FRA PRESIDENTEN NEW MEMBERS WELCOMED Bernice Nickolaisen Kwan Nature is showing growth and blossoming. Organizations also can exhibit rising sap and extension – or – unfortunate stunting. Are we all we could be? What feature(s) of Stein Fjell Lodge will keep you as an enthusiastic member? And, conversely, what (L to R) Jerad Sutton, Kaitlyn Prescott, Heidi dampens participation and steady membership Halvorson, Clayton Nelson, Ruth Nelson growth? 2008 RECRUITERS AND RECRUITEES Now and then, I believe it is time to step back and informally review if our lodge is providing features and physical accommodations that suit you. Does our meeting site and evening gathering promote interaction? Do some members find barriers to attendance due to driving restriction per dark roadways or parking? Membership is scattered among several Front Range towns. Why do we meet in Loveland? (L to R) Midge Parkos, Janice Henry, Terry Thompson, Present your opinions to officers and committee Kathy Browne, Heidi Halvorson, Becky Holm- chairpersons by phone, mail, or in person. We need Johansen, Nancy Dunn, Clayton Nelson, Marian Erdal, honest commentary on the present to form the most Ras Erdal satisfactory experiences in the future. KULTUR HJØRNE / CULTURE CORNER CHARITY SUGGESTIONS REQUEST Nancy Dunn From Your Steinfjell Lodge Board For Syttende Mai, there will be a small display set up It is the time of year to decide which charity the Lodge about bunads at our May lodge meeting. Look for it! will support. If you have a charity you’d like the Board to consider, please give information or a brochure ****************************** about the charity to Acting Treasurer Jane Robbins. A PLEASE NOTE that our MAY meeting is a decision will be made at the May Board meeting. SALAD SUPPER. See “Meeting Reminders...” 2 KALENDAR MEETING REMINDERS FROM RAS Your Stein Fjell Host Coordinator Mai 1*: Internat. Labor Day, Norwegian holiday Our May meeting is on Thursday, May 7th. This is Mai 5: Application Deadline, 6th District Scholarship, our “Salad Supper” night, a change we agreed on at Concordia Language Village/“Skogfjorden” (new date) the last meeting to allow for June’s special program. Please bring a bowl of your favorite salad to share and Mai 7: Lodge Meeting, 7pm, Salad Supper, Bunads your own table service. Our Refreshment Hosts are: Midge and Bill Parkos (chairs), Janice Henry, Mai 8*: Liberation Day 1945, Norway Barbara and Frank Nolin, Mary Ann Rakke, and Jennifer Schlotthauer. Mai 10: Mother’s Day, USA Looking ahead... The Refreshment Hosts for the June Mai 17*: Syttende Mai, Norwegian Constitution Day 4th meeting are: Kristi Quinlan (chair), Roxana Bradney, Mike Erickson, Toodie and Buster Fjelldalen Parade and Youth Party, 12:30 - 5pm Iverson, and Jane Yestness. Parade 1:30: approx. 1/4 mile – kids’ three-wheelers ok; can bring chairs and watch, too. Drinks, homemade MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS waffles, hot dogs, and lefse for all. Sterne Park, at the south shelter, 2001 W. Shepperd St., Littleton Rick Bilstad reports that the Stein Fjell Memorial Fjellheim Celebration: 1pm Bounce house, carnival Scholarship Fund will give awards of $100 each to games, picnic lunch. Adults $8, 5-10 yrs $4, Under 5 Heritage Members Abigail Strand and Emily Strand yrs Free. Reservations by May 14 to Rory Foresman, (daughters of Alan and Jane Strand) at our May lodge 719.640.7280c (lv msg) / [email protected] meeting. They will attend Camp Norge Language and Viking Hall, 1045 Ford St., Colorado Springs Heritage Camp – Abigail for the second time. Vestafjell Lodge Meeting and Celebration, 2pm Koldtbord lunch and Norwegian music program. HELP GET KATHY OUT OF “JAIL” Covenant Presbyterian Church, Grand Junction Lodge member Kathy Browne will be “jailed” on May Mai 21: Board Meeting, 7pm, M & R Erdal’s home 25 for Muscular Dystrophy. Her bail will send two Ascension Day, Norwegian public holiday Loveland children with MD to summer camp. If you would like to join Inger Froyland in getting Kathy out Mai 25: Memorial Day Holiday (Mai 30 Traditional) of “jail,” contact Kathy or bring a check for her to our May lodge meeting. Mai 31*: Whit Sunday, Norwegian public holiday GRATULERER MED DAGEN ! Juni 4: Lodge Meeting, 7pm, Living in Bergen, Norway, Kristi Erdal-Kris Barney family HAPPY BIRTHDAY ! Juni 27, 28: Scandinavian Midsummer Festival 10am – 5pm both days, Estes Park 5 Rod Skaflen 9 Marianne W-Nesse 5 Reece Spudich H 14 Simon Reichel H *Official Norwegian Flag-flying Day 7 Linda George 16 Kristi Quinlan 8 Wilma Gullickson 17 Mary Ann Rakke MANGE TAKK, ERIC MOE! 8 Barrett Ingvaldsen H 22 Jerad Sutton Many thanks to Eric Moe for his gift to the Lodge of H = Heritage Member UV = Unge Venner Member a lecture series, “The Vikings” from The Great ****************************** Courses, Ancient and Medieval History. The course is DEADLINE FOR POSTEN - 20TH of the month presented by Kenneth W. Harl, Tulane University. The Membership Directory corrections or additions?? series was given to our Cultural Director for future use. Posten via e-mail?? Please let the Editors know. 3 THIS ‘N’ THAT VELKOMMEN i Stein Fjell mourns the loss of a dear friend, Don Stein Fjell members welcomed Heidi Halvorson into Stromstad, Past President of Fjelldalen Lodge. our Lodge at the April meeting. Heidi calls Spokane, Condolences may be sent to Elsie Stromstad at Washington her "home town." She also lived on 1732 S. Trenton St., Apt. 7, Denver, CO 80231. Kauai, Hawaii for 9 years and in Portland, Oregon for i Stein Fjell offers its sincere condolences to Bill and 12 years, before moving to Fort Collins 8 years ago. Marianne Nesse on the passing of Harold Hedges, Bill’s stepfather, on April 18. Since completing college, Heidi has kept involved i Esther Leum and Frank Nolin are doing better! running many businesses. In Hawaii, she was manager Both are at Sierra Vista, 821 Duffield Court, of Papillon Helicopters. She had her own house Loveland, CO 80737, if you’d like to send a card. business in Oregon. At present, she has an online site i Foundation Director Rick Bilstad, our Super with building plans for great garages with or without Salesman, sold out all the SON Bumper Stickers at bonus rooms/apartments above and is a part-time the April meeting. A new shipment will be for sale assistant to the Business Pastor at Crossroads Church. at the May meeting. All proceeds go to the SON For fun, Heidi enjoys movies and Day Outings. Foundation for Scholarships and Programs. i Viking Lodge, Kvinesdal, Norway (our sister Heidi’s has two daughters, one in Fort Collins and lodge) sent a postcard thanking us for the 25th one in Oregon, and two grandsons. Heidi's Anniversary greetings and the “splendid book with grandfather was from Sele, Norway, an island one pictures from Colorado” sent by Inger Froyland. hour north of Bergen. Her grandmother was from Ed, i Camp Troll Fjell, the Sons of Norway Language Sweden, close to the Norwegian border. When Heidi and Heritage Camp, will be held July 12 to 25 at was 11 years old, she went with her cousin and Camp Norge. For more information or applications, grandma to visit both her grandparents’ homelands. go to www.trollfjell.org or www.sofn6.com. She was lucky to be able to take the ship both ways. i Patrick Sikes has a website showcasing his new hobby, pen turning. Some chip carvings also are Welcome, Heidi! included. Check it out at www.NorskWoodshop.com. i Mike Erickson, Lodge Treasurer, will be away on Stein Fjell members welcome two new Heritage business for the next three to four months. Jane Members, Ian Moe and Stephan Moe. Ian and Stephan Robbins has graciously offered to be his substitute. are twins and will be three years old on Syttende Mai! They are the grandsons of Stein Fjell member Eric MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY INFO Moe, and sons of Kjell and Cindy Moe. BRIGHT, Sandra J. 17605 County Road 31 Welcome, Ian and Stephan! 970.737.2222 Platteville, CO 80651-8514 MOE, Eric Heritage: STEIN FJELL SHIRTS Ian Moe 5/17/2006 Stephan Moe 5/17/2006 Join the bandwagon and order your Stein Fjell T- Shirts, Polo Shirts, and Sweat Shirts at the May RAMIREZ, Helen 970.663.7641 meeting! We need 2 more orders in the large logo (T- Shirts, Sweat Shirts) and 4 more orders in the small SIKES, Stephanie 1430 1st Street North logo (Polo Shirts) to be able to place an order in each SIKES, Patrick St. Petersburg, FL 33704-4502 category. Shirts will be here by the June meeting, in ************************************* time for the Scandinavian Festival, and are great Names, Phone Numbers, and Addresses listed in the advertisements for the Lodge. If you can’t be at the Posten must not be redistributed or used for May lodge meeting, please call Marian Erdal before th commercial purposes. May 7 at 970.225.9035. 4 SYTTENDE MAI AND THE TREATY OF KIEL Bill Nesse Norway’s most important national holiday is syttende mai and is known as Nasjonaldagen (The National Day) or Grunnlovsdagen (The Constitution Day). It commemorates May 17, 1814 as the day when Norway ratified its first constitution. How Norway came to write its constitution in 1814 is rooted in the Napoleonic wars. At the beginning of the 1800s, Norway was part of Denmark. While the Danes/Norwegians declared themselves neutral in the conflict between England and France, they also Carsten Anker’s home in Eidsvoll, asserted the right to trade with the French, which the where the constitution was written and signed. English wished to prevent. After a series of failed diplomatic efforts, the British engaged in hostilities Norwegian society as delegates to the constitutional with the Danes, known as the English War, to stop that assembly, including farmers, tradesmen, military, trade.