Budstikken Volume 47 Issue 4 Budstikken April 2012 Wergeland Lodge #5/028 P.O. Box 3591, La Crosse, WI 54602-3591 Next Meeting - Thursday, April 5 Fra Presidenten: 7:00 pm - American Legion Hall Barnebirkie…..2012 711 S. 6th Street, La Crosse God Dag, The following is a chronological listing of Carver, Teacher, Author is April Program our trip and volunteer work for the 2012 Harley Refsal recently retired from Luther College, where Barnebirkie on February 23, 2012. he taught Scandinavian Folk Art. He has been an active woodcarver for the past 40 years, specializing in Scandina- 0600…Florence and I pulled out of our driveway headed for vian-style figure carving. Hayward. We were talking about the lack of snow and won- Since the early 1980’s Refsal regularly teaches classes dering if there was enough in Hayward for all the events. and workshops throughout North America and in , About 10 miles from Hayward we hit snow and when we and has also taught in and Iceland. He is the author arrived in Hayward it was obvious we had enough snow. of several books and numerous magazine articles on Scandi- 0915..We arrived in Hayward and did our usual thing which navian woodcarving, and in 1996 was decorated by King was going to the Norske Nook and having our meal. Florence Harald of Norway in the form of the St. Olav Medal, in rec- had a special breakfast for $3.99. I swear the ham piece she ognition of his contributions to Norwegian folk art… had was ¼” thick and 6” in diameter, a great deal. I had my especially figure carving. usual, breakfast lefse wrap. Refsal will present an illustrated talk focusing on the rich woodworking and woodcarving traditions in Norway, and 1100…We departed to the cookie tent and turned over our will also display some of his own carvings. cookies to set out on the tables. Our lodge contribution was 57 dozen. The total for all lodges in the 5th district was 1603 Vote on Meeting Start Time dozen, an increase of 400 dozen from last year. There were Following the show of hands regarding early start time for 30 volunteers that worked in registration, cookie tent, and general meetings, the SON Board decided to have a vote at Volunteer Appreciation reception. Sports and Recreation the April meeting on the issue. It has been suggested to have Director Dave Hermundson, took charge and directed the meetings start at 7:00 pm during Daylight Saving Time and cookie setup. It was one of the warmest years we have had 6:30 pm during Central Standard Time except for banquets or with temperatures close to 40 degrees. special meetings. (NOTE THE CHANGE BACK TO 7:00) 1230… With everybody ready, the races started at 12:30 and the children and parents soon entered the tent. It is al- WERGELAND KALENDER ways fun to watch the children try to make up their mind April 5: 7:00 pm - General Meeting at the Legion what cookies to enjoy; however the perennial favorite is April 10: 8:30 am - Board Meeting at Perkins on Oreo’s. Swiss Miss, as in past years, provided the hot choco- Hwy 16 near the Mall late. There were about 950 children participating in the April 16: Deadline for Budstikken articles events. April 25: Budstikken mailed to Members 1430…By 2:30 all children and parents had enjoyed the May 3: Syttende Mai Banquet/General Meeting cookies and hot chocolate, we had cleaned up and stowed all at the Legion - 5:00 pm: Social Hour, cookies left over ready for distribution at our booth in Hay- 6:00 pm: Banquet, Meeting follows ward Middle School. 1445…After all was done we journeyed to the community Index center for a appreciation lunch by the Birkebeiner Lodge of Monthly Program, Kalender, President’s Letter...... P.1 Hayward. We enjoyed talking to members from other lodges Looking Ahead, Birthdays, Minutes ...... P.2 and sharing our activities at our lodges. Member news ...... P.3 1530…We left Hayward and arrived in La Crosse at 1830. Library News, Looking Back, ...... P.4 We had a very enjoyable time and got many thanks from the Wergeland Dancers Program ...... P.5,6 parents and children which makes the trip all worthwhile. Membership News ...... P.7,8 Language/Culture, Norway News...... P.9 May Wergeland Lodge experience fair winds and follow- Present Officers, Norskedalen Events ...... P.10 ing seas as we work to improve our lodge. Mange Tusen Takk! Eugene Johnson

P-2 Budstikken April 2012

Gratulerer Lunch Providers for the April 5 Meeting

Med Dagen! Sandwiches (2 1/2 dozen): Ron and Vivian Sacia, Lois Tolvstad, Norma Piper, Doris (Happy Birthday) Hagen, Florence M. Johnson, Shirley Schoenfeld, and Carol Stekel Cake: Kathi Beane, Dian Fossum, Verda Guberud, Lil Malzacher, Gurine Eggen, Elaine Nelson, Dorothy Paulikas, and Susan Eherenman Pickles (2 qts.): Helen Munson, Hazen Ames, and Roger Olsen

Please contribute $2 per person at the lunch table for lodge expenses.

Looking Ahead…...Syttende Mai Banquet in May…...see article on 1 Carol E Stekel Page 3...Our program will be a special treat featuring “The Stark Scandinavian Singers.” You won’t want to miss this! 1 Ruth J Thomsen 2 Lois A. Betz 3 Carol A. Noel Sekretær Notater…. Abbreviated Minutes: General Meeting 5 Wayne A. Jacobson March 1, 2012 5 Myland R. Stafslien President Eugene Johnson called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. 6 Ruth B. Everson The meeting began with the pledge of allegiance and singing the 8 Elaine E. De Buhr national anthems. Minutes of the last meeting as they appeared in the Budstikken were 8 Alvin R. Forde filed. 11 Florence Oanes The treasurer’s report was read and approved.with $392.84 in check- ing. 12 Neil E. Nelson Foundation cans were passed while the secretary reported in communi- 17 Richard S. Fonstad cations that we received two more thank you notes from our scholarship winners. 20 Keith L. Briggs The membership breakfast is on March 24, 2012, at River Jacks at 8:30 20 Michelle M. Johnson a.m. Registration is at 8:15 a.m. The audit of lodge finances was done following the February 14th lodge 21 Carla Burkhardt meeting and all was fine. A youth choir of 50 members are coming from Norway to La Crosse to 22 Cameron Q. Gaskin perform at the North Presbyterian Church on Good Friday, April 6, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. They will also sing a couple of songs during the church service. 22 Elaine M. Nelson The deadline for tickets to the Syttende Mai banquet is April 15, 2012 – for details, call Julia, Marilyn or Doris. 23 Mark S. Everson The $5.00 door prize was awarded to Hazen Ames. Lodge members with March birthdays stood while we sang “Happy 23 Philip J. Johnson Birthday” to them. Ray Mattison accompanied our closing song, “When 24 Kathleen J. Olson Irish Eyes Are Smiling”. Cultural director Doris Henderson introduced the program: the 40th an- 25 Zachary N. Johnson niversary of the Wergeland Dancers. In addition to several impressive and intricate dances, dance leader, Sandra Kawatski, gave the history of each 25 Tilmer J. Ofte dance and the stories the dances told. 26 Mary E. Borreson Lunch followed the program.

27 Burdonna J. Drugan Attendance was 101. Foundation collection was $50.00, and the lunch table collection was $182.75. 28 Winnie D. Solberg . Recorded by Sue Eherenman, Secretary 29 Glenn L. Borreson 30 Ronald D. Sacia P-3 Budstikken April 2012 Dis og Dat …. Gratularer…...... til Allison Benish and Jordan Bot- Liz Malzacher went to Jack- tcher on their engagement. Allison is sonville FL for the wedding of her one of our Unge Venner members and grandson Joseph in January. She went on to Marona AZ, near Lillian Malzacher's granddaughter. Tucson, where she spent a month with two sisters and a She attended our March meeting and brother-in-law. thanked for the scholarship from the lodge. She graduates from college in May. Marilyn Rudser, Liz Malzacher, Marilyn Trisch, Caro- lyn Skogen, Shirley Schoenfeld, Gurine Eggen and Lois ….til Lydia Allen who skied the Birke- Preschl enjoyed the play “Church Basement Ladies, A biner in Norway. She skied 54 miles over Mighty Fortress” at the Plymouth Playhouse in Plymouth the mountain in 6:09:33 minutes. The MN. Birkebeiner had a birthday cake for her for Nancy Borgen, Jean Davis, Joan Everson and several her 21st birthday. Finn Brobakken, friend friends spent a few days in Hayward WI enjoying the winter of Al and Julia Forde, had Lydia and two weather. friends stay at his home, as well as gave

Lisa Leis and Tamia Thompson, the daughter and grand- them a tour of Lillehammer and took them daughter of Alice Gums, enjoyed being guests at the March to the bus to get back to for their flight meeting of our SON. home.

Eugene and Florence Johnson went on a Carribean cruise and a visit with their daughter and her twins in Orlando FL after they returned from the Barnebirkie. Syttende Mai Just Jessica Glomstad began her new job in the Minnesota Twins ticket office. Kristin Glomstad is spending spring Around the Corner… break on a mission trip in North Dakota. They are daughters Do You Need Tickets of Dave and Kristin Glomstad. for the Banquet on May 3rd? God Bedring…….

...til Roger Olsen who is recovering from shoulder replace- ment surgery. We look forward to this special event

...til Morgan Jostad who is recovering from knee replace- celebrating our Norwegian heritage. ment. The dinner menu this year is roast beef with a salad bar and dessert,

Condolences …. with the American Legion serving. ...til Frieda Nowland and Ellen Olson and their families on the death of their brother Paul Mindrum of California who Social hour begins at 5 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6 pm. died of a stoke at the age of 89. Frieda and Ellen and families flew out for the funeral. You may get your tickets at the Wergeland Lodge has a DVD of Pauline Abel giving Paul April 5th meeting or by sending Mindrum and his son a tour of the Homestead in our library. It your money to Ramona Johnson, will be a good keepsake of both, who have now passed on. chair for the Special Dinners ...til Evelyn Pertzsch on the death of her husband Dayton Committee. April 23rd is the "Dave" Pertzsch, who died Feb. 21. They would have cele- deadline for the purchase price of brated their 60th wedding anniversary next July 5th. $15.00; otherwise, the price is

$20.00. We can't offer refunds. ...til Donald Paul Anderson whose brother-in-law Samuel Solveson, age 83, died on February 28, 2012. We will be recognizing the three newest "Golden Members." New “25” ...til Howard Hoff, whose brother Virgil Hoff, age 83, died Year Members will be receiving pins. on March 9, 2012.

P-4 Budstikken April 2012

could be used to create nuclear bombs. The triumph in the telling of this piece of history is that brave Norwegian skiers pulled off one of the greatest sabotage efforts of the war. If WWII history is of interest to you, another book to consider is "Defiant Courage" by Astrid K. Scott and Dr. Tore Haug. This is a true story also, of Jans Baalsrud's escape from the In last month's report, I talked about the proud tradition Nazis. On a lighter note, how about "Barnebirkie", authored of the Westby ski jump. It is a Nordic tradition that attracts by Gene Johnson and Jostein Bakken. Our little library has locals and skiers from around the world. The other premiere something for everyone. ski event for Wisconsin is the annual Birkebeiner ski race, held in February in the Hayward/Cable Wisconsin area. Karen Scarseth, Librarian The weekend includes many marathons and ski events, like the Barnebirkie ski race for the kids. Eugene and Florence Johnson have been dedicated volunteers for the Barnebirkie Looking Back Through the Budstikkens for decades and have transported thousands of cookies from By Historian Karen Broadhead our Wergeland Lodge for the smallest athletes to enjoy. My first attempt at cross-country skiing was at this trail Fem år siden (5 years ago) April 2007 in Hayward, Wisconsin. My friend told me that since we The charter was draped at the April meeting for Max knew how to ski downhill, this would be easy!! The flat ar- Farning, Spencer Everson, Sally Sherry, Mabel Nelson, and eas were not too bad, but sometimes we just had to point Marianne Johnson. those long, skinny skis down a little hill and hang on, hoping RuthAnn Nielsen-Bakke Wilson presented the program we were still upright at the bottom. We enjoyed the beautiful on the history of cheesemaking and how her grandmother in scenery and no bones were broken, so it was a memorable Norway and cousin in Denmark contributed to that history. day. Membership Chairperson Florence Overgard handed A little history . . .The American Birkebeiner is similar to out 30 recruitment pins to those who brought in new mem- a ski marathon in Norway called the "Birkebeiner Rennet", bers in 2006. Ten new members joined at the membership which has been running since 1932. The American Birkebe- breakfast in March. iner was organized in 1973. Both races honor an event in Norway's history, when in 1206 two warrior solders trans- Ti år siden (10 years ago) April 2002 ported the infant Prince Haakon by skis to safety during a Robert Brantley, who served in NATO for seven years civil war. Because the soldiers wore birch-bark leggings, in Stavanger and Oslo, presented the program titled they were called "birkebeiners". Prince Haakon became King “Contemporary Norway”. of Norway and the skiing soldiers became a symbol of cour- Officers of SON attended a training workshop in Black age, perseverance and character. River Falls. Tony Wise, an original owner of the Resort in Thirty-three new members joined at the Membership Hayward, Wisconsin, was one of the founding fathers of the breakfast in March. race. He subsequently helped to form the Worldloppet Stoughton Dancers performed at Holmen High School League in 1978, consisting of 15 marathon ski races around on April 14. the world. After bankruptcy of the resort in 1985, the Ameri- can Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) was founded to or- Femten år siden (15 years ago) April 1997 ganize the race and promote the following goals: 1) To encourage cross-country skiing as a healthy recrea- “Wood Ducks Tomorrow” was the title of the program tion for all ages presented by Leif Marking. 2) To maintain the American Birkebeiner Trail. The fund- A leadership seminar was held at the Harry J. Olson raising arm of the organization awards grants to youth skiing Senior Center. organizations throughout the region and the nation to encour- Beth Kabat was recently awarded the ‘Pet Facilitated age young people to make skiing part of their life. Award for 1996’ by the Humane Society. The 39th Annual Birkebeiner, held February 23 - 25, Jim Holmlund sang the national anthem at the dedication 2012, consisted of many events: Marathons, Prince Haakon of the Veterans’ Memorial at UW-La Crosse. 12k, Elite Sprints, Warrior race, Junior Birkie, Barne Birkie, and a Snowshoe Hike, etc. There is something for all ages on 88 kilometers of trails. This year they were ready for 1,300 skiers for the Barnebirkie race alone! No wonder we need so many cookies! Lena says that Ole’s I realized that I am more skilled at eating cookies than favorite sandwich is a cross-country skiing. If that is true of you too, you can check BLT. out a fascinating skiing book from our Sons of Norway li- brary. "Skis Against the Atom" by Knut Haukelid, tells the Baloney, Lutefisk and true story of the resistance movement in Norway during Torsk! World War II to prevent Germany from acquiring "" (deuterium oxide) from the Vermork Hydro Plant that P-5 Budstikken April 2012 Forty Years of Dancing! Organized by lodge members, Jan Brudos and Norene Goplen, the Werge- land Dancers began practices in the Brudos’ basement in the fall of 1970. The original 12 dance members in- cluded Jamie and Kathy Brudos, Mary Everson, Laura Goplen, Kathy Hanson, Cindy, Kim, Kristen, and Marylani Ol- sen, Diane and Patty Olson, and Karen Posaas. It was after a year of practicing that the group felt polished enough to perform for an audience—the first at State Road School in La Crosse.

Sandra Kawatski, who started play- ing accordion for the group in 1971, and Betty Posaas, mother of Karen (Posaas) Miller, have continued to work with the dancers for the past 40 years. Some of the highlights of more than 300 per- formances have been S/N conventions, Row 1. (3 boys in red vests) are: Jonah, Isaiah, & Noah Schaller Decorah’s Nordic Fest, Oktoberfest Row. 2. Dianna Schaller (in black Hallingdal-style dress), Sharon Barn- Heritage Night, Oktoberfest Parade (4- hart (green dress), Zach Harter (in sweater) and Montaya Harter (in time winner of the Parade Marshall’s black dress) Award), Dedication of Norskedalen, Row. 3. Nicole Barnhart (blue dress), Sharon Harter, Kaity Bringe Syttende Mai celebrations in Westby (blonde hair), Ingrid Iverson, & Florence Overgard and Spring Grove, Warrens Cranberry Row. 4. Ulric Velimirovic, Martin Havn, & Mary Bringe (Absent is Betty Posaas) Fest, State Kiwanis Convention, Great River Fest, Wisconsin’s Sesquicenten- nial, and Disney World’s Epcot Center. Marie (Linnert) Crowley, a Wergeland dancer in the late 70's and early 80's, drove from Sun Prairie WI to attend the March 1st program celebrating the 40th year of folk danc- ing. Marie and her sister Anne were dancers for seven years. Parents are Peter Linnert and the late Birgitta Linnert, La Crosse.

Sandra Kawatski and Jean Davis, Joan Everson, Jan Brudos, and Sandra her husband Joe are Kawatski share memories of the dancers from the very involved in the 1970's. Daughters of Jean, Joan, and Jan were in the Wergeland Dancers dance group in the early 1970's. Sandra Kawatski program. started playing the accordion for the group. P-6 Budstikken April 2012

Mange Takk Wergeland Dancers for all the time you devoted to your skills and the great performance you did at our March 1st meeting!!

Lee Grippen tells of the painting of his chil- dren above: “It was a photo I took at Westby 1989 at Syttende Mai by the Stabbur. I had Vivian Foster, a long time member of Werge- land do the painting from that. She took out the stabbur and put in Briksdalbreen waterfall Dancers line up to be introduced after the excellent in Norway. Rachel was 11 at the time and demonstration of their dance styles over four decades. Jacob was 6. They had a showing of Vivian's paintings at the Susan Sampson Gallery and Vivian was honored that day by the Werge- land Lodge. It was quite a day. The photo and story in the Tribune had the painting of the kids in it and Vivian standing near it. Rachel was in the dancers from 1984-1995 and Jacob was a dancer from 1989-1995.”

Here is a group photo taken at Norskedalen in 2010 when the dancers performed for the wedding of Inga Gerber's daughter, Sarah, a former dancer. Except for three Gregerson boys (Johnson grandchildren), the group is the same today. It was an Dancers Martin Havn, an exchange student outdoor performance at the wedding reception at Norskedalen. from Norway, and UlricVelimirovic in a Viking magazine highlighted the wedding for their June issue. dance “fight” performance. (Jon Lee photo) P-7 Budstikken April 2012

Norwegian Name Days

One of the more interesting elements of Scandinavian culture is the celebration of Name Days. The tradition of celebrating a name day comes from the early Chris- tian church. Originally it was put into use in order to reduce the significance of celebrating birthdays, which was considered a heathen practice at the time.

The original name days were taken from a list of Catholic saints and martyrs from the Middle Ages. Even though the religious basis for saints’ days fell away after the Reformation, the practice was retained in folk tradition. From about the middle of the 18th century until early in the 1900s these name days were published in al- manacs. However, by 1912 both Name Days and the traditions surrounding them had died out in Norway.

During the mid to late 1900s Name Days had little meaning in Norway, but grew in popularity in Sweden. This generated a cer- tain amount of attention in the Norwegian media during the 1980s, and in 1988 a new calendar was published that included name days.

For every date in the year except January 1st, February 29th and December 25th, two names were chosen, based on statistics for names from the period 1900-1982. About 125 of the names from the old name day calendar were reintroduced on the same dates as before. A few names were assigned to dates connected to historical figures with the name. Examples of this are Snorre, which was assigned to September 23rd, the birth date of Icelandic saga scholar Snorre Sturlasson, and Håkon and Maud, which were both assigned to June 21st, the date of the coronation of King Håkon VII and Queen Maud in 1906.

Folk Art Exhibit and Competition at District Convention

Kjaere Venner,

The Sons of Norway District 5 is pleased to invite all members to participate in the 2012 Folk Art Exhibit and Competition to be held at its District Convention in Appleton, WI on June 20-23, 2012. The information, rules, and registration and id are the same as used at our last convention and at our international convention, except for two additions. NEW THIS YEAR: • At this convention we will have a special NEW category for children where their work will be displayed and they will get a certificate of participation. (If they should wish to be judged, they may enter as youth.)

• In the past entries were limited to work in the last two years. This year a person may display any work in the Exhibit, but only work done in the last two years will be part of the Competition and be judged.

Hilsen, Owen Christianson, Cultural Director

3 Day Advanced Rosemaling Class at Sugar Creek Bible Camp, April 23-25

Cost: $325.00 Price includes Meals and Overnight Stays Deposit of $50.00 due Now! Balance due before you come to class.

Instructor: Bjorge Oseid Kleivi, Instructor from Norway

Phone: 608-734-3113 or email [email protected] for more information.

P-8 Budstikken April 2012 Wergeland Membership Breakfast A Conference for All: a Success! Innovative Leadership Conference In addition to taking care of business at this year's In- ternational Convention, Sons of Norway is hosting a new event that will be open to ALL members, regard- less of whether they are a delegate or not! This new addition to the convention, called the Innovative Lead- ership Conference (ILC), is designed to help Sons of Norway members strengthen their leadership skills and learn new tools and techniques that will have a positive impact on their lodge as well as their professional lives.

Marijuana Scandal Rocks Caledonia Area Membership Secretary, Shirley Schoenfeld,; As- sistant Treasurer, Adrian Johnson; and Treas-

'Hello, is dis the Caledonia Sheriff's Office?' urer Marilyn Rudser register new members.

'Yes. What can I do for you?'

'I'm calling to report 'bout my neighbor Ole Johnson. He's hidin' marijuana inside his firewood! Don't quite know how he gets it inside dem logs, but he's hidin' it

dere.

'Thank you very much for the call, sir.'

The next day, twelve of Caledonia’s finest Sheriff's Deputies descend on Ole's house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept. Using axes, they bust open every piece of wood, but find no marijuana. They sneer at Ole and leave. Shortly, the phone rings at Ole's

house.

'Hey, Ole! Dis here's Sven. Did the Sheriff come?'

'Yah!'

'Did they chop your firewood?'

'Yah!'

'Happy Birthday, buddy!'

“KIND-HEARTED OLE" Julia Nordby of Sparta who will be 98 on July 1 still likes to attend the New Member breakfast. Julia and Ole and Lena walked past a swanky new restaurant the her husband Arthur Nordby lived on a farm 11 miles other night. southwest of Scranton ND. They were among 28 peo- ple who started the Smaa Fjell (Small Mountain) Sons "Did you smell that food?" Lena asked. "Incredible!" of Norway Lodge in Reeder, Scranton, Hettinger, ND area. Per Julia, it grew from 28 to almost 400 mem- Being the kind-hearted Norwegian that bers before Julia and Art moved away. Julia was the he was Ole thought, "What the heck, Social Director there for 20 years. Arthur died on I'll treat her!" March 31, 1995 at the age of 86. He is buried in Cedar Cemetery north of Scranton, ND. They lived 40-45 Sooo, they walked past it again. miles east of the Montana border (Hwy. 12). Julia can read, speak and write Norwegian. P-9 Budstikken April 2012 a little in English... litt på norsk... Easter Holiday – Typical Norwegian Påskeferie - typisk norsk! There are not many countries like Norway, espe- Det er ikke mange land som er som Norge, heller cially when it comes to Easter holiday! Easter holiday ikke når det gjelder påskeferien! Påskeferie er i stor is largely a distinctly Norwegian phenomenon because grad et særnorsk fenomén siden Norge er ett av de få Norway is one of the few countries in the world that land i verden som holder sammenhengende helg fra og has a continuous holiday weekend from Maundy med skjærtorsdag til og med 2. påskedag i påsken. Selve Thursday to the second Easter Sunday in Easter. The kjernehelgen gir altså de aller fleste minimum fem sam- weekend gives the vast majority a minimum of five menhengende fridager eller påskeferie. Samtidig fører generøse fridags-, flexi- og avspaser- consecutive free-days of Easter holiday. ingsordninger i arbeidslivet og i skolen til at påskehøytid At the same time generous holiday hours and flexi- for mange blir det samme som ti sammenhengende fri- ble time off at work and in school during the Easter dager – fra og med "palmelørdag", det vil si lørdagen før season allows many to take ten consecutive days off – palmesøndag, gjennom hele den stille uke til og med 2. from “Palm Saturday,” the Saturday before Palm Sun- påskedag. day, through the holy week to the second day of Gjennom klisjépregede fremstillinger i media og i de Easter. offentlige rom skapes og forsterkes årlig et inntrykk av Through cliché representations in the media and at ski, sol, snø, appelsiner, Kvikk Lunsj og påskekrim i the public sphere impressions are created and rein- peiskroken er en del av påsken for folk flest. I virke- forced annually that ski, sun, snow, oranges, Kvikk ligheten er påskeferie for den store majoriteten først og Lunsj and Easter crime novels by the fireplace is the fremst fritid og rolige dager på hjemmebane - kanskje typical Easter for the majority of Norwegians. In real- med noe samvær med slekt og venner. ity, the Easter holiday for the vast majority is first and Den brune hudfargen en får etter lange utedager og foremost about leisure and mellow days at home – soling i tynn høyfjellsluft og snørike omgivelser, kalles maybe spending time with family or friends. gjerne "påskebrun", mens den økte biltrafikken til og fra The tan skin tone one gets after long days out- fjellet først og sist i ferien kalles "påsketrafikk". doors, sunbathing in the thin high altitude mountain air "Påskeføre" brukes vanligvis om skiføret i påska, da and in snowy environments is called “Easter brown.” snøen ofte er gammel, grov og kornete, våt om dagen og The increased car traffic to and from the mountains is skarp om kvelden. more or less called “Easter traffic.” “Easter snow” is used to refer to the ski conditions over Easter, when the snow is often old, rough and grainy, wet during the day and icy at night. **Taken from Radio Ålesund 7. April 2009 by Egil Farstad(http://www.radioaalesund.no/modules/

Primstavs Continued

FIRST DAY OF SUMMER------April 14

In ancient Norway it was customary to divide the year into equal halves, and summer began on this day. The symbol is a tree, signifying the renewal of life. This day honored two mar- tyrs, the brothers St. Tiburtius and St. Valerianus, who died in 229. In many parts of Norway servants renewed their obligations to their employers on this day. Shepherds abstained from meat on this day, believing that if they ate meat it would harm their herd.

The mission of Sons of Norway is to promote and preserve the heritage and culture of Norway, to cele- brate our relationship with other Nordic countries, and provide quality insurance and financial products to its members. SONS OF NORWAY Non-Profit Organization WERGELAND LODGE #5/028 April 2012 U.S.Postage Paid Carol Stekel, Editor Permit No.22 P.O. Box 3591 La Crosse, WI 54601 La Crosse, WI 54602-3591

April 8

OFFICERS TO CONTACT BETWEEN MEETINGS Norskedalen Activities President-Eugene Johnson ...... 608-783-1492 Thrune Visitor’s Center: 113 Church Dr., La Crosse WI 54603-1349 E-mail address: [email protected] Winter Hours: Nov. 1 - April 30 Monday-Friday: 8 am to 4 pm Vice President-David Glomstad ...... 608-461-0583 Saturday: Closed 535 So. 6th St., La Crescent MN 55947 e-mail address: [email protected] Sunday: Noon to 4 pm “Always on a Sunday” Programs will resume Membership Secretary - at a later date Shirley Lokstad Schoenfeld ……………..608-788-6596 2208 Sunrise Dr., La Crosse WI 54601-6831 e-mail address: [email protected] April 14: Annual Award Luncheon

Notices of deaths must go to the Membership Secretary at the Radisson in la Crosse Requires advance registration Secretary-Susan Eherenman ...... 608-780-2116 Program: Skumsrud Farm Project 3025 23rd St. S., La Crosse WI 54601-7318

e-mail address: [email protected] April 18: Recognition Event, 6:30 pm Editor-Carol Stekel ...... 608-486-2175 By Invitation only 1809 Buol Dr. Bangor, WI 54614 e-mail address: [email protected]

SofN Fraternal Benefit Counselor- Helge Enok Vestnes ...... 715-878-9646 W1741 Easterson Rd. Eleva, WI 54738 Norskedalen Phone: 608-452-3424 e-mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.norskedalen.org cell: 715-797-6414 E-mail Address: [email protected]