PM Midsommar: Dancing ‘round the Midsommar pole and a traditional smörgåsbord at 6 p.m. (rsvp@swedishclubnw.org or 206.283.1090) Music by Skandia Kapell at 7:30 p.m. Swedish Club Seattle, www. swedishclubnw.org
You’re cordially invited to
Sunday July 21 at Vasa Park
Sunday June 23, 2019
35W 217 Route 31, South Elgin, IL 60177 Crafts • Scandinavian Food Samples • Potluck Picnic • Fun & Games Enjoy a Heritage Day with friends and family
Park opens at 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast available 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Raising of the Maypole, ring dancing at 12:00 noon. Food, games, swimming, stage program, folk dancing, Scandinavian vendors. Dance to the music of Västkustens Spelmanslag. $10.00 per person ($7 for VASA members) includes parking $5.00 Children 5 – 12 years Vasa Park 2854 Triunfo Canyon Road Exit 101 freeway at Kanan Road turn west Agoura Hills, CA No animals and No Barbecues www.vasapark.org 10 NORDSTJERNAN
Heritage Day
www.vasaparkil.com 847.695.6720 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
Life made Sweder:
NORDSTJERNAN Call 1.800.827.9333 ext. 10 for your own subscription.
readers forum
InBox Dear Editor, My parents were immigrants from Sweden—my father from Småland, from Ljungbyholm outside Kalmar and my mother from the Göteborg area, and both are buried there. For many years the family lived at 51 Scandic Road in Budd Lake, NJ and my father, Ernest Johansson was one of the founders of Vasa Park, Budd Lake. I saw Nordstjernan throughout my entire childhood but when my parents passed away I didn’t renew the subscription. I was happy and pleased by the looks of it as I ran in to a copy at (the home of) Swedish friends in Oregon a while back—it was so much better than I remembered from my childhood and I started subscribing right away. When my sister heard about my encounter with our mutual childhood memory Dear Editor, I look forward to every issue. It has awakened memories. I lived in Andersonville once, with Simon’s Tavern, Svea and Lind Hardware … Ruth Dunlap, KS The first area to become known as "Swede Town” in Chicago was north of the Chicago River on the Near North Side in the 1860s and 70s. It was bordered by LaSalle Street on the east, Division Street on the north, Chicago Avenue on the south and the Chicago River on the west. According to Living History Illinois, a second, smaller Swedish area developed on the South Side in Douglas and around Armour Square. The third grew on the west side in North Lawndale. Swedes began leaving "Swede Town" after the devastation of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, reported in the first issue of Nordstjernan. That may have been due to congestion and because the mayor decided to ban wooden structures inside the city limits; the often less affluent working Swedes ended up moving outside the city to build their houses with less exaSwedes dominated North Side neighborhoods such as Andersonville (also sometimes referred to as "Swede Town"), Lakeview, and areas such as Grand Crossing and Englewood to the south. At one time, Andersonville was the center for the second biggest Swedish community in the world after Stockholm. A lot of Swedes settled here after arriving at Ellis Island in New York, and Andersonville became one of the first stops in America.
she was intrigued and wanted her own copy, and I just started a gift subscription for her. My son, who’s just as interested in our Swedish heritage, was intrigued by a recent article about wine making in Sweden. There are just so many things to learn and so many interesting facets of our background that Nordstjernan covers.
Vasa Park in Budd Lake, NJ. Home to a lively Swedish/Scandinavian-American
Bert Johansson, CO population and a popular meeting place for all. Above is ScanFest, the one-day celebration the day before Labor Day every year and visited by thousands.
Welcome back Bert. And, what a wonderful story: Your interest in offering a subscription to your sister makes us all proud. It is a pleasure
and honor to be allowed this opportunity to once again serve your family. Enjoy reading and keep us posted. /Ed.
Dear Editor, I would like a means of letting interested people know about the many Swedish antiques I need to find a new home for when downsizing. Most are too valuable or rare for those who do not understand the culture and history. They really need to go to Scandinavian homes. There are likely many in this position and the museums are full. We need a marketplace in print and online for heritage pieces, otherwise the culture will be lost. Other than that Nordstjernan is almost everything I ever dreamed of.
Dear Editor, I would like a small interesting paragraph in Swedish available for translation in every issue (the translation on a different page for reference). Also an overview of Swedish language learning technology including an assessment and/or critique. The magazine has improved immensely in recent years.
Sandra Ericson, CA Thanks, what a splendid idea Sandra! Creating the framework for this is something we have to let others do, however—continuing to supply you with the newspaper you have come to expect leaves us little time to approach other projects. /Ed.
Tom Ericson, IA That’s another excellent idea and something we should be able to fit into our present work. We’ll bear this in mind during the summer while developing a Nordstjernan Swedish language curriculum. /Ed.
Dear Editor, The whole world should know that Nordstjernan has been published for so long. Reading the newspaper is the closest you get to travel to Sweden. You feel like you are in Skåne, Lappland … all these wonderful places in Sweden. People should absolutely appreciate your devoted and reliable work. Ralph Gruenler, NJ Thank you Ralph. It is really in the hands of our readers. There are ample institutions that are predominantly financed through public money (taxes) or a combination with other entities such as parts of industry that share our interest in reaching out with information about Sweden. Our mission was always primarily supported by our readers so in a very real way, Nordstjernan belongs to its readership. We do agree, however, everyone should know :) /Ed. JUNE 15, 2019 11
art and culture
KULTUR SVERIGE Den svenska sommaren är ju alldeles ljuvlig i sig själv och egentligen behöver man kanske inte så mycket mer än en filt att ligga på i gräset eller på stranden, och en god bok att läsa för att få sig en ultimat kulturupplevelse i enklaste form under semestern. Här följer några personliga tips till er läsare - några av dem måste du resa till Sverige för att kunna ta del av - andra går faktiskt att uppleva också i USA. Jag vill först förmedla en läsupplevelse till amerikanska vänner och bekanta. I sommar finns nu tex Lena Anderssons uppföljare till “Egenmäktigt förfarande”, (Wilful Disregard – A Novel About Love) som heter “Acts of infidelity”, utgiven i USA av Other Press. Ester Nilssons kärlekslängtan fortsätter att fascinera oss läsare och bla the The New Yorker hade nyss en artikel med djupdykning in i Esters personlighet och vedermödor. https://www.newyorker.com/ magazine/2019/05/06/reason-getslovesick-in-lena-anderssons-fiction
oss människans försök att se sig själv och sin roll i skapelsen, och kanske är det först nu vi ser hur rätt han faktiskt hade … Filmen visas på ett fåtal biografer men går också att streama på Amazon eller Vudu.
För att få ett avbrott från eventuella störtskurar eller kanske bara alltför stark hetta är också biografen ett underskattat sommarnöje -och det finns allt några svenska filmer att välja bland också i USA. Först och främst kanske “Aniara,” nobelpristagaren Harry Martinsons rymdepos om den koloni av desperata människor på flykt från en förstörd planet som nu blivit en melankolisk sci-fi film i regi av debuterande paret Pella Kågerman och Hugo Lilja. “Vi tror att det räcker med att överlämna åt politikerna att klara en del praktiska samlevnadsdetaljer. Men vi måste alla känna vår meddelaktighet i världssituationen. Vi måste uppleva vårt medlemskap i kosmos och vårt medansvar när förstörelsen släpps lös.“ skrev Harry Martinson1957, året efter att hans diktsvit Aniara släpptes. Martinson försökte visa
I början av juli släpps också “Midsommar”, en amerikansk skräckfilm med ursvensk tematik i både Sverige och USA. Regissören Ari Ester (som tidigare uppmärksammats för sin “Hereditary”) verkar dra denna omhuldade tradition några extra blodiga varv mot grymheter och ockultism - när ett ungt amerikanskt par tar sig till Hälsingland för att uppleva ljusa nätter med festligheter, dans och glädje. Det blir ett tillfälle att se många duktiga svenska relativt nya skådespelarnamn, som Liv Mjönes, Henrik Norlén, Anna Åström eller Vilhelm Blomgren och visst, omgivningen, miljöerna finns där men förvänta er inga Små Grodorna … Filmen, med många svenska skådespelare på rollistan är inget för känsliga, tror jag! Vilhelm Blomgren är f.ö. aktuell i en första nordisk HBO-produktion, “Gösta,” som skrivits och regisseras av Lukas Moodysson. Om ni är i
12 NORDSTJERNAN
Photo: Marcus Gårder
I en mer dokumentär stil med ett liknande tema av klaustrofobi och en grupp av människor på liten yta har “Flotten”- “The raft”, av Marcus Lindéen, en fascinerande berättelse om det psykologiska experiment från 1973 när fem män och sex kvinnor sattes ihop på en liten flotte av forskaren Santiago Genovés för att ta sig över Atlanten medan han studerade deras inbördes relationer, maktspel och beteenden … Lindéen har, drygt 40 år senare fört samman några av flottens besättning, till ett gemensamt sökande efter minnen från äventyret. Det är en rörande, rolig och spännande film, som prisats och gästspelat på festivaler runt om i världen, och nu får amerikansk distribution i sommar. A new musical about the love story of circus artist Elvira Madigan and the noble man and officer Sixten Sparre will be performed in several areas of Stockholm.
Sverige kan ni se den från 1 juli på HBO Nordic. Så till några handfasta tips till en sommar på plats i Sverige: Ett nytt, spännande initiativ som jag själv absolut ska försöka besöka i sommar är Rikstolvan i Järrestad strax utanför Simrishamn på Österlen, där filmaren Staffan Julén och fotografen och galleristen Bea Tigerhielm slagit sig ner och skapat en mötesplats för konst, foto, film, litteratur, samtal och mat. Första utställningen öppnar den 29 juni och spänner från amerikanska ikonen Laurie Anderson, vars virtual reality verk “The Chalkroom” ska visas i sommar, till Gittan Jönsson och Tova Mozard. (www.rikstolvan.se) En mer etablerad spelare på den
skånska konstscenen är Wanås konst, initierat och drivet på Wanås slott av eldsjälen Marika Wachtmeister med den äran sedan 1987. De har nu runt 75,000 besökare varje år som kommer för den helt unika möjligheten att uppleva konst i naturen och ett modigt, spännande och samtida uttryck, där världar möts. Wanås består av en skulpturpark och en konsthall och vackert medeltida slott och ett ekologiskt lantbruk i Östra Göinge kommun i nordöstra Skåne. I sommar presenterar de bla den uppmärksammade utställningen Not a single Story med konstnärer som Latifa Echakhch, Lungiswa Gqunta, Gunilla Klingberg & Peter Geschwind, Lubaina Himid, Marcia Kure, Santiago Mostyn & Anike Joyce Sadiq.
art and culture
En slags kulturell allemansrätt kan man kanske kalla Stockholms Parkteater, som sedan 1942 generöst bjuder föreställningar med såväl gratis konserter, teater, dans och cirkus för besökare runt om i huvudstadens parker under juni, juli och augusti. Jag hade själv glädjen att få vara Parkteaterchef under sex säsonger, och är numera stammis, med picknickkorgen i högsta hugg. Ny chef för i år är skådespelaren, sångaren och tidigare soppteaterchefen Albin Flinkas, som verkligen dukat upp en finfin kavalkad av programpunkter för 2019. Jag ser extra mycket fram emot att ta del av den turnerande egna produktionen av Elvira Madigan (ni
Photo: Carl Thorborg
Det otroliga privilegiet med den svenska Allemansrätten kan inte nog överskattas. Och för att uppmärksamma den och även vilka ätbara skatter vår svenska natur bjuder på lanserar Visit Sweden i sommar konceptet Edible Sweden på 13 olika natursköna platser runt om i landet - från skånska Ormenäs till Arjeplog i svenska Lappland. Med recept av svenska Michelinbelönade kockar får du och ditt sällskap ta dig ut i naturen och komplettera menyn med olika örter och andra ingredienser du finner i naturen för att sedan laga och inta din mat ute i det fria. Bord bokar du här: www.visitsweden.com/ediblecountry/
A dreamy sequence with the Royal Swedish Ballet performing the classic piece Giselle in the Vitabergsparken park.
minns väl BO Widerbergs undersköna film?), heldagsorgien i ny musik när Popaganda bjuder upp till minifestival i Galärparken på Djurgården, salsaexplosion i Vitabergsparken på söder med Calle Real och också att
få sväva ut i ljuva tåspetsdrömmar när Kungliga Balletten dansar klassikern Giselle… (www.kulturhusetstadsteatern.se/parkteatern/) För som Pär Lagerqvist skrev en
gång, “det är vackrast när det skymmer”… Ha nu en alldeles, alldeles underbar kultursommar! Önskar edert Kulturråd, Linda Zachrison
English summary Sweden’s Cultural Counselor in Washington, DC begins with a statement many of us can agree with: “The Swedish summer is quite lovely in itself. You really don’t need more than a blanket to lie on in the grass or on the beach, and a good book to read to get the ultimate cultural experience during the holiday.” The recently released “Acts of Infidelity,” and its sequel, Lena Andersson’s novel “Willful Disregard – A Novel About Love,” may be good choices to bring with your blanket. The novels, published by Other Press, could be described as portraying darker versions of our human shortcomings so well depicted in the 2017 bestseller “A Man Called Ove.” The journey of Andersson’s protagonist Ester Nilsson, however, goes in the opposite direction from Ove, inspiring a recent review in The New Yorker that says Andersson exposes the cruelty and comedy of romantic obsession.
Edible Country invites you to a DIY
If you are in Sweden, Linda Zachrison mentions the recently opened Rikstolvan (www.rikstolvan.se) in the south, experience out of the ordinary. just outside Simrishamn, a multi-media meeting spot for a variety of art forms. The summer’s program, which opens on June 29, includes American avant-garde artist, composer and musician Laurie Anderson’s collaborative virtual reality installation “The Chalkroom.”
Complementing Sweden’s allemansrätten, which allows everyone the right to roam, is Visit Sweden’s Edible Country project. It transforms all of Sweden into an outdoor gourmet restaurant. People can choose from menus co-created by four of Sweden’s top chefs, book a picnic table (at www.visitsweden.com or www.bookatable.com) in one of 13 remote locations, then forage and cook your own food. Recipes along with information on how to properly cook the multi-course menus, a cooking kit containing the necessary tools along with a personal guide or chef are also available online. And since not all of us are as accomplished fishermen as Ken Johnson (see issue 9), a basket of ingredients is also optional. Zachrison feels Stockholm’s open air theater Stockholms Parkteater (www.kulturhusetstadsteatern.se/parkteatern) can be considered a cultural allemansrätt, and who can argue with that when 63 free performances are given 163 times in 43 places all around Stockholm. The season started with the musical Elvira Madigan in Vitabergsparken (a park in Söder, just a couple stops from Gamla Stan on the green line) and ends September 1 with the concert Punkt in the same spot. JUNE 15, 2019 13
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B E T T W H L E E I E N N E S Text: Elizabeth Choppin Photography: James Silverman
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When Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh set out to design a nature center with a difference, he didn’t need to look much further than the shore of the lake it would stand on. Most people set out for a national park to get away from buildings and concrete walls, but an increasing string of ecological centers across Sweden, called naturum (a mix of the Swedish words meaning nature and room), are drawing crowds as much for their striking architecture as for the rare birds and plant life they have been set up to celebrate. Gert Wingårdh, Sweden’s current counterpart to Frank Lloyd Wright, is responsible for one of the most extraordinary examples of a naturum, which stands on the shore of Lake Tåkern’s bird sanctuary in the southwest of the country. It’s situated
within 5420 hectares (13,400 acres) of a nature preserve made of open water meadows, lakes, reed beds and woodlands. The combination of the building’s geometric shape and traditional thatched roof has captured the imaginations of Swedes and foreigners alike, and the constant stream of visitors is proof of that. “This is quiet architecture, using traditional local materials to break new ground,” says the architect. Since 1973 public money has funded a series of picturesque naturum in national parks and nature reserves across Sweden — 32 in total — from Abisko
in Lapland to Stenshuvud and right down to Skåne’s southern tip. Each location offers opportunities to learn about the local area and host exhibitions, activities and talks, plus admission is free to the public. Over the decades the naturum network has become a national treasure and a brand name, and in this sense the Swedish government has cleverly raised awareness and encouraged people up and down Sweden to engage with nature. But lately, most of the attention is on the buildings themselves, which just keep getting better — a far cry from the dowdy architecture you might expect. Nestled beside the wonders of the natural world, every naturum is a curiosity in itself. The architect for each new center is chosen through a
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fiercely competitive process that attracts Sweden’s most famous architectural talent. With a roof made of 30 million reeds harvested from the immediate area, the award-winning Naturum Tåkern is a surprising feat of design: 800 square meters (8600 square feet) of sharp, angular forms merged with an ancient building technique: thatching. Its contrast is the reason the world’s attention shifted to this remote corner of Sweden when it was completed in 2012 and opened by King Carl XVI Gustaf. A thatched roof on a piece of contemporary architecture is something rarely seen. The building is one of the most popular naturum in the program’s history because its faceted jewel shape is as enchanting as its surroundings, and 16 NORDSTJERNAN
it’s easy to see why enthusiasts traverse Europe to experience its chapel-like slopes and serene, timber-clad interior. And the immediate area offers hiking trails, several guide companies and bed and breakfasts within walking distance. It has significant cultural interest too, with stone churches, villages and farms dating from medieval times. Wingårdh says the inspiration for the building’s design came when he first visited Lake Tåkern long before proposals took shape. He noticed that groups of bird watchers were taking cover from the rain in temporary shelters made of the reeds growing along the lake’s shore. He decided to propose a naturum on the same principle — using what’s right in front of you. “When we thought of which
materials we could use to execute the building, the reeds were an obvious choice,” he explains. “And traditionally when the lake freezes in the winter, you harvest the reeds. So we did that and used them for the structure.” Over time the reeds will fade to a silvery grey. The technique is simple in theory; reed bundles are placed on top of a wood structure, and each straw is cut by hand. In Tåkern’s case, however, the architects had to search for a local craftsman who could do the job with the level of precision required. The roof is angled sharply so water can run off, and with proper care it will last 50 years or more. The result is visually arresting but well insulated and energy-efficient too. It’s not just a
pretty face, the architect is keen to point out. The core volume of the building is on the left side, which is where visitors enter. Inside, they can mill about permanent and temporary exhibitions dedicated to Tåkern’s natural habitat, held in the main galleries, the film room and lab. A long, thin skylight along the ridge of the roof and floor-to-ceiling windows bring in light and give dramatic views out — making the spaces ideal for careful observation of wildlife. The center’s u-shaped layout embraces a courtyard which faces south; visitors can sit on the timber deck, take in the view and eat a picnic — even in winter they are protected from the icy wind, says the architect. The structure is also slightly elevated in order to see JUNE 15, 2019 17
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the lake properly over the reed, he adds. “We had to produce 20 models to get the proportions right, so that was fairly tricky, but once we did, it worked well.” Outside, a small bird watching tower completed by Wingårdh in 2009 has a similar thatched roof. It is connected to the nature center by a series of bridges and boardwalks with four landscape exhibits that weave and turn within the site and along the edge of the surrounding woods. Everyone uses the walkways, explains Wingårdh, but one of the benefits of their design is that wheelchair users can approach the naturum in the same way as all other visitors — a triumph for a site like this. There was virtually no opposition to the building because the design is so sensitive to its sur18 NORDSTJERNAN
roundings, Wingårdh adds. “Obviously you want nature to be the dominant factor. So by obscuring the building or camouflaging it, which is what the reeds do, everyone deemed it appropriate and it was very well received,” he says modestly. In truth, Naturum Tåkern has been celebrated as a work of art — a genuine gem of a building that is sustainably built and can be enjoyed by everyone. “The idea that you can build something right out of the ground where you’re standing is an extraordinary idea,” Wingårdh says. “There was a book made about these naturum centres and Tåkern was proudly on the cover. I think that speaks for it.” For more info, see www.naturumtakern.se
bird lake tåkern One of northern Europe’s most important nature preserves and bird sanctuaries is in south central Sweden. Tåkern Lake and National Park is one of Europe’s most important nesting and resting areas for many bird species. To date, 277 species have been seen at the lake. More than 100 of them nest here, such as the black tern, bittern, bearded tit, marsh harrier and great reed warbler. Tåkern is northern Europe’s largest reed bed, occupying an area of approximately 2,400 soccer fields near Lake Vättern in Östergotland, Sweden. The lake was lowered by 5.5 feet in 1842-1844 the beginning of the bird lake Tåkern. The water depth was only 2.5 feet after reduction. Reeds around the lake began to spread and the meadows around the lake were well grazed. The Tåkern meadows cover over a million acres. They have been created by the land gain from the larger lake prior to 1844 and have since been kept by grazing or mowing. Coastal meadows are socalled lime wet meadows with a very rich flora. There are several species of orchids, including fly orchid, marsh orchid and honey flower. To preserve the meadow’s diversity and prevent
overgrowth, it is important that they are continually managed by grazing or mowing. Most meadows are managed by grazing animals. About 800 animals graze every year at the lake, mostly cattle. A small part of the area - approximately 60 acres - is managed by mowing. In addition to grazing and mowing other interventions in the form of clearing of undergrowth and bushes are required. It’s a major effort to maintain Tåkern’s natural values and the care is paid for by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Tåkern Foundation. So as not to disturb nesting, it is forbidden to stay in the reserve from April through the end of June. Particularly marked roads, visitors’ areas and hiking trails are exempt from the ban. Visitor Center Tåkern, which opened in May 2012, is a modern visitor center in Glänås at Tåkern’s southern shore. The center is open and accessible to everyone and houses a creative exhibition, film room, lab and gift shop. The guides are welcoming, knowledgeable and inspiring. There is no café, but coffee, tea or juice and snacks are available for purchase. For more info, see www.takern.se JUNE 15, 2019 19
the pacific states
from top to bottom: the geology of san francisco By Ted Olsson
As most know, San Francisco is a compact city (49 square miles) on the peninsula between the world’s largest ocean and one of its most spectacular estuaries), with 42 or more sizable hills that separate lower “valleys.” From many of the most famous peaks there are stunning views, sometimes of both the ocean and the bay. On a sunny Saturday in May, Erdmann Rogge, a member of Fylgia Vasa lodge, guided a 5-mile amble across San Francisco during which he shared the geologic history of our city. Our exploration began at Fylgia’s home, the landmark Swedish American Hall. Here Erdmann prepared us for the tour by introducing some geology basics. The city essentially contains sequences of rock formations composed from bottom to top of basalt, chert, sandstone and greywacke. All began in the ocean at lava upwellings along the mid-ocean trench that formed the bottom basalt layer of the oceanic plate. Plate tectonics over hundreds of millions of years pushed the basalt and overlying sedimentary layers further and further from the origin until they met a continental plate where most of the oceanic plate moved under the continent. During the subduction process some slivers
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of the oceanic plate broke off and joined the continent. Over millions of years these accreted slivers were lifted up from deep in the ocean and became part of the shoreline here. After some more millions of years, the ocean waves and winds covered the entire peninsula’s rocks with sand. Erdmann showed us a map of the city with five distinct, parallel swaths of different blocks (“slivers”) separated by serpentine belts, showing that more than half of San Francisco was sand dunes (from Ocean Beach to beyond Van Ness Avenue on today’s grid), with deeply scalloped bays along the shoreline. Dunes with ponds and springs covered the area where fog so frequently hid what we know as Golden Gate strait. When one contemplates the beauty of Golden Gate Park, it seems a remarkable feat that our grand, central park was cultivated and converted from sand, thanks to the vision and dedication of John McLaren and his crews. The second factor in the geographic growth of the city was that many of the shallow bays and marshlands along the shore were filled in as the city grew. This is why liquefaction plays such a prominent concern following earthquakes, as it did in the Marina District following our 1989 episode.
the pacific states
Earthquake survivors
From the Swedish American Hall, our walk in the formerly Scandinavian neighborhood brought us to the site of the “new” mint. San Francisco has had three U.S. Mint buildings. The first in 1874 turned $4 million in gold bullion into coins. The second building (“The Granite Lady”) on Fifth Street survived the 1906 earthquake and fire, due to the efforts of the 12 men on duty that early morning of April 18, for its survival saved $300 million: onethird of the treasury of the United States. The federal government later sold this building to the city for $1, after it had built the third U.S. Mint building. The new location was erected in 1937 at the eastern point of Duboce Triangle neighborhood. It was this towering building, on a plateau near Market Street, which we visited as our first stop. This six-story granite fort is guarded round the clock. The hill on which it is built was once 90 feet tall but was reduced by half to make the foundation for the impregnable and imposing building. We were there, though, to see the mountain rock outcroppings (much of the hillside is reinforced and covered with cement). The rock on which the mint sits is serpentinite (“resembling
snake skin”), California’s state rock. This serpentine belt cuts northwest to southeast diagonally through San Francisco from Fort Point to Hunter’s Point. Serpentinite is formed by high pressure and low temperature metamorphic forces on basalt layers at tectonic plate boundaries and sometimes appears as greenish nodules, especially when exposed to air and water. What is important for San Franciscans is that the rock’s minerals take two forms: one forming plates, the other fibers. The fibrous form is asbestos — breathing the fibers of which over time, such as during construction or if it is crushed or ground up, can severely or fatally damage one’s lungs. So we looked at these outcroppings from across the street. From there we passed the Safeway building and saw its huge mural by one of our great local mural artists, Mona Caron, and walked to the J-line to take the streetcar. We saw beautiful Dolores Park bowl, always packed on such sunny days with people enjoying picnics and spectacular views of the city and the bay. From there the streetcar goes for several blocks meandering through backyards and coming out in Noe Valley; we rode it to the end of the line at 30th and Church streets.
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the pacific states
Billy Goat Hill
Erdmann pointed to the top of Billy Goat Hill, about half a dozen blocks away, allowing us to appreciate its appropriate name. The climb brought us to the base of the hill, from which we trudged up large earthen steps secured by huge wooden beams. We took a break about halfway up at a sidewalk vista with a stunning, wide view of downtown and the bay. The hillside was adorned with beautiful flowers, among which is California saxifrage; this is one of only two spots in the city where it grows. This hillside also has the city’s highest diversity of bee species, together with birds and butterflies, all servicing not merely the hillside but also gardens in the neighborhood. We continued on and looked out from Billy Goat Hill’s promontory, 500 feet above sea level. On one side we saw the remains of a huge quarry. The area with its steps and guardrails became a city park in 1975 and now boasts many trees and pretty flowers. The swings that used to hang from the large eucalyptus trees on the viewing promontory have been removed but visitors and children are rerouted to the Walter Haas Playground nearby.
Red Rock Hill
From there we took a saddleback connection to the famous Red Rock Hill, then Corona Heights Park beside Buena Vista Park with its trails down into the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. Red Rock Hill looms above the Randall Children’s Museum, which my dad first brought me to when it opened more than half a century ago. The base of this hill begins at about 300 feet and extends to its tip at 520 feet above sea level—that tip is somewhat ragged, red chert stone which children love to climb. Lovers and others are comfortable several yards below the tip, where almost all the eastern part of the city is on view. We entered this last peak from down on State Street, climbing up beside tennis courts and the children’s playground until we reached the museum, which itself has some of the best views of the city, and now also a small cafe. But Erdmann guided us along the base of the mountain, looking at all the ways the rocks were inserted or twisted and bent as they wedged one plate against another to form these towering mounts. Fylgia Lodge No. 119 is one of the local lodges of Vasa Order of America, North America’s preeminent originally Swedish organization which is now open for anyone with an interest in any or all the Nordic countries. The lodge is one of 14 local lodges in the District Golden Gate No. 12 and meets every 2nd Tuesday of the month with the exception of July at the Swedish American Hall, 2174 Market Street in San Francisco. For more info, see www.vasaorder.com
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the pacific states
Fylgia members and guest geology trek survivors: (L-R) Roxanne and Scott Schulkin, Erdmann Rogge, Derek Perner and Mimi Holterman had an excellent hike and learned much unique geology, such as at this slickenside site, part of a huge wall of San Francisco’s Red Rock Hill. Photo: Ted Olsson
The best for last
As we descended from the museum we stopped at a small nursery school wedged beside the public tennis courts and the mountain on upper 15th Street. Here, towering more than 75 feet above us for the length of a city block, was a massive, sheer, striated rock face. It had been a quarry at one time, until the workers came upon this marvel. A warning sign for rock climbers asked them to refrain from climbing this rock face and instead preserve it: “Known as a ‘slickenside,’ this smooth rock face was once inside a fault. Its surface was polished by millions of years of geologic activity. It is thought to be the largest slickenside exposure in the world.” It was a full day with hiking, stunning views and lots of geologic lore. I was still so thrilled afterward that I wandered down to Paxton Place, a superb nature shop on Valencia Street, where I looked over more stones and marveled at the millions of years and forces and events that brought the land of San Francisco to cohere onshore above water. Now that we are firmly part of the North American Plate, some millions of years later Los Angeles will pass us by to sidle up alongside Seattle. Pondering the eons of time for such a past and future (or even such a confident prediction, when we have difficulty with short-term weather patterns) is no longer mind-boggling, once one becomes enchanted with geology. And it helps if you have an excellent guide like Erdmann.
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JUNE 15, 2019 23
art and culture
Summer time ... Is there anything more summery and Swedish than fresh berries? Probably not. And just in time for the long Midsummer weekend (in Sweden at least), here are a couple berry-inspired recipes. Fresh berries belong on every dessert table in the summer, and the Swedish forest is filled with wild varieties of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries … if you’re lucky, you may even find your own source of “smultron” (wild strawberries) and if you do, don’t use them in pastries, simply eat them as they are or with a small amount of cream. For now, however, we’ll stick to the store brands of our two favorites.
DID YOU KNOW?
Midsummer berry flutes
Allemansrätten. The freedom to roam, or “everyman’s right,” is a term describing the general public’s right to access certain public or privately owned land for recreation and exercise. The term is sometimes called “right of public access to the wilderness” or “the right to roam.” It’s unique to Finland, Iceland, Scotland, Norway and Sweden.
Makes 12 – 14 cones
Roller-ski race for Midsummer. If you’re near Colorado you can celebrate Midsummer on Nordic roller-skis. Summit Nordic Ski Club in Breckenridge, 2.5 hours west of Denver, wants to host a weekend of roller ski races in July. The club’s head coach Olof Hedberg, who grew up roller-ski racing in Sweden, told the local Summit Daily that an event like this is unprecedented in Colorado. For more info, contact info@summitnordicskiclub.org Hot and cold. Anders Celsius (1701-1744), Swedish astronomer and mathematician, is best known today for the centigrade thermometer that bears his name and is now used in much of the world. But Celsius initially designated the boiling point of water at zero degrees and the melting point of ice at 100 degrees. Linnaeus is said to have turned this scale upside down (32 Fahrenheit = 0 Celsius). World roamer. Carl von Linné (1707-1778), born Linnaeus and known in English by the latter name, is mainly famous for the systematic classification of plants, animals and minerals presented in 1 11151254_NordicReachAd_8.5x2.5_Option2.pdf the work Systema naturae.
Ingredients 6 tablespoons butter (room temperature) 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg white 2/3 cup flour 1-1/2 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar raspberries and blueberries Directions Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cones Mix the softened butter and sugar. Add the egg white and flour. Mix into a dough and roll it out into 4-1/2 inch rounds. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the rounds on it. Bake 5-6 minutes. Remove the cookies immediately and form into cones, let the cones cool in a flute shaped glass, preferably a snaps glass. If a cookie hardens when shaping the cone, it can be put in the oven to soften again. Decorations Whip the cream and vanilla sugar, add a small amount of blueberries, and pipe into the cones. Top with raspberries and blueberries. Best served in a bowl filled with sugar to keep the cones upright or in traditional Swedish snaps glasses. The red, white and blue makes this the11:23 perfect 4/9/19 AM picnic bring-along for America’s Fourth of July as well. Just be sure to wait until the last minute to fill the cones and keep them cool until serving!
ALWAYS SWEDISH ©2019 Swedish Match North Europe AB
GENERALSNUS.COM
WARNING: This product can cause mouth cancer. 24 NORDSTJERNAN
art and culture
... is berry time
Scandinavian blueberry-raspberry pie Ingredients 1-1/4 cup (3 dl) flour just under 1/2 cup (1 dl) sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 cup (175 g) butter, room temperature Directions Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix all dry ingredients, then add butter and work it to a dough as quickly as possible. Allow the dough to rest in the fridge at least 30 minutes. Butter the pie form. Take out the dough and place it between two sheets of parchment baking paper. Roll it thin to cover the bottom and the sides of the pie form. Lift off one sheet, place the dough face down on the form and press to fit. Lift off the second sheet of paper. If the dough sticks to the paper, use an ice cube to cool it down. Pre-bake pie crust for 5 minutes, then add blueberries and raspberries (this works just as well with strawberries or a combination strawberries and rhubarb or gooseberries, etc.). Sprinkle a little sugar over the berries and return to the oven for 20 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
The super berry
It is already known that blueberries are rich in antioxidants and vitamins. Recent research from the Lund University Faculty of Engineering in Sweden shows that blueberry fiber is important in other ways and can alleviate and protect against intestinal inflammations, such as ulcerative colitis. The protective effect is even better if the blueberries are eaten together with probiotics. The project originated as an attempt to see whether various types of dietary fiber and health-promoting bacteria, so-called probiotic bacteria such as lactobacillus and bifidobacteria, can help alleviate and prevent the risk of ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer.
July 19-21, 2019 Jamestown Community College Jamestown, New York
www.scandinavianjamestown.org • 716.665.0883 JUNE 15, 2019 25
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news in brief
Swedish News Filling up your car in Sweden
Despite several increases of gas prices in Sweden in 2019, they are not the most expensive in the world. The price for a gallon of gas in Sweden on May 20 was $6.61 per gallon, or $1.74 per liter—the common measurement in Europe and Asia. The average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. on the same day was $3.19, or 84¢ per liter. Hong Kong is the most expensive at $8.43 per gallon ($2.22 per liter), followed by Iceland, Norway, Monaco and Denmark at approximately $7.44 per gallon ($1.96 per liter). Sweden ranks 15th among the most expensive, placing it at approximately the same level as Finland, France, Holland, Greece and Italy. The difference between the most expensive and the cheapest gas price is huge: Venezuela, even in its current country crisis, managed to keep the gas price down to a super low 8¢ per gallon (1¢ per liter)—no other country has it so low. After Venezuela is Sudan with 53¢ a gallon and then Iran at $1.10. www.globalpetrolprices.com
Slowing population growth
The population increase in Sweden has slowed down, and it will be 2029 before it reaches 11 million. Statistics Sweden has tried to make predictions up to 2070, the year Sweden is estimated to have a population of 12.8 million. The average life expectancy is expected to increase due to better living conditions and healthier habits.
Swedes eat meat
Swedes eat significantly more meat than the world average and more than the EU average, but they eat no where near the amount that’s consumed in the U.S. Swedes are historically a grain eating people; however, increased living standards and lower prices have led to a sharp increase in consumption of meat and poultry, especially pork and chicken, over the past 30 years. Last year, the consumption per Swede was 83,5 kilos/184 pounds (39% was pork; 29% was red meat; 26% was poultry; the remainder
Best counties for biking With gas prices double those we’re used to, no air taxi yet and the subway under renovation (p5)pedaling might indeed be the best way to get around in Sweden. Cykelfrämjandet, a Swedish national cycling advocacy organization, has presented the list of the country’s foremost bicycle municipalities. The organization’s “kommunvelometer” examines, grades and compares Swedish counties and municipalities according to a number of different parameters. This year, 45 municipalities have been reviewed. Like last year, Uppsala takes first place as the Year’s Cycle Promotion Municipality
among larger municipalities (more than 100,000 inhabitants) with 88 out of 90 possible points. “New paths, operation, maintenance and work to impact behavior linked to cycling-promoting measures along with increased financial investments are among the winning factors,” according to a press release. Linköping is second and Lund third. Among medium-sized municipalities (population: 50-100,000) we find Karlstad, Växjö and Sollentuna at the top. Of the big cities Göteborg stands out in eighth place, followed by Malmö in eleventh place and Stockholm in thirteenth.
is mostly split between lamb and a variety of game). On the other hand, American meat consumption hit a record high in 2018 of over 100 kg/220 pounds per person. (This is a lot of meat. We read somewhere it’s the equivalent of more than 800 quarter-pound burgers per person when measured by weight, or about 2.4 burgers per day.)
Abortions on the decrease
Slowing population growth
More and more farms in Sweden are switching to organic methods without artificial fertilizers and pesticides. In 2018, approximately 20 percent of the Swedish fields and farms were considered organic, according to recent figures from Jordbruksverket (the Swedish Board of Agriculture). Compared to 2017, organic crops increased 6 percent.
New statistics from Socialstyrelsen (the National Board of Health and Welfare) show there is a decline in the number of abortions in Sweden, and they are performed early during pregnancy. The trend applies to women ages 20 to 29, when abortions are most common, and for teenagers ages 15 to 19. Ten years ago, twice as many abortions were carried out among teenagers as in 2018 when the figure was down to 11 abortions per 1000 teens. Eighty-four percent of all abortions last year were performed prior to the ninth week and 57 percent before the seventh week of pregnancy. In Sweden, an abortion may be carried out until the 18th week and in special cases it is permitted until week 22.
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2/7/19 12:35 PM JUNE 15, 2019 27
THE EXPERIENCE BEGINS IN SWEDEN VOLVO OVERSE AS DELIVERY Personalize the Volvo of your choice and receive two round-trip plane tickets to Volvo’s hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden. Pick up your car from the country that inspired its design and then set off on an unforgettable adventure. The land of Volvo – and beyond – is yours to explore. For more information, visit your local Volvo dealer or call (800) 631–1667. Check out volvocars.com/us/mybagsarepacked