18Mayjun14 Newsletter (Recovered)

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

18Mayjun14 Newsletter (Recovered) BASTING IS OPENING NEW DOORS FOR May-June 2014 DEMENTIA PATIENTS When Anne Basting was growing up Basng Profile 1 in Janesville, unlike most children, she pre- President’s Message 2 ferred the company of adults over children. She attributed this to a personality trait and Exec. Director’s Message 2 believes she was among a group of children Book Report 3 just like her. Instead, it could be that WALL Conference 3 Basting’s personality was simply a preamble Happenings 4 to her destiny. Past President’s Message 5 An associate professor of Theater at the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee Peck Calendar 6-7 School of the Arts and founder of UWM’s Save the Dates 7 Center on Age and Community, Basting has SIG Notes 7 uniquely inspired partnerships between aca- Anne Basting Officer Nominees 8 demia and service providers of adults beset May Day 9 with dementia while developing methods that improve the quality of life for them through the technique was too challenging and ulti- Contact Us 11 the use of art therapy. Memory loss is a nor- mately unsuccessful. Next she tried triggering New Members 12 mal part of aging, Basting said. However se- memories with a technique called TimeSlips vere dementia can result in people losing the by presenting the dementia sufferers with ability of self expression, thus giving way to things, people and pictures from the past like, silence and withdrawal. the Marlboro Man, and prompting them to A playwright, Basting found story- makeup stories about the items. The experi- telling to be effective in bringing persons ment was successful. Basting said previously weathering dementia back into their commu- uncommunicative patients responded to the nity of family, friends and care givers thus technique with stories that could be woven improving the quality of their lives. into narratives that read like a book. She later In a 1996 experiment with nursing used the narratives for writing a play featuring home residents, Basting applied reminiscent older adult actors that was performed in Mil- techniques by asking those with dementia to (Connued on page 10) remember special moments in their lives, but Message from President Mike Roller Let me begin this note by extend- —Achieve financial stability ing a special thanks to outgoing —Accomplish curriculum growth Board President, Phil Rozga, for —Accelerate public relations his dedication and service. Fortu- —Enhance social and cultural experiences nately, Phil will remain on the —Expand and diversify membership Board and his insights and con- —We’ll be discussing action taken toward the achieve- tinuing contributions will be most ment of each initiative at every Board meeting and I’ll be report- appreciated. ing on our progress in future newsletter articles As I assume my new position as Board President, I do In addition to my Board responsibilities I will continue so with a deep appreciation for the role the Osher Lifelong for a time as Chair of the Public Relations Committee as we Learning organization can and does play in our lives. I see my have a host of activities and programs in play that require atten- role as helping to make the organization better and stronger, tion. If any of you are interested in joining the committee please and will appreciate hearing your comments about how that can let me know for we can use your help. be accomplished As a major step toward improving programming and Looking forward, you can expect that Board and I … opening leadership and teaching positions to more Members, working in concert with Executive Director Kim Beck and his the Leadership and Development Committee recently devel- staff … will focus on the following five key initiatives set forth in oped a skills / interests survey that each of us will be asked to the Strategic Plan the Board developed in late 2013: (Connued on page 3) Message from Executive Director Kim Beck Every now and then I reflect on You can appreciate that I was extremely supportive the different chapters of my life: when David Georgenson brought up the idea of programs on Early childhood; High school and navigating the second half of life. The first step we agreed on college; Finding my way in the was the short course that was presented this past February. early 80’s; Graduate school; Get- From everything I hear it went extremely well. During that four- ting married; Starting my career; week period, there was plenty of lively discussion about living a Being a parent. Each stage pre- productive and enriching life as an older adult. sented new challenges and rewards. Of course, there was al- I hope this is just the beginning of a new chapter for ways that moment of sadness when one chapter ended before our Osher Institute. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if in a few years, not another began. And if you are like me, you might have never only would folks join our institute because we offer excellent suspected the path that life would take. Things I felt were fail- enrichment programs, but would find this a place where they ures ended up being the most important lessons I learned about could discover a direction for the next stage of their lives? How life. Looking back, I certainly appreciate the successes more gratifying it would if older adults would seek us out as a way of and more as they become distant memories. And I wonder exploring their life journey! from time to time what the next chapter will bring. Like each of Are you interested in taking advantage of this oppor- the preceding chapters, I ponder it with a mixture of excitement, tunity? Why not consider joining David for an informational apprehension and hope. (Connued on page 3) 2 I May-June 2014 Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Books of the Great War – One Hundred Years Ago June 28, 1914, Sarajevo, Bosnia. years. to get some understanding of the war. The Archduke, Franz Ferdinand, is assas- In a previous Osher Outlook Barbara Tuchman’s book, The sinated. This begins the mobilization that (November-December, 2012) I reported Guns of August apparently influenced leads to Word War I. As we enter the cen- on the book A World Undone: The Story President Kennedy as he dealt with the tenary of the war, you may be interested Of The Great War 1914 To 1918 , by G. 1962 Cuban missile crisis. This Pulitzer in doing some reading on the topic. Find- J. Meyer. This book presents an explana- Prize winner covers the origins of the war, ing something is not hard. The Economist tion of the beginnings of the war, the en- the first weeks of the war, and the new (March 29-April 4, 2014), reported that suing stalemates, discussion of leadership, inventions/weapons used to create devas- about 25,000 books and scholarly articles and the never ending killing. The author tating warfare. have been written on the war since 1918. notes the ending of long standing empires John Link The New York Review of Books (February and how the war may have set the stage 6, 2014), reviewed six new books on the for World War II. I thought this book was war. There will be more over the next few well written and provides sufficient detail (President’s Message, Connued from page 2) WALL Conference complete sometime in the near future. Several of our newest Members have already completed the survey at their welcoming Make Plans Now to Attend sessions and their responses have really helped to refine the process. We very much appreciate your active support. The 13th Wisconsin Association of Lifelong On a final note, let me once again appeal for your help Learning Conference will be hosted by our Osher Institute in recruiting new members. When the organization reaches 1000 at UWM. It will be held at the downtown conference members it qualifies for a second one million dollar endowment center September 3-5. The theme is “Milwaukee Feeds … funds we need to ensure continuing programming excellence. and Supplies the World.” Learn about and experience So, please tell your friends, your family, your neighbors and yes some of the hidden treasures of our wonderful hometown. … even complete strangers … about the enriching experiences Attend sessions on ways to improve lifelong learning in- the organization can bring to their lives. stitutes. All members are encouraged to attend. Highlights include: —A welcome dinner featuring historian, John Gurda —A chance to learn from Visit Milwaukee City Develop- (Execuve Director ‘s Message, Connued from page 2) ment Commissioner Rocky Marcoux —An architecture tour of the Milwaukee Art Museum meeting on May 20? He will be sharing plans for organizing a with Barbara Brown Leigh’s reflections art education Special Interest Group on this topic. Please look for more details —A special, private reception and dinner overlooking the in this newsletter. It may be just the elixir to enrich your life! (Connued on page 11) UWM School of Continuing Education May-June 2014 | 3 What’s Happening at Osher Lately? Osher members at the Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear Spring Go Explores can put it on another calendar, it is well rather an opportunity to learn from many worth it. sources including fellow Osher members, A busy spring for Osher mem- The Central Library was another how to develop your unique path. This bers. Have you ever heard of Mr. Chud- stop for the spring explorers. Not just rare SIG is an outgrowth from the course of- now? A visit to the Chudnow Museum of books, but a rare opportunity to explore fered in the Spring of 2014.
Recommended publications
  • Midsommar History
    THE HISTORY OF MIDSOMMAR Celebrating Midsommar, one of the two most popular holidays in Sweden – the other being Christmas – is a very ancient practice, dating back to pre-Christian times. It has its roots in Pagan rituals to welcome summer and the season of fertility. In Sweden, midsummer festivals have been around for at least 500 years. Even in agrarian times, people in Sweden welcomed summertime by decorating their houses and farm tools with foliage and raising tall May poles to dance around. It was the time to put the cows out to pasture and begin milking. Though there are some variations in the interpretation of its origin, all seem to agree that it is linked to the summer solstice, the year’s longest day and the fact that warm weather and the growing season have begun. However, Midsommar did not become the most Swedish of all traditional festivities until the 1900s. And today, the rituals are certainly even more widespread. There are several customs associated with Midsommar that have been around a long, long time and still continue today. The maypole or majstång is an example. The earliest mention of the maypole in Sweden is from the Middle Ages. And some say the maypole has its roots in German Paganism. Continental countries in medieval times already had early summer celebrations and the tradition of a maypole. It was part of the May Day celebration in ancient Rome and medieval France and Germany. Perhaps the German merchants coming to Sweden brought the custom with them. But remember the practice was to decorate the maypole with flowers and greens to emphasize the onset of the growing season.
    [Show full text]
  • Courier Gazette : July 16, 1895
    I T he Courier-Gazette. ROCKLAND, MAINE, TUESDAY, JULY 16, 1895. V olume 5 0 . E n te r e d m Second Clan* Mall Matter. N uxbkb 2 8 The Courier-Gazette does I t oernbii-l.v Into M ore Fam ilies in Knox Comity Than Any Other Paper JPuhlislied. HOME HAPPENGGS. Maj.-Gen. Hiram G. Berry Highest of all in Leavening Power.— Latest U.S. Gov’t Report / T h e C o u r i e r - G a z e tt e fcoe.« r e ^ u A BIOGIiAJPHY larly into more families in Knox T. H. McLain of this city County than any other paper is one of our most suc­ Bakins Written fo r the Courier-Gazette by Edward K. Gould cessful celery raisers. M r p u b l is h e d . McLain does not bank [Begun in No. 8. Back number* can be hnd.| his celery, but uses tiles, which he slips down over T he C.-G. is delivered at more Rockland the plants. Protected Powder residences than any other paper published XXI. him “a career of usefulness and glory.” At from the sun in this way A lizard from Pleasant Btach, caught by In,the meantime the advanced regiments of the battle of Fair Oaks Smith again led the the plants blanch readily A B iQ U in tV PURE Wm Munroe, is the latest addition to T he the brigade, the Third and Fifth Michigan, Fifth Michigan in a charge, but it was his without being soiled by C.-G.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Goblinlike, Fantastic: Little People and Deep Time at the Fin De Siècle
    ORBIT-OnlineRepository ofBirkbeckInstitutionalTheses Enabling Open Access to Birkbeck’s Research Degree output ’Goblinlike, fantastic: little people and deep time at the fin de siècle https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/40443/ Version: Full Version Citation: Fergus, Emily (2019) ’Goblinlike, fantastic: little people and deep time at the fin de siècle. [Thesis] (Unpublished) c 2020 The Author(s) All material available through ORBIT is protected by intellectual property law, including copy- right law. Any use made of the contents should comply with the relevant law. Deposit Guide Contact: email ‘Goblinlike, Fantastic’: Little People and Deep Time at the Fin De Siècle Emily Fergus Submitted for MPhil Degree 2019 Birkbeck, University of London 2 I, Emily Fergus, confirm that all the work contained within this thesis is entirely my own. ___________________________________________________ 3 Abstract This thesis offers a new reading of how little people were presented in both fiction and non-fiction in the latter half of the nineteenth century. After the ‘discovery’ of African pygmies in the 1860s, little people became a powerful way of imaginatively connecting to an inconceivably distant past, and the place of humans within it. Little people in fin de siècle narratives have been commonly interpreted as atavistic, stunted warnings of biological reversion. I suggest that there are other readings available: by deploying two nineteenth-century anthropological theories – E. B. Tylor’s doctrine of ‘survivals’, and euhemerism, a model proposing that the mythology surrounding fairies was based on the existence of real ‘little people’ – they can also be read as positive symbols of the tenacity of the human spirit, and as offering access to a sacred, spiritual, or magic, world.
    [Show full text]
  • Arnold Bennett, Marie Corelli and the Interior Lives of Single Middle-Class Women, England, 1880-1914
    University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities 11-2003 A Novel Approach to History: Arnold Bennett, Marie Corelli and the Interior Lives of Single Middle-Class Women, England, 1880-1914 Sharon Crozier-De Rosa University of Wollongong, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/lhapapers Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons, and the Law Commons Recommended Citation Crozier-De Rosa, Sharon, "A Novel Approach to History: Arnold Bennett, Marie Corelli and the Interior Lives of Single Middle-Class Women, England, 1880-1914" (2003). Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers. 1593. https://ro.uow.edu.au/lhapapers/1593 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] A Novel Approach to History: Arnold Bennett, Marie Corelli and the Interior Lives of Single Middle-Class Women, England, 1880-1914 Abstract There are many ‘gaps’ or ‘silences’1 in women’s history – especially in relation to their interior lives. Historians seeking to penetrate the thoughts and emotions of ‘ordinary’ single middle-class women living during the Late Victorian and Edwardian years have a challenging task. These women rarely left personal documents for historians to analyse. Novels, particularly popular or bestselling novels, represent one pathway into this realm. Popular novels are numbered among the few written sources that are available to help historians to fill in some of the absences in the conventional historical record.
    [Show full text]
  • `The Maypole Is Up, Now Give Me the Cup ...'
    12 Craigie's collected edition offers the most recent text of the book, here used . It presented the 1617 and 1618 versions on facing papers . The 1617 text is here quoted. 13 id, 106 . 14 Ormerod, 1, p 651 gives the pedigree of the Dutton family . 15 In REED. Chester, edited by L .M. Clopper (Toronto, 1979), 17-18, 20-21, 461-6, 487-9. 16 id, 43-4. 17 id, 113-6 . Ormerod, 2, p 333 gives the pedigree of the Hardware family. 18 BL Harley 1944, fols 90-90v, in Clopper, 197. 19 BL Harley 2133, fol 46, in Clopper, 198 . 20 See further, Patrick Collinson, The Religion of the Protestants: The Church in English Society 1559- 1625 (Ford Lectures, 1979; Oxford, 1982), 164-70 . 21 Quoted by Collinson, 169 . CAROLINE BALDERSTON PARRY `The Maypole is up, now give me the cup . .' Onlookers at the 1983 Chester Cycle or the 1985 Towneley Cycle productions at the University of Toronto were delighted to see an additional, pretty spectacle : Maypole dancing. In the intervals between plays, as a part of the craft fair entertainment, I led a willing assortment of volunteer dancers through the over-and-under motions of simple Maypole ribbon weaving. Sometimes the red, yellow, blue and green ribbons got tangled, but more often we were successful at producing a beautiful pattern of motion and woven colours gradually extending down the pole - and then we would reverse our movements and unwind . Sometimes we had musicians ; sometimes the audience helped out by singing a tune for us! What both dancers and audience perhaps did not realize was that the ribbons which looked so pretty were entirely anachronistic .
    [Show full text]
  • Religion and the Return of Magic: Wicca As Esoteric Spirituality
    RELIGION AND THE RETURN OF MAGIC: WICCA AS ESOTERIC SPIRITUALITY A thesis submitted for the degree of PhD March 2000 Joanne Elizabeth Pearson, B.A. (Hons.) ProQuest Number: 11003543 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 11003543 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 AUTHOR’S DECLARATION The thesis presented is entirely my own work, and has not been previously presented for the award of a higher degree elsewhere. The views expressed here are those of the author and not of Lancaster University. Joanne Elizabeth Pearson. RELIGION AND THE RETURN OF MAGIC: WICCA AS ESOTERIC SPIRITUALITY CONTENTS DIAGRAMS AND ILLUSTRATIONS viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix ABSTRACT xi INTRODUCTION: RELIGION AND THE RETURN OF MAGIC 1 CATEGORISING WICCA 1 The Sociology of the Occult 3 The New Age Movement 5 New Religious Movements and ‘Revived’ Religion 6 Nature Religion 8 MAGIC AND RELIGION 9 A Brief Outline of the Debate 9 Religion and the Decline o f Magic? 12 ESOTERICISM 16 Academic Understandings of
    [Show full text]
  • Viking Adventures for Kids Heritage Youth Program Series!!!
    Viking Adventures For Kids Heritage Youth Program Series!!! 2014 VELKOMMEN VIKING ADVENTURERS! elkommen, Viking Adventurers, to our fourth year of IMPORTANT! Vexciting activities! Like the famous Norwegian explor- Some information on this calendar may change. Always ers Helge Ingstad and Erik Thorvaldsson (Erik the Red), you check your monthly Grieg Notes for the most up-to-date will be embarking on a series of wonderful new Norwegian information and details about the Viking Adventures for adventures. You’ll have fun and find the Viking inside of you. Kids series. Choose just one, or all, of the Adventures below and get ready to make some new friends and learn some VERY COOL THINGS! Hope to see you on a Sunday in Find Your Viking Fun! 2014! This program is designed for the Lodge’s Heritage members, ages up to 15. Families are welcome and en- couraged to participate together at all adventures and activities. For off-site field trips, parents are responsible for their own children’s transportation and supervision. At-Lodge activities may be drop-off for age-appropriate children and younger siblings are always wel- N come with parent involvement. Light snacks will be served during Lodge ac- tivities; for field trips, parents supply snacks and water. Activities are free and most Adventures last approximately N two hours. Advance reservations for all Adventures are truly appreciated by Colby West- head, the Adventure Series Coordina- N tor, and our gracious activity leaders. N This enables the purchase of the cor- rect amount of supplies. Some activities have limited spaces available and are so noted.
    [Show full text]
  • THE COLLECTED POEMS of HENRIK IBSEN Translated by John Northam
    1 THE COLLECTED POEMS OF HENRIK IBSEN Translated by John Northam 2 PREFACE With the exception of a relatively small number of pieces, Ibsen’s copious output as a poet has been little regarded, even in Norway. The English-reading public has been denied access to the whole corpus. That is regrettable, because in it can be traced interesting developments, in style, material and ideas related to the later prose works, and there are several poems, witty, moving, thought provoking, that are attractive in their own right. The earliest poems, written in Grimstad, where Ibsen worked as an assistant to the local apothecary, are what one would expect of a novice. Resignation, Doubt and Hope, Moonlight Voyage on the Sea are, as their titles suggest, exercises in the conventional, introverted melancholy of the unrecognised young poet. Moonlight Mood, To the Star express a yearning for the typically ethereal, unattainable beloved. In The Giant Oak and To Hungary Ibsen exhorts Norway and Hungary to resist the actual and immediate threat of Prussian aggression, but does so in the entirely conventional imagery of the heroic Viking past. From early on, however, signs begin to appear of a more personal and immediate engagement with real life. There is, for instance, a telling juxtaposition of two poems, each of them inspired by a female visitation. It is Over is undeviatingly an exercise in romantic glamour: the poet, wandering by moonlight mid the ruins of a great palace, is visited by the wraith of the noble lady once its occupant; whereupon the ruins are restored to their old splendour.
    [Show full text]
  • Texas Local Council Covenant of the Goddess Wiccan Holy Days
    Texas Local Council Covenant of the Goddess Wiccan Holy Days ~ also known as Sabbats In the days before the advent of electric lights and artificial time, our ancestors marked the turning of the seasons through their observation of the natural world. The awesome spectacle repeated in the pattern of the changing seasons still touches our lives. In the ages when people worked more closely with nature just to survive, the numinous power of this pattern had supreme recognition. Rituals and festivals evolved to channel these transformations for the good of the community toward a good sowing and harvest and bountiful herds and hunting. One result of this process is our image of the "Wheel of the Year" with its eight spokes -- the four major agricultural and pastoral festivals and the four minor solar festivals of the solstices and equinoxes. DECEMBER 19 - 21* -- WINTER SOLSTICE -- YULE The sun is at its nadir, the year's longest night. We internalize and synthesize the outward-directed activities of the previous summer months. Some covens hold a Festival of Light to commemorate the Goddess as Mother giving birth to the Sun God. Others celebrate the victory of the Lord of Light over the Lord of Darkness as the turning point from which the days will lengthen. The name "Yule" derives from the Norse word for "wheel", and many of our customs (like those of the Christian holiday) derive from Norse and Celtic Pagan practices (the Yule log, the tree, the custom of Wassailing, etc..) FEBRUARY 2 -- IMBOLC (OIMELC) OR BRIGID As the days' lengthening becomes perceptible, many candles are lit to hasten the warming of the earth and emphasize the reviving of life.
    [Show full text]
  • Soup on a Sausage Peg Hans Christian Andersen
    Soup on a Sausage Peg Hans Christian Andersen I. SOUP FROM A SAUSAGE PEG "That was a perfectly delightful dinner yesterday," one old female mouse told another, who had not attended the feast. "I sat number twenty-one from the old mouse king, which wasn't at all bad. Would you like to hear the menu? The courses were exceedingly well arranged-mouldy bread, bacon rind, tallow candle, and sausage, and then the same dishes all over again, from start to finish, so it was as good as two banquets. There was such a pleasant atmosphere, and such good humor, that it was like a family gathering. Not a scrap was left except the pegs at the ends of the sausages. "The conversation turned to these wooden pegs, and the expression 'soup from a sausage peg,' came up. Everybody had heard it, but nobody had ever tasted such a soup, much less knew how to make it. We drank a fine toast to the health of whoever invented the soup, and we said he deserved to be appointed manager of the poorhouse. Wasn't that witty? And the old mouse king rose and promised that the young maiden mouse who could make this soup should be his queen. He gave them a year and a day to learn how." "That wasn't so bad, after all," said the other mouse. "But how do you make this soup?" "Yes, how do you make it? That's exactly what all the female mice are asking-the young ones and the old maids too.
    [Show full text]
  • 2020 Winners
    2020 NC Brewers Cup Competition Final Results Best of Show NCBC Medal Category BJCP Style (Sub-Category) Place Brewery Beer Name Pale British Beer & Bitter 11B Best Bitter BOS 1 Carolina Brewery Copperline Amber Ale International Lager 2A International Pale Lager BOS 2 Thirsty Monk Brewery Ponder Lager Wood-Aged Beer 33B Specialty Wood-Aged Beer BOS 3 Foothills Brewing Dead & Berried Blackberry Imperial Stout American Lager 1A American Light Lager BOS 4 Brown Truck Brewery No.10 American Light Lager Full Competition NCBC Medal Category BJCP Style (Sub-Category) Place Brewery Beer Name Session IPA 21D Session IPA 1 Cabarrus Brewing Company Driveway Sesh Session IPA 21D Session IPA 2 Foothills Brewing HopJob Session IPA Session IPA 21D Session IPA 3 Little Brother Brewing Casual Sesh American Lager 1A American Light Lager 1 Brown Truck Brewery No.10 American Light Lager American Lager 1B American Lager 2 The Unknown Brewing Company Pre Game American Lager 1B American Lager 3 Cabarrus Brewing Company Baller Beer Light American Hybrid 1C Cream Ale 1 Lost Worlds Brewing Euchre Golden Ale Light American Hybrid 1D American Wheat Beer 2 Vecino Brewing Company Over The Moon Light American Hybrid 1D American Wheat Beer 3 Lost Worlds Brewing Emmer American Wheat Alternative Fermentation 5B Kolsch 1 Carolina Brewery Sky Blue Kolsch Alternative Fermentation 5B Kolsch 2 Oaklyn Springs Brewery Oaklyn Springs Brewery Kolsch Ale Alternative Fermentation 5B Kolsch 3 Devil's Logic Brewing Kommunity Alternative Fermentation 5B Kolsch 4 Middle James Brewing
    [Show full text]
  • June 2006 • SCANDINAVIAN HERITAGE NEWS
    Published in the interest of North Americans of Scandinavian descent • P.O. Box 862 • Minot, ND 58702 • June, 2006 A musical, magical, once-a-year fun event! Join us for Midsummer Night 2006 on Thurs., June 22 idsummer Night is the most pop- Mular festival in Scandinavia, next to Christmas. It ushers in the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The celebration dates back to pre- Christian times, with rituals believed to bring a good harvest in the fall. The festival was later Christian- ized as the day of St. John the Baptist. In Norway and Denmark, the day is known as Sankt Hans aften (St. John’s Eve). In Finland and Sweden, Mid- summer is a public holiday the third weekend of June. A dance around the Majstang (Maypole) is part of the tra- dition in Sweden; burning a bonfire is a custom at most Nordic Midsummer A roaring bonfire attracts attendees to the pond’s edge for the celebration’s conclusion. Night celebrations. You don’t have to go to • All buildings open for tours; Scandinavia to celebrate this sauna steambaths available historic holiday. Come to • Bonfire in the pond (built Scandinavian Heritage Park by Bruce Carlson of Velva, in Minot on Thursday, June N.D.) 22, beginning at 5 p.m., for Don’t miss this commu- an evening of family fun. nity celebration of sum- Here’s what’s on the agen- mer—on Thursday, June da: 22, the place to be is the • Old-fashioned picnic Scandinavian Heritage Park in the park (bring your for a taste of food as well as lawn chair).
    [Show full text]