VESTERDALEN LODGE

www.vesterdalen.org november 2020 Vesterdalen Lodge No. 2-131 • Sons of • Auburn/Kent, WA • Chartered October 23, 1983 Vol. XXXVIII No.10 Upcoming Meeting Calendars Our lodge has a tradition of having the beautiful NidarosC aTHedral Paulstad calendars available at November 16 a discount for our members. We’re doing it again! 7:00 p.m. Sherry Fleury has a sup- Log on 6:45 p.m. ply of the calendars. You can place your order by calling her at 253- Join us from the com- 631-0127 and then working out a way to pick them up at her fort of your own home! home on Kent’s East Hill. We have a limited supply, so don’t The meeting will again be wait until the last minute. conducted via Zoom rather than gathering in person. (Watch for 2021 Nominating Committee and RSVP to an upcoming email; only respon- Your Nominating Committee has been working hard to fill dents will then receive a the officer positions for 2021. We want to thank six of our further email with a link to enter the meeting. Or you can click members who have stepped up and volunteered to serve. They here for an invitation) areNancy Sommerfield for Sunshine;David Eidsaune for Our special guest,Kristine Leander, will share with us the Sports & Rec;Jim Larson for Trustee (3 yrs);Zackary Rude for tale of her trek to . Nidaros Cathedral was Historian;Karin Plagens for Vice President/Chair of Member- built beginning in 1070 to memorialize the burial place of Olav ship Committee &Karen Tofte for Cultural Director. The posi- II of Norway, the king who was killed in 1030. He was later tions that still need to be filled are: canonized as Saint Olav. • Treasurer - Receives all monies and receipts from finan- Long involved in the Nordic-American community here, cial secretary / receives all bills against the lodge / keeps books Kristine grew up in the Skagit Valley and is now the executive of account. director of Seattle's Swedish Club, as well as the founder and • Social Director(s) - Plan & serve refreshments for meetings. president of the Leif Erikson International Foundation. At 40, • Volunteer - Looks for volunteer opportunities in the she moved to Norway with her three daughters, earning a de- community for our members to participate in outside of our gree from the University of . She also holds a PhD in meetings. Education from the University of Washington. She is the author Our 2021 President,Vernene Scheurer, has chosen to start of a book titledNorwegian Seattle all Board meetings (via Zoom or in person) at 6:30 PM. Most meetings run 90 minutes or less. PLEASE call/text or email any one of us on the committee with your “YES, I will serve”. Thanks! What is Zoom? Dotty Erickson 206-356-1858 or [email protected] Zoom is an app that works on your computer, tablet or Carol Larson 859-321-4577 or [email protected] smartphone. When you enter a Zoom meeting, you can see the Tom Heavey 253-686-8691 or [email protected] other participants and talk with them. If using a computer, all you need to do is click on the link provided to you if you register in advance. Your computer will A Little Humor download the app and then you’ll be admitted to the meeting. "For crying out loud.” Ole yelled before a car crash. A true Saab If using a tablet (like an iPad) or phone, you’ll need to story. download the Zoom app at the App Store or Google Play. Then Lena said dat is a true story. click on the link in your email app and you’ll open up that app Ole said dere vas an accident, and and be able to join us. dere vas a little dent in da fender. Tips: Some computers running “windows” do not have She asked him where da fender vas, cameras or microphones, so Zoom will connect, but you can’t and he said "In da trunk." see anyone or be heard. Ole says, "Dat's for sure! Lena Try to face a window or lamp so you are well lit. You can can make two tings: Swedish meat- see yourself on the screen. balls and lime jello. Only problem is, Join the group 5-10 minutes early so you can get some ve can't tell dem apart! help logging in. Page2 TheVesterdalenVikingskip november2020 Sunshine Report Kultur HjørneCulture Corner Get Well wishes toRichard Carlson who has been in the hospital or assisted living since January. Our Sympathies to the Our Heritage - Digitally! family ofBrent Kirkpatrick. Brent was our dedicated and com- Members get free access on the Sons of Norway website to passionate computer/video technician for our meetings at Mes- watchThe Blinding Sea, a movie about one of Norway's most siah Lutheran Church. famous explorers, Roald Amundsen. It is available on demand November Birthdays: now through Sunday, November 8. 3 Shirley Olson The filmmaker is journalist and author George Tombs, with 4 JohnLee a PhD in history. The film explores the life and loves of Amund- 7 OlafGrette sen, combining factual accuracy with bold storytelling, a cross- 8 Sherry Fleury, Karin Plagens cultural approach and oral histories from the Amundsen and 13 Stephen Johnson other families. A Sons of Norway website login is required for 14 Patty deCamp viewing, as access is members-only. A link to the movie is here: 15 Karen Tofte https://www.sofn.com/blog/mark-your-calendars-virtual- 19 Nancy Heavey screening-of-the-blinding-sea/ 20 Daniel Grette, Nathan Chrisman 21 Sharon Bersaas Nordic National Museum 23 Clayton Nasset The Nordic Museum has re-opened yet they also offer a lot 24 Linda Kleppe-Olson, Jennifer Chrisman, of fun content digitally. As someone who doesn't enjoy driving Hannah Ronhovde downtown, I think this is wonderful! On Tuesday, November 25 Steven Winsor 3 at 10:00 a.m. there will be a virtualMeet the Author event 26 Ina Staats, Tom Bellerud that looks to be pretty interesting. 27 Dianne Snell It's free for museum members and just $5 for non-members. 28 Daniel deCamp Get online and meet Dr. Neil Price, author ofChildren of Ash and Six members 80 years and better will receive birthday cards Elm. The book covers Vikings with a new perspective, beyond in November. their seafaring ways, focusing more on the Vikings exportation Please email Nancy Heavey - [email protected] or call of new ideas, technology and beliefs to the lands they jour- her at 253-752-8450 when you know of a member who needs neyed to. You must register ahead of time. See the event web- some Vesterdalen Sunshine. Your help is needed to reach ev- site page here:https://www.nordicmuseum.org/product/5264 eryone. Thank you so much. At the Last Meeting Nancy Heavey, Sunshine Chair Tusen takk toLori Ann Reinhall, editor-in-chief of Roald Amundson Film Available theNorwegian American newspaper for educating us about North America's only remaining Norwegian-American newspa- Norwegian polar explorer Roald per! The paper has been published continuously since 1889. In Amundsen hungered for ice-choked seas addition to local staff, many of whom are volunteers, the paper and desert places. He was driven by a pas- also boasts contributors from all over the country and from Nor- sion for new knowledge. way. (That's one plus of living in the digital age!) They keep us In leading the first expedition through connected to our heritage with a wealth of unique content on the Northwest Passage, and then to the news, sports, travel, diplomacy, business, science, the arts, South Pole, Amundsen transformed science food, events and projects to do with kids. New content is into a great adventure. And he left nobody added to their website all the time, and the print version is indifferent. published twice a month. Annual subscriptions are just $70 for A members-only link will be available print plus digital, or $30 for digital only. See the website onsonsofnorway.com beginning Monday, October 19th, and here:https://www.norwegianamerican.com/ the film may be viewed throughSunday, November 8th. This is the first film focusing on Amundsen and his close Kaffe Stua relationships with Canadian Inuit and Siberian Chukchi, a re- At our last Kaffe Stua, held on October 10 via Zoom, we search agenda combining scientific investigations and Aborigi- heard lots of really interesting personal stories of members' nal knowledge, as well as Amundsen’s unique leadership style. connections, through their Norwegian relatives, to WWII. The Blinding Sea was shot on a Canadian icebreaker winter- Thank you to Carol Larson for the terrific topic idea! It was fun! ing in the Beaufort Sea, on a tall ship on the Southern Ocean, by dog-team in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic islands, and on Julefest the glaciers of Antarctica and Norway. The film combines fac- In this time of COVID-19 our usual Julefest plans will be, tual accuracy with bold storytelling, a cross-cultural approach, well, unusual. Rather than cancel altogether, we can still see oral histories from the Amundsen and other families, a focus on and enjoy each other's company via Zoom. Details have yet to physical and psychological health, and the refreshing eyewit- be finalized, but the evening will most likely include munching ness perspective of an acclaimed biographer. on our own holiday goodies and singing Christmas carols - and Above all,The Blinding Sea offers a completely new and perhaps more! Think of it more like a kaffe stua. (Ideas? Let me compelling view of a great Norwegian. know.) Save the date! Friday, December 4, 7:00 p.m. More info This members-only event is a benefit of Sons of Norway to come! membership. (108 min. In English and Norwegian with English Lauren Klevjer Shimamura, Cultural Director subtitles.) Tom Heavey, Vice President 206-714-1693 november2020 TheVesterdalenVikingskip page3 “On April 9, 1940 the German battleship,Blucher sailed in Executive Board 10/5/20 the narrow Oslo fjord. A cannon was fired twice from an an- Called to order at 7 PM by Acting President Tom Heavey. cient fortress in a small island in the fjord. The ship’s ammuni- TREASURER: Rae reported on the 2021 Budget. It will re- tion store was hit. The ship exploded and sank. At least 800 main the same as this year’s with the exception of no expenses German soldiers drowned. That was the beginning of the war in for the District Convention. The 2021 Budget can then be ap- Norway. Denmark had surrendered, Sweden declared them- proved at the November General Lodge meeting. selves neutral. Norway resisted. Some thought Norway should We began the discussion about plans for returning to In- follow Denmark and surrender too. Person Meetings. Andy suggested that we have Hybrid meet- “In 1940, I was 6 years old. I remember two episodes from ings: in-person and on zoom. We could put e-vites on our Face- that time. Sogndal I Sogn was not much affected from the war. book page and have an RSVP to get a Zoom Link. We can have Since I grew up on a farm, we always had food enough. The a task force to prepare for the opening of our in-person meet- number of Nazis in Sogndal could be counted on one hand. ings. Andy will coordinate this task force and meet via Zoom. “I remember one event well. A German battleship that had NOMINATING COMMITTEE: The board for 2021 will be voted been pursued by British planes, escaped into the Sogndal fjord on at the November Zoom meeting. and anchored at the pier. The British planes discovered it and UPCOMING MEETING PLANS: Kristine Leander will present attacked it by bombing. My brother and I watched the whole the program at the November virtual General meeting. Diane event from a shelter behind a rock on the farm. The ship was and Andy will coordinate the Zoom features. Diane sent around not hit directly, but bombs hit the village and some fell into information on Zoom plans and we will discuss this at the next the sea. We saw buildings go up in the air and I can still remem- board meeting. The expenses for the Zoom account should be ber the shouting and screaming from the soldiers on the ship. included in the 2021 Budget. That was a dramatic experience for a little boy. Our December Julefest will take place on Zoom and we can “German soldiers built a small house under an apple tree plan to have a virtual Santa Claus. on the farm. They used it as some sort of a communication cen- MEMBERSHIP: Vernene reported we have 197 active mem- ter. Whenever they needed something for the building work bers including 1 reinstated member. We have 3 members with they came to the house and commanded my father to assist dues that are 30 days past due. 6 memberships were cancelled them. One day an officer and some soldiers were outside the and we have had 2 deaths. house. My sister Borghild was also there. One of the Germans The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 PM pointed at his gun and said he would use it to kill Eisenhower Carol Larson, 2020 Secretary and Churchill. Borghild pointed at another gun and said, “With that I will kill Hitler” They brought Borghild to the police sta- tion and kept her until the evening. My mother got upset, but Borghild returned back home to everybody’s relief. Visit the following website to find local Nordic events. “I also remember a German soldier sitting in our kitchen. www.NordicSeattle.com He cried and said he had no idea why he was here In Norway. His only wish was to go back to his family. “After the war a bunch of Norwegian Nazis were kept in World War II Remembered at prison in an old school building in Sogndal. Every morning they were lined up and marched along the street to a building site Vesterdalen's Kaffee Stua where they had to work all day. They blasted rock, shoveled the John Fatland just heard from his 2nd Cousin in Norway ground, and made the soccer court that still is used by the about how they participated in Sogndal team. WWII which was our topic at our “I also remember well the packages that were sent from last Kaffe Stua. The following is relatives in America. Most people received small boxes, but what he wrote: your grandfather sent a big wooden crate full of clothes. I got “John, you are asking if we a very special jacket that I used at school. I was very proud of had some relatives participating it and can still remember how it looked. There was also choco- in WW2. My father's youngest late in the crate. brother, Audun, died when planes “We did not suffer during the war. However, I had never from England bombed the ship tasted chocolate before. The first time I tasted soft drinks like with metal cargo where he was Cola was at the a sailor. It was west of the Sognefjord Oct. 26, 1940. He first May 17 cele- was only 20 years old. It was a Norwegian ship. The ship sank bration after the in few minutes, and Audun was not found. His name was added war. I drank so on the memory stone at Fjelberg kyrkje 2019. much that I could “An uncle of my mother was arrested during investigations not taste it for a around a resistance group. He was tortured in prison, but man- long time after.” aged to not tell about any of the weapon depots. They had sev- Kjell eral depots in the forest, but the Nazis did not find anything. “My father Lars, was nearly sent to interning in Kirkenes. He was a teacher, and they as a group, refused to follow new regulations about changing their teaching in more Germany friendly direction. About 4000 teachers were sent to Kirkenes.” Andy received the following letter from his cousin Kjell who was a young boy during those times: Page4 TheVesterdalenVikingskip november2020 Kalender 2020 Vesterdalen Officers november President ...... Vacant 2 Board Meeting held on Zoom...... 7:00 PM Vice President ...... Tom Heavey ...... C 253-686-8691 16 Lodge Meeting held on Zoom...... 7:00 PM [email protected] Voting on Budget and Voting on 2021 Officers Secretary ...... Carol Larson ...... H 253-862-6654 [email protected] C 859-321-4577 Financial Secretary .....Vernene Scheurer ...... H 253-848-7231 desember [email protected] C 253-221-7059 4 Julefest (Christmas Party on Zoom) ...... 7:00 PM Treasurer ...... Rae Jernberg ...... H 253-839-7065 7 Board Meeting ...... 7:00 PM Editor(s) ...... Lois & Nils Ladderud ...... H 360-886-2798 [email protected] Poofwreader ...... Andy Wangstad...... C 253-347-9145 januar Webmaster ...... Andy Wangstad...... C 253-347-9145 4 Board Meeting on Zoom...... 6:30 PM 18 Lodge Meeting on Zoom...... 7:00 PM Rose Stevens – 1-800-210-0240 Sons of Norway Financial Benefits Counselor februar 1 Board Meeting on Zoom...... 6:30 PM 15 Lodge Meeting on Zoom...... 7:00 PM Locations to Buy Lutefisk:

Upcoming Events Northern Fish Thursday - Sunday, November 19 - 22, 10AM-5PM:Julefest 56th Street, 3911 S 56th St at the National Nordic Museum. 2655 NW Market Street, Seat- Tacoma, WA 98409. tle, WA 98107. Julefest looks a little different this year, but Phone: (253) 471-4900 you can still find fun, festive holiday cheer at the Museum. [email protected] Though we can't gather in the thousands for Nordic music, M–F: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm holiday treats, and dozens of vendors, we're still celebrating at Sat: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm the Museum. You'll find an expanded selection of goodies in the Sunday: Closed Museum Store, plus amazing holiday decorations. We can't have Santa this year, but you can still take a seasonal selfie with the ScanSelect, Inc. dba Scandinavian Specialties perfect holiday backdrop! These three days will also feature a Fresh lutefisk in December, frozen all year long special, reduced admission price. For more info: 206.789.5707 6719 -15th Avenue NW or fax 206.789.3271https://www.nordicmuseum.org/julefest Seattle, Washington 98117-5508 Saturday, December 5, 2020, 10AM-4PM: Poulsbo Lodge 2- TOLL-FREE: 1.877.784.7020 044, Sons of Norway will hold its Annual Bazaar and Jule- STORE: 206.784.7020 fest, featuring thirty Scandinavian-themed vendors, plus pea FAX: 206.783.6218 soup, rømmegrøt, freshly grilled lefse, and more! The fun con- www.ScanSpecialties.com tinues at Waterfront Park at dusk, where the Sons of Norway Vikings will escort the Lucia Bride and light the bonfire, fol- QFC:Check your local store for lutefisk which is fresh, never lowed by the Viking King’s reading of the Winter Solstice frozen. Order a couple of weeks in advance. Always good to Proclamation. An annual tradition, and a must to kick off the plan ahead. holiday season! From Lizbeth

Saturday, December 5, 2020, 12 Noon-6PM: Bothell Lodge 2-106DRIVE THRU annual lutefisk and meatball Dinner. Bothell Sons of Norway, 23905 Bothell-Everett Highway, Both- Sons of Norway Foundation ell WA 98021. Lutefisk, meatballs, boiled potatoes, full menu not known yet nor is the price. Stay in the car and dinner is Scholarship Applications brought to you. For more info: 425-485-9085 or contact Chris Do you know a student heading off to college soon who Hicks at [email protected] could use tuition assistance? Do you have a child or grandchild who wants to study abroad in Norway? The Sons of Norway Foundation offers 14 different scholarship opportunities for a variety of students, including international study, adult learn- ers, vocational programs and more. For many recipients, these awards are a life-changing opportunity to explore educational passions in the US, Canada or Norway. Many opportunities are available to members or their chil- dren or grandchildren, and awards range from $1,000 to a full year’s tuition. Applications are due January 15 for international opportunities, and March 1 for domestic opportunities. To find more information and to apply, visitsofn.com/foundation/ scholarships. S/N Newsletter Service