Celebrating Scandinavian Heritage

by Candice Helseth

Children dressed in traditional Swedish attire link arms and gaily dance around a Swedish Maypole at Stockholm Hall while singer Bjøro Haaland, known as the Norwegian Cowboy, entertains a crowd at Oslo Hall. All around Norsk Høstfest, America's largest Scandinavian festival, some 60,000 attendees are enveloped by Scandinavian culture as dozens of craftsmen carve Norwegian figures, design jewelry and spin wool.

"I look forward to performing here every year because it's such a friendly environment,” says Haaland, one of several foreign performers at the festival, held annually in Minot, N.D. (pop. 35,617). "Høstfest 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 Eriksson Millennium Hall.

The festival's name, Norsk Høstfest, translates to "Norwegian Festival” and began in 1978 as a one-night affair designed to help residents reconnect with their ancestral roots. Much of that ancestry dates to the mid-1800s when Scandinavian immigrants homesteaded across North Dakota, where the cold and snowy climate was reminiscent of their native countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

"That heritage was being forgotten,” says Norsk Høstfest Association President Chester Reiten, 82, whose Norwegian ancestors settled in southeastern North Dakota in 1882. "We wanted to revive the interest.

"I firmly believe we've been successful because we haven't strayed from our goal to cherish and preserve the heritage for present and future generations,” says Reiten, who's presided over the festival since its inception and relies on a volunteer board of directors, five employees and 7,000 volunteers.

"Our area has had many of the same volunteers for 15 years or more,” says volunteer Irene Miller, of Minot. "They 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 discovering Høstfest in 1990. "It's just an amazing event, and we're more impressed every year,” Jim says. "We're the first RVers on the grounds. We have met friends at Høstfest from Alaska to Florida.”

Despite its small-town atmosphere, the festival's size and scope surprises many first-time visitors. "You can't possibly see everything in a day or even two,” says Berit 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 rømmegrøt, a rich custard, and mazariner, a Danish pastry.

Høstfest 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. "Høstfest in the schools gets children enthused about their heritage,” Reiten says. "To keep the heritage alive for future generations, we must encourage interest at a young age.”

The festival's presence even led to the creation of the five-acre Scandinavian Heritage Park in 1990. Open year-round, the Minot park includes statues, buildings and the national flags of all five Scandinavian countries. Walking paths in the beautifully 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 found in Norwegian fjords, and statues of famous Scandinavians. The park also is home to the Scandinavian Heritage Center, which serves as the headquarters for Norsk Høstfest, the Minot Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Scandinavian Heritage Association, and a gift shop specializing in Scandinavian items and North Dakota-made products.

Of course, it's still the allure of Høstfest that keeps thousands of visitors coming to Minot each October.

"You certainly don't have to be Scandinavian to enjoy coming,” Reiten says. "What keeps people coming back is our small-town feeling and Midwestern friendliness.”

Visit www.hostfest.com for more information.

Candice Helseth is a freelance writer in Minot, N.D.

first appeared: 9/17/2006