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Hometown 1
Spotli^hJ
_ Celebratipg
Scandinavian
Heritage
Children dressed in traditional
Swedish attire link arms and gaily dance around a
Swedish Maypole at Stockholm Hall while singer
Bjoro Haaland, known as the Norwegian Cowboy,
entertains a crowd at Oslo Hall. All around Norsk
Host lest, America's largest Scandinavian festival, some
60,000 attendees are enveloped by Scandinavian cul
ture as dozens of craftsmen carve Norwegian figures,
design jewelry and spin wool.
"1 look forward to performing here ever}' year because
it's such a friendly environment," says Haaland, one of
several foreign' performers at tile festival; held annually
in Minot, N.D. (pop. 35,617). “Hostfest is as close to
Norway as you can get in America."
The festival, scheduled Oct. 10-14, takes place at
the North Dakota State Fairgrounds,
where buildings bear temporary
names such as the Great Hall of the
Vikings, Helsinki Hall and Leif Eriks-
son Millennium Hall.
The festival’s
name, Norsk Host
fest, translates to
"Norwegian Festival"
and began in 1978 as a one-night
affair designed to help residents
reconnect with their ances-
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HELSETH
More than 38
percent of North
Dakotans claim
Norwegian, Swedish
or some other
Scandinavian
ancestry.
tral roots. Much of that
ancestry dates to the mid-
L 1800 s when Stand i-
navian immigrants
homesteaded across
North Dakota,
where the cold and
snowy climate was
reminiscent of their
A Norsk Hostfest attendee
embraces the Viking spirit.
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native countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Nor
way and Sweden.
“That heritage was being forgotten,” says Norsk
Hostfest Association President Chester Reiten, 82,
whose Norwegian ancestors settled in southeastern.
North Dakota in 1882. “We wanted to revive the
interest.
“1 firmly believe we’ve been successful because we
haven’t strayed from our goal to cherish and preserve
the heritage for present and future gen
erations,” says Reiten, who’s presided
over the festival since its inception and
relies on a volunteer baud of directors,
five employees and 7,000 volunteers.
“Our area lias had many of the same
volunteers for 15 years or more,” says
volunteer Irene Miller, of
Minot. “Tliey do it because
it’s good for our community, and because
it's fun too. It’s like a big reunion every
year.”
Many volunteers are from out of town,
such as retirees Jim and Erna Lowe, who
have driven their recreational vehicle from
Tacoma, Wash., each year since discover
ing Hostfest in 1990. “It’s just an amazing
event, and were more impressed every
year," Jim says. “Were the first RVers on the
grounds. We have met friends at Hostfest
from Alaska to Florida.”
Despite its small-town atmosphere, the
festival’s size and scope surprises many first-
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time visitors. “You can’t possibly see everything in a day
or even two,” says Befit Hessen, 39, a first-time visitor
from New York City.
At the festival’s Scandinavian Kitchen, gourmet
entrees.of breakfast, lunch and dinner are-prepared daily
by executive chefs from Norway and Iceland. In addition,
more than 60 food vendors serve ethnic delights with
tongue-twisting names such as Norwegian wmtegwt, a
rich custard, and nurzariner, a Danish pastry.
Hostfest also spills into the community as
dozens of artisans teach Scandinavian crafts, and
entertainers perform in 18 Minot-area schools and
at youth day camps. “Hostfest in the schools gets
children enthused about their heritage,” Reiten
says. “To keep the heritage alive for future genera
tions, we must encourage interest at a young age.”
Volunteers Jim and Ema Lowe
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*A replica of
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visitors to the
1 Scandinavian Heritage
Parkin Minot,N.D.
Hie festival’s presence even led to
the creation of the five-acre Scandi
navian Heritage Park in 1990. Open
year-round, the Minot park includes
statues, buildings and the national
flags of all five Scandinavian coun
tries. Walking paths in the beauti
fully landscaped park wind around
buildings such as a 220-year-old
house from Sigdal, Norway, a Finnish
sauna, Danish windmill and other
attractions, including a Swedish dala
horse, a waterfall fashioned after those
fcxind in Norwegian fjords, and stat
ues of famous Scandinavians. The
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Always
free
Shipping,