www.OlympiaSonsofNorway.org Hovedstad Posten

Volume 40, Issue 3 March 2013

Board Meetings

NEW 2nd Wednesday of each month at 10:00 AM at Ken Fialkowski’s

Edward Jones office. All members are invited

Regular Meetings

September – May

4th Monday each

month at 7:00 PM

Columbian Hall

6794 Martin Way E

Olympia, WA 98516

Need directions?

Have a question about an upcoming meeting or event?

Contact Linda Fialkowski 459-3982

norwaydreamer@comcast.net

Next Meeting

March 25, 2013

7:00 pm

Fra Presidenten

Kjære Venner,

I hope you enjoyed or February program on the Sami people as

much as I did. Troy Storfjell gave an amazing insight into the

current issues facing the Sami. The Sami people are such an

interesting group of people. Their heritage is so full of history

and tradition and yet we hear so little about them. I was happy

to see so many Daughters of Norway sisters attending the pro-

gram.

Our March meeting promises to be a lot of fun. The program

will be a “St. Urho Party”. For those of us who did not know,

St. Urho (pronounced "oorho"), is the patron saint of Finland,

and he is reputed to have used his splendid and loud voice to

chase the grasshoppers out of pre-Ice Age Finland (when the

climate was much milder) and save the grape harvest. St. Urho

Day (the day before St. Patrick's Day) is officially recognized

in all 50 states, and so we will recognize it as well. You won’t

want to miss this one.

I am excited to announce a new contest for our members.

Starting with our March meeting, every time you attend a meet-

ing, you will be given a ticket. Put your name on the ticket and

drop it in the appropriate container. At our Julefest in Decem-

ber, one winning ticket will be drawn for a $50 gift certificate

to Appleby’s Restaurant. The more meetings you attend, the

more chances you will have to be the lucky winner!

I look forward to seeing many of you on the 25th.

Beste Hilsen,

Joanne

Hovedstad Lodge

2013

Executive Officers

President, Joanne Gray 360-923-1242

president@olympiasonsofnorway.org Vice President, Tad Tower

360-239-6793 wtad@me.com

Secretary, David Olsen 360-456-8578

writedavido@live.com Treasurer, Dan Konopatzke

360-491-6048 dankono@prodigy.net

Counselor, Linda Fialkowski 360-459-3982

norwaydreamer@comcast.net

Program Directors

Social Director, Carol Tower 360-491-9083

caroltower@comcast.net

Support Directors

Marshals Bill Hegge & Bob Larsen

Trustees Bjarne Nilssen 3Yr

360-866-0935 Anne Vatshell, 2Yr

360-943-9032 Judy Byles 1 Yr 360-413-7252

Youth Director, Chris Brownell 360-705-0074

Hostess Coordinators Aasa Sorebo

360-357-4059 Janet Osman 360-943-9074

sonja1328@yahoo.com Greeters

John & Helen Olsen 360-459-1774

Editor Linda Fialkowski

360-459-3982 editor@olympiasonsofnorway.org

Sons of Norway Hovedstad Lodge #2-094

Minutes of the Business Meeting-February 25th, 2013

President:

President Joanne Gray called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Joanne introduced our Zone 4 director Gerald Erickson and his wife, Deanna.

Zone director:

Zone director, Gerald Erickson, a member of Oslo Lodge in Bremerton, addressed our

members. He congratulated the Hovedstad Lodge members for being the first in our

Zone to submit our Annual Lodge Achievements Report and our Annual Family

Lodge Activities Report for 2012. He invited our members to participate in the Zone

Norwegian Genealogy Seminar on May 4th, 2013 in Bremerton, and the Zone Seminar

on Sunday, May 05th, 2013.

President:

The charter was draped for our recently deceased member, Vern Tobeck. Our guests

from the Daughters of Norway, and our speaker, Troy Storfjell PhD, professor of

Scandinavian Studies and Languages at Pacific Lutheran University, were introduced. Professor Storfjell spoke about the Samis.

Business Meeting:

Roll call was taken. The minutes of our January 28th, 2013 meeting were approved as

published in the Hovedstad Posten.

Board Members reports:

Vice President: Tad Tower reported our newest member, Kerry Hart, was present.

Secretary: David Olsen thanked everyone for their reports of community services for 2012. He

asked anyone who did not complete their individual reports of community service to

complete the Log Form of Community Service Activities. Forms are available at each meeting. David read correspondence to the Lodge. Judy Byles thanked our lodge for

the cross stitched sampler to commemorate her year as President of the Daughters of

Norway Pillar Guri Lodge. David read the announcement of the Olympia Genealogi-

cal Society 2013 SPRING SEMINAR-Tools for 21st Century Research presented by

Thomas MacEntee. The seminar will take place Saturday, April 06th, 8:00 AM to

4:00 PM at Phoenix Inn Suites, 415 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA. .

Treasurer:

Dan Konopatzke reported on our treasury. Jon Halvorson, audit committee chairper-

son, reported that he and Bob Larsen, and Bjarne Nilssen had completed the audit.

Their audit report is attached.

Social Director:

The program for our March 25th, 2013 Meeting will be about St. Urho and we will be celebrating with the Finnish Heritage Group as our guests.

Trustees:

Anne Vatshell, trustee, reported on our investment funds.

Sunshine Committee:

Ellen, Sunshine Committee chairperson, reported on the cards and support her com-

mittee provided to our members during the last month.

New Business:

Barbara Murphy and Elna Benoit were awarded five year pins.

President:

Joanne asked for volunteers for our Norway Day Event taking place on April 20th,

2013. We will purchase 300 rounds of lefse but will need more to satisfy our visitors to our event. She also asked for volunteers to bake for the bake sale at this event, and

to sell bake goods at Norway Day at the Thurston County Fairgrounds. Joanne

thanked Jon and Nancy for hosting tonight with excellent refreshments.

Meeting was adjourned. The next meeting is on Monday, March 25th, 2013 at 7 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

David E. Olsen, secretary

Til Minne

Gayle Thronson

Summer Camp Dates Set Camp Trollhaugen (age 13-15) Easton, WA June 30– July 13 Camp Nidaros (age 9-12) Gearhart, OR July 14-27 Camp Normanna (ages 9-12) Everett, WA July 28– Aug 10

Do you know about St Urho? He saved Finland from the grasshop pers

who were threatening their grape crop

(and wine production). With only his

pitchfork, he chased the grasshoppers

out of Finland while chanting

“Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen" (Grasshopper,

grasshopper, get out of here) He became a hero! Show your St

Urho spirit! Wear purple and green and join the festivities!

Professor Troy Storfjell and Joanne

at our February meeting.

Exciting New Membership

Attendance Drawing!

For each meeting you attend, you’ll enter

your name in a drawing for a chance to win a

$50 gift certificate to Applebees!

The winning ticket will be drawn at our Julefest.

The more meetings you attend,

the more entries you’ll get.

Yet Another Contest!- Project Framtid Most of you already save Boxtops or Labels for Education. They are on many of the items we use everyday. Just clip the symbols and you’re on your way to helping a deserving school purchase much needed equipment and supplies. Now, the contest part! The lodge that gathers the most Boxtops and Labels for Education per member by May 17th, 2014 wins! Because the contest is based on the number of boxtops/labels per member, every lodge, regardless of size, has an equal opportunity to win. The district goal is 5,000 labels collected by May 17, 2014, to be reported at the next convention. Bring your boxtops and labels to the next meeting and let’s start counting!

NORWAY EASTER TRADITIONS

In Norway, Easter continues to be a pretty big deal. With the lack of palm branches in this region, small birch trees or twigs are brought into the homes to celebrate Palm Sunday, invite the smell of spring and mark the beginning of the Norwegian Easter holidays. Curtains in summer colors like daffodil yellow or lush green are hung, and East-er crafts and decorated eggs abound. Baking and cooking during this time is minimal, as the long winter and Christmas baking has nearly depleted the stores by this time. Yellow candles, daffodils and tulips are very popular.

The Wednesday before Easter is the last work day of the long Easter weekend, and many Norwegians begin their trek to their mountain cabins, camping or skiing. The Sami in Kautokeino, Northern Norway, hold their annual Sami Easter Festival that showcases Sami life and includes the Sami Music Festival, the World Reindeer Racing championships and the Sami Film Festival.

Good Friday, by old Catholic tradition, is spent in quiet reverence. Meat is not to be eaten, and TV stations show charity ads instead of commercials that day. In Oslo, a korsvandring or ‘cross wandering’ procession proceeds through the streets. People take shifts carrying the cross (on wheels) as they pray, read and sing.

Easter Saturday is not a public holiday, but stores generally close early for Childrens’ winter events, and the tradi-tional Paskelam ‘Easter lamb’ dinner is served in households throughout the region. A midnight mass welcomes in Easter Sunday.

Historically people would climb the mountains on Easter morning to watch the sun rise as it seemed to “dance for joy” at the resurrection of Christ. It also served as a weather prediction for the summer. If there was frost the night before, then summer would come late—much like our own Groundhog observation.

Easter breakfast is a grand affair, with cured meats, dyed boiled eggs and pancakes. Easter egg hunts are a com-mon tradition, and while the Easter Bunny and chocolate eggs are more recent commercial additions to the holi-day, the chicken and the egg are the primary Easter symbols in Scandinavia.

This site is a terrific resource for young

adults getting ready for college or getting

set to graduate. For more information log

onto www.NorwayConnects.org

The Norwegian Broadcasting Company (NRK) has been taking reality TV to a new level lately. First there was 2009's wildly successful 7-hour program of the spectacular Oslo-Bergen train route. Then came a 2011 live broadcast of Nor-way's 120-year-old coastal cruise line. Hurtigruten—Minutt for Minutt held the country's attention—along with much of the rest of the world—for a whopping 134 hours. Now NRK is breaking new ground by bringing us back to hearth and home. The latest show that everyone seems to be talking about—from the New York Times to Stephen Colbert—is Nasjonal Vedkveld, or "National Firewood Night." Near-ly a million people, or 20 percent of Norway's population, tuned in for the 12-hour broadcast dedicated to the subject of firewood. The broadcast, which aired Feb. 15, included 4 hours of regular programming and 8 hours of a fire burning in the fireplace of a Bergen farmhouse. The series was inspired by the book, “Solid Wood: All About Chopping, Drying and Stacking Wood—and the Soul of Wood-Burning” by Lars Mytting, which spent more than a year on the non-fiction best-sellers list in Norway. While there was heated debate among viewers via Twitter about the art and science of splitting, drying and stacking

wood, they did seem to reach consensus on one thing: This show would only be produced in Norway, for Norwegians.

Firewood Program Sets Viewers

Hearts Ablaze

Norway Day is fast approaching and we need your help. Can you work in the kitchen, bake cookies, take a shift at the door? Whatever you can do, eases our load. Even if you can’t help out on the 20th, you can help by being a Booster. Booster buttons are $10, which garners our eternal thanks, your name in our program and free admission to our Festi-val. See any board member to buy a button. Buy one for your friends to get their name in our program, too.

Be a Booster!

If you would like your newsletter emailed to you,- in color and days

earlier, please email me at norwaydreamer@comcast.net.

Velkommen New Member! Kerry Hart

1505 Summit Lake Shore Rd NW

Olympia, WA 98502

360-866-6364

khartsummit@comcast.net

Mark Your Calendar

Mar 12, 17, 23– 10 AM, $5, Scandinavian Cooking Classes by Embla Lodge

Scan Center at PLU

Mar 16 & 21– 1-3 PM Genealogy Café at Olympia Timberland Library 313 8th Ave SE

Mar 25– 7 PM Regular Meeting & St Urho Festivities

March 31– GOD PÅSKE– Happy Easter!

April 6– 8:30-4:00 Olympia Genealogical Society Seminar “ Tools for 21st Century Research”

Phoenix Inn Olympia

April 6– 9:30-3:00 Woodcarving Class at Bothell Lodge $35. Call 425-385-2144

April 9, 10 & 11– Everyday Bunad Sewing Class at Bothell Lodge $60. Reserve by March 30

425-385-2144

April 20– NORWAY DAY

April 27– Norwegian Heritage Festival at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma

Mange takk to our March Hosts David Olsen, Elna Benoit, Nancy & Tad Tower

Hostess Coordinators

Janet Osman 943-9074 and Aasa Sorebo 357-4059

Hovedstad Posten Editor

Linda Fialkowski

8108 Afflerbaugh Ct SE

Olympia, WA 98503