How Swede It Is!

It may be springtime by the calendar, but it’s not official in Stanton, Iowa, until sundown April 30. That’s when a group of men will stroll through the streets singing a Swedish folk song heralding happier days, chirping birds, and budding flowers.

The singing of Skona Maj or Beautiful May has been a tradition in Stanton for 100 years. Donovan Sellergren, 87, knows firsthand about the last 75 and his brother, Leland Sellergren, 86, has harmonized nearly that long. So has cousin Darland Sellergren, 83.

“We don’t know of anyone else in the United States doing this,” says Don Peterson, 76, president of the Stanton Historical Society. “A woman from California heard about us and asked if we had a tape of Skona Maj so her 94-year-old mother could hear it one more time.”

Peterson’s son, Stuart, 47, strolls the hilly streets with his son, Neil, 12. “People want to know where they come from and this is tradition with a capital T,” Stuart says. “It’s one of those things that makes small towns great.”

Neil makes no secret of his favorite part: “free food.” Indeed, food and fellowship go hand in hand in the community of 714, which prides itself on its hospitality and staying connected to its roots. About 60 percent of the residents are of Swedish ancestry and downtown shops display Swedish and English signs: Charkutteriaffar (Model Meat Market); Sakerhet State Bank (Security State Bank), and Susie’s Kok (kitchen), where $3 buys a platter of Swedish pancakes.

Even the skyline shouts V¨alkommen (welcome). The town painted its two water towers to resemble a Swedish coffeepot and coffee cup. The towers honor native actress Virginia Christine, who portrayed Mrs. Olson and dispensed advice to newlyweds in 1960s Folger’s coffee commercials.

Coffee, Swedish coffee cake, salmon, and heaps of hors d’oeuvres greet the singers throughout the evening. Myrna Johnson fills plates at Halland Village, a senior citizen housing complex named after town founder, the Rev. Bengt Magnus Halland. Johnson’s late husband, Bob, was an active member of the chorus.

“I had labor induced so our daughter could be born on April 29,” she says. “Bob couldn’t miss singing. That would have been treason.”

She adds, “This means a lot to us. We want our children to know the traditions and to do them. At home, we do our prayers in Swedish.”

The town celebrates its heritage with festivals year-round. Midsommars Dag (Midsummer’s Day) in June marks the arrival of summer with singing and folk dancing. Svenska skolan (Swedish school) is held in June for children, grades second through sixth, to learn the language, crafts, and culture.

The highlight of the Santa Lucia Festival in December is the crowning of the Santa Lucia queen, a high school girl who marches into the school gym wearing a crown of glowing candles and carrying a coffeepot. She spends the holiday season caroling and visiting homebound residents.

As the evening progresses, singers visit the Stanton Care Center. They stroll around town. Residents step onto their porches to listen. Irene Lindner leans on her walker, smiling. Carl Johnson steps outside.

“I’m a better listener than singer,” he says and claps.

Thirty-five years ago the celebration continued until 3 a.m., says John Schultz, a retired music teacher who directs the group. Farmers didn’t finish in the fields until 9 p.m. so the group started late. Today, few singers farm and they’re getting older.

By 10 p.m., they sing one last enthusiastic round of “Welcome, beautiful May!” and head toward home.

A chill is in the air, but make no mistake, it’s springtime in Stanton, Iowa.

Marti Attoun is a freelance writer in Joplin, Mo.

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