FJELL-LJOM.. (MOUNTAIN ECHOES.. BLÅFJELL LODGE 3-646) June 2015 President: Sharon Rohrback 540-774-0006 Vice President: Joann Barfield 540-380-2926 Secretary: Kathy Clark 540-977-2349 Treasurer: Robert Rohrback 540-774-0006 Editor: Robin Lambert 540-904-1817 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Blåfjell's website: sonsofnorwayblafjell.org Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/SonsOfNorwayBlaFjell ================================================================================ Mission Statement: “The mission of Sons of Norway is to promote and to preserve the heritage and culture of Norway, to celebrate our relationship with other Nordic Countries and to provide quality insurance and financial products to our members.” ================================================================================ Regularly scheduled meetings: Fourth Saturday of each month, 3:00 PM, College Lutheran Church, 210 South College Avenue, Salem (except for special events) ================================================================================ NEXT MEETING: SATURDAY, June 20, 2015 3-5 PM College Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall Program: Biography of Snowshoe Thompson Presentation: Short movie related to skiing ===================================================================================== BLÅFJELL PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: To you all: Have a safe, enjoyable summer. Safe travels to you, and anyone coming to visit you. Thank you all who participated in the 2015 Local Colors Event by baking goods and/or tending the booth and/or marching. We had a nice turnout of volunteers and baked goods. It was a successful fundraiser, as well as a chance to share information about our Nordic heritage. June 10 3-5 pm meeting (note early date). A good topic to stay cool in this hot weather. Kathy will present the story of this Norwegian immigrant who delivered mail by skis across the Sierra Mountains starting in the 1840s. We will then watch a brief video about Norway's history of skiing. Several special events coming in July and August. Watch the Blåfjell Newsletters for more details. Page 1 of 6 July 18, 9am-5pm, in lieu of meeting: D-Day Memorial Family Day. Volunteer to be at our information tent; no food is sold. We highlight the 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate), have a craft for the children, and have binders of articles about Norway and WWII. Contact co-event chairs Robin Lambert or Helene DeVries for more information. August 15, 4-6 pm, in lieu of meeting: annual Blåfjell Lodge Picnic. Place to be determined. Again, event co-chairs are Robin Lambert and Helene DeVries. Why Fill out Sons of Norway Individual Volunteer Hours form? You may be wondering why I have been reminding our members to fill out and report any INDIVIDUAL volunteer hours you give to support Blåfjell Lodge. Sons of Norway is a member of the American Fraternal Alliance. It is Kathy Clark's duty as lodge secretary to prepare an annual report combining lodge and event hours This explanation was given in the Spring 2015 Sons of Norway Viking Resource document, page 11, first paragraph. "In past years, the American Fraternal Alliance has asked member organizations to only report events (two or more members participating in an organization sponsored activity). However, members spend a considerable amount of time preparing for events and doing individual activities in support of lodge and community activities. In an effort to give a more complete picture of members' involvement, Sons of Norway is now asking lodges to collect individual activity in addition to event participation." A couple details to know when you submit your hours. The hard copy forms are available from the Blåfjell file cabinet at each meeting. Or, let me know if you wish me to mail a hard copy to you. --Do NOT include hours you spend working on Cultural Skills or Sports Medals on this form. The members are participating in the program, not working as volunteers. --Individuals CANNOT access FraternalsGive.org to track their own hours. The website is not designed for individual hour entries. Only the secretary or other designated officer or member should create the entries on the website. Submitted by Lodge President, Sharon Rohrback, ============================================================================================ VICE-PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: Our "Getting Acquainted Breakfast" was a most enjoyable event. Onward with our emphasis on Membership Recruitment and Retention, we are pleased to report that we had a near-record number of folks (14) sign up for information at our recent Local Colors Festival, several of whom are returnees! We look forward to seeing some of these folks at our upcoming meetings, when you will have an opportunity to "meet and greet" and visit about our common heritage! Remember that this year we may be in the running for an award, so let's EACH ONE, INVITE ONE! Vice President/Membership Chairman Joann Barfield =========================================================================================== MINUTES OF MAY MEETING: In lieu of May meeting, the Blåfjell Lodge had a table the annual Local Colors Festival held in Roanoke, Virginia. There are no May minutes to report. Lodge Secretary, Kathy Clark =========================================================================== Member News: Gratuleer Med Dagen June birthdays: Lillian Pyne 6/5 Arne Olsen 6/9 Lori Eva 6/24 ================================================================================== Page 2 of 6 CULTURAL CORNER: HISTORY OF NORWEGIAN FLAGS 1660-1814 1814 1821 1844-1898 1905 A national flag is a symbol that represents a country and its people. Every flag has a meaning and a story. The Norwegian flag is a symbol of honesty, peace, justice and strength. These principles resonate with the beliefs of the Norwegian people and their culture It is only just recently that Norway has been flying their flag so prominently and proudly. Due to political circumstances the Norwegian flag has only been in existence since 1821. Norway’s oldest known flag is a banner of a lion standing on its hind legs and carrying an ax in its forepaws. This was a royal banner that was first recorded in 1318. “It is probable that medieval kings flew flags based on the Norwegian coat of arms – the golden lion holding the axe of St. Olav on a red field,” says Jan Oskar Engene, a political scientist at the University of Bergen. The national flag was adapted from Norway’s long 400-year union with Denmark. Denmark turned out to be a stronger player in the union with Norway and it was the Danish flag that Norway adopted as their own (red flag with white cross). The Norwegians however wanted an end to this union and in 1814, after 400 years, Denmark was separated from Norway and the history of the true Norwegian flag commenced. It wasn’t until 1821 that the pure Norwegian flag was designed. Fredrik Meltzer, a member of the constitutional assembly presented the new flag. He added a blue cross to the Danish flag to symbolize liberty. The red, white and blue colors were inspired by the flags of countries which he believed exemplified freedom: the UK, the Netherlands and the US. Norwegian ships were obligated to fly the Swedish flag so as to avoid capture by pirates. In 1844 the Swedish King introduced a new flag to signify Scandinavian unity. Norway could keep their flag but in order to identify with their Swedish leaders a badge was added to the upper left corner. This badge is often referred to as “the herring salad” because of its various shapes and colors. “When the union badge was introduced to the national flag, this was actually welcomed as a sign of Norwegian equality with the Swedes and was initially quite popular,” says Engene. “In the last quarter of the 19th century, however, the union with Sweden grew ever more unpopular and the union badge became contested.” Tensions grew in Norway. The Norwegian romantic nationalist movement was on the rise and a need for a national identity was at an all-time high. Finally in 1899 a vote was passed to override the king and the badge was removed from civilian flags That momentum soon led Norwegians to their victory for independence. In 1905 the badge was removed from all military flags and the Norwegians could welcome back their flag. Today the official symbol of Norway waves proudly from government buildings, homes, businesses, sporting venues, and military vessels. Norwegians share a strong national pride which is most evident on Norway’s national day, Syttende Mai. The complicated story behind the flag has ultimately given the Norwegian people a shared sense of pride in their country and heritage. (Excerpted from SON mini-presentations resource.) Submitted by Sharon Rohrback ========================================================================================= BOOK CORNER: Snowshoe Thompson by Nancy Smiler Levinson Kindergarten-Grade 3-This fictionalized account of John Thompson's first winter trek across the Sierra Nevada in the mid-19th century will captivate many beginning readers. When mail delivery is halted because of heavy snows, Norwegian-born Thompson (one of American's skiing pioneers) volunteers to deliver a young California boy's letter to his father in Carson City, Nevada. The boy, Danny, helps him make a pair of skis--splitting and sanding the wood planks, boiling the wood, and shaping the tips. Joan Sandin's watercolor illustrations add to the understanding and emotion of the easy-to-read text. The rugged appearance of the pioneers, the work involved