The members of the Embla Lodge of Daughters of Norway have decided to fill the gap left by the cancellation of this year’s Scandinavian Heritage Festival.
The local lodge will host a one-day Nordic Festival on Saturday at the Mountain View Lutheran Church Community Center in Edgewood.
In recent years, the Scandinavian Heritage Festival coincided with Oktoberfest Northwest at the Puyallup Fair & Events Center. Because of rising costs, the festival organizer opted to cancel this year’s event.
“(Lodge members) decided we can’t let our fall go by without having some sort of Nordic event to celebrate our heritage,” said Mardy Fairchild, chairwoman of the event. “We decided it meant enough to keep our culture alive to do the event ourselves.”
Fairchild said there has been some sort of fall Nordic celebration for at least the last 30 years. If this year’s event proves popular enough, the lodge will continue to host its event, even if the heritage festival returns, she added.
“We’re really committed to making sure our heritage is alive and well and celebrated in our community,” Fairchild said.
Saturday’s event features almost 20 vendors, selling items such as knitted items, Finnish quilts, Scandinavian antiques, rosemaling items and Viking drinking horns.
Among the food items for sale will be traditional Scandinavian fare like meatballs and split pea soup. There will be pastries such as julekake, a braided Christmas bread made with different fruits and cardamom, and krumkake.
Entertainment will be provided by the Nordic Spirit, the Normanna Men’s Chorus and the lodge’s all-women Norwegian folk dance group.
In addition to free parking and admission, the festival will include hourly drawings for merchandise and products from participating businesses and Nordic organizations. Raffle tickets will be $1 each.
The festival will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at its community center, 3505 122nd Ave. E., Edgewood. For details, call 253-302-5110.
Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 Jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com
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