The Icelandic Canadian Club of British Columbia N E W S L E T T E R June 2019 LI:vi Iceland Independence Day will be celebrated on Monday, June 17, 2019, 6 p.m. onwards Scandinavian Centre, 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC This is a Family Event. There is fun for the kids and lots of room for them to run around while you visit. There will be Hot Dogs, sinnep, remoulaði, steiktur laukur. Hangikjöt sandwiches, coffee, kleinur, goodies, and a singalong. Please let us know if you are coming—e-mail [email protected] or phone 604-970-1680. Everyone is welcome. We look forward to seeing you all. Scandinavian Midsummer Festival 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC, Gates open at 10 a.m. June 22—23, 2019, Day Pass $10. Free admission for kids under 16. Free parking all weekend. THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND There are a number of activities going on that you can enjoy during the Midsummer Festival. Among them are two almost full days of live music with the a number of individual artists, groups and choirs. There will be performances by the Scandinavian Dancers and the Vikings in the Viking Village, including songs, games and a real Viking raid – beware of the Norse! At the Midsummer Marketplace, you find over 50 vendors with shopping kiosks with lots of exciting products and crafts. There will be cultural displays, kids’ activities, a troll forest, carnival games and a vintage Volvo car show by the Volvo Club of B.C. For the Midsummer beginner – there are two very popular events during the festival that you may not want to miss! The raising of the Midsummer Pole with dance around takes place on Saturday afternoon. The popular and crazy Finnish wife carrying contest takes place on Sunday. There will a Paavo Nurmi Run again on Saturday morning. Also there is lots of Food: Salmon BBQ, Smørrebrød (Danish open- face sandwiches), Swedish Meatballs, Hot Dogs, Waffles, Coffee, Pastries and Beer Garden. Check out the program: https://scandinavianmidsummerfestival.com/program/ The Knotty Trolls have added some new magic this year–Saga Portraits: Become Your Legend! Photographic portraits in Viking-inspired costumes. Book your photo session at our table in the Iceland tent. Follow us on Instagram @sagaportraits instagram.com/sagaportraits/ 1 Our 2019 Icelandic princess is Samantha Stanley, 24, from Maple Ridge. She is the eldest of three children of Dan & Terry Stanley, with her Icelandic heritage through her Mother’s side. Samantha is a graduate of the Blanche MacDonald Centre, majoring in Fashion Merchandising. She currently works in customer support at the Vancouver headquarters of Indochino, the world’s largest online retailer of custom men’s suits. Samantha enjoys going to and performing in theatre, hiking, reading, travelling, and volunteering. She was very involved with the Canadian charity WE (formerly “Free the Children”) raising funds, awareness, and participating in their renown “WE Days”. She is especially proud of having assisted in the building of a school in the Maasi Mara in Kenya. Samantha is eagerly anticipating her first trip to Iceland in May of 2020. Tour Group From Iceland—Sunday, September 8th, 2019, 3 p.m. Once again Anna Björg and Halldór Árnason are going to be tour-guides on a bus-tour for 50 of their Icelandic friends. They will start the tour in Edmonton and end it in Vancouver. They arrive in Vancouver on Sunday, September 8th in the afternoon after visiting Vancouver Island and will arrive at the Scandinavian Community Centre at 3:00 p.m. They would like to meet people of Icelandic descendants and the members of The Icelandic Canadian Club of British Columbia on Sunday like last year. The Icelandic Club has booked the Scandinavian Centre for Sunday, September 8th. Refreshments will be available. Mark your calendars to arrive at the Centre around 2:30 p.m. We had such a good time last year that we look forward to seeing you there for a fun afternoon. - Info from Norman Eyford Icelandic Summer Camp, July 27-August 2, 2019 This year there are 55 spots open for campers to have the experience of a lifetime! Ages 5-17 in different categories, near Gimli, MB. Call 1-204-485-5455 to book or get the registration form at their website at: icelandiccamp.com Hőfn Icelandic Harbour The Garden Area 2020 Harrison Drive, Vancouver, BC V5P 2P6 Assisted Living & Affordable Housing The facility is only 10 years old, open and bright; very inviting—a friendly and caring place for Seniors. We have been providing care for Seniors since 1947. Find us at: [email protected] or 604-321-3812 2 June 2019 Snorri West 2019 Karítas, Oddrún, Natalía and Guðbjörg are arriving in Vancouver on June 25th to begin their Snorri West adventure! While they’re in Vancouver, they’ll visit Grouse Mountain, Stanley Park, the Museum of Anthropology, Whistler, Granville Island, Steveston as well as have an evening to meet relatives. They’ll be walking, bicycling, boating, a little hiking and lots of sightseeing. Busy, and so much fun! If you’re interested in joining any of their activities, please do let me know - they’re here to meet Icelandic Canadians. ** On June 28 , there is a ‘Meet and Greet’ from 7-10 p.m., at the Scandinavian Centre—Everyone is welcome. Thank you to those who have volunteered their time as well as those who have generously donated. The Snorri experience is that much more fun because of you! Blair Lockhart [email protected], 778.628.5872 The four Snorri West participants arrive in Vancouver on June 25th and will be travelling the West Coast until July 21st when they depart for Iceland. If you would like to contact them anytime during their trip, please contact a member of the Icelandic club or community in your area. The following is their itinerary: Iceland – Vancouver, BC June 25- July 3 Blaine, Washington July 3 – July 5 Point Roberts, WA July 5 – July 7 Nanaimo, BC July 7 – July 9 Victoria, BC July 9 – July 13 Port Angeles, WA July 13 – July 15 Seattle, WA July 15 – July 21 To Iceland July 21 In Blaine, The four visitors will visit a working cattle and horse farm, enjoy Independence Day celebrations, tour the original Icelandic church, and enjoy a potluck. In Point Roberts they will hang out at the beach and in the evening are invited to a Hawaiian style luau. In Nanaimo, they will watch the Dragon Boat races, have a potluck dinner, will take the short ferry to Protection Island and lunch at the Dingy Dock Pub, barbecue in the evening and lastly drive to the Wild Play Centre and have an opportunity to go on a zip line. In Victoria, they will tour the city and will be wined and dined. Then to Port Angeles with dinner on the beach, then kayak and hike to Marymere Falls and travel to Hurricane Ridge. In Seattle they will take a city tour, visit the Nordic Museum, kayak and canoe, visit the Farmers’ Market, visit Mount Rainier, take an airplane ride, and picnic at a winery with cousins. Then it is home to Iceland. 3 June 2019 Attendees from BC at the Icelandic National League Convention are: From Left to right: Margaret Bjarnason Amirault, Norman Eyford, Peggy Fridriksdottir, Odinn Helgason, Jana Helgason, Heather Alda Ireland, Kristjana Einarsdottir, Fred Bjarnason from the Victoria Club, Inga Henrikson, Lois Turner, Holly Ralph, Ken Johnson and Gerri McDonald. Missing are: Loren Gudbjartsson, Lisa Sigurgeirson Maxx, Terry Stanley and Gail Hnatiuk. The INL Convention 2019 The convention was special because it was the 100th Anniversary of the Icelandic National League (INL). The president of Iceland and his wife were in attendance. Everyone was in a very cheerful mood throughout. The speeches were interesting, as were the sale tables filled with Icelandic wares, the Auction, as it always is, was appealing, the food was good – what more can you ask? – and the people attending were cheery, friendly and interesting. The Annual General Meeting was the best one in 20 years because there was a dispute on the floor regarding a motion being made. Icelanders love to debate and they are quite frank. The discussion regarded splitting the INL into two factions: the Canadian one and the USA one. The basic reason was being unable to attract Charity Status from either the Canadian government or the American government if the INL remained an ‘International’ organization. Therefore, the proposal to split the INL caused much discussion including the statement: ‘Why are we divorcing?’ However, there is to be a central organization which they both belong to and which would be similar to large organization such as the Shriners and union organizations who have societies and institutions in both countries yet have a central core. A vote, with every vote counted, followed with the proposal of the executive being passed. Yes, it was a good convention! - Editor COMING EVENTS June 17, 6 pm onwards Iceland’s Independence Day Scandinavian Centre June 22-23, 10 am Scandinavian Midsummer Festival Scandinavian Centre 4 June 2019 Icelandic Films at The Cinematheque Theatre, June 13-June 28 1131 Howe St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K8, (604) 688-8202. The 194 seat theatre is located in Vancouver’s West End, between Burrard & Granville Streets; cross-streets: Helmcken and Davie Streets. From the Cinematheque Theatre: ‘It is our pleasure to announce that Icelandic Cinema will be screening at The Cinematheque in June! The series, Wayward Heroes: A Survey of Modern Icelandic Cinema is curated by writer and TIFF Programmer Steve Gravestock, and includes classic and contemporary titles.