The 2004 7-Lag Stevne in Willmar, Minnesota – July 7 - 10

The 2004 Stevne in Willmar, Minnesota is now a memory of another wonderful few days of renewing old friendships and making new ones, being reminded how proud we are of our Norwegian heritage, and getting some lag business accomplished.

Kandiyohi County, in west central Minnesota, is a Norwegian settlement in this county which started about 1857. This is farming country and the first settlers were nearly all farmers, prompting Amber Waves of Grain to be selected as the slogan for the stevne. This is also lake country, including one that became known as Norway Lake. At one point, the historian Hjalmer Holand described the Norway Lake settlement as “the largest Norwegian settlement in America." The immigrants included a large number from the areas of Norway represented by our seven lags.

This year there was a heavy emphasis on classes, covering genealogy, culture and some history and biography. In addition to 19 classes, an informal workshop on Hardanger embroidery was planned. Some events were for outside the Holiday Inn Conference Center, namely a dinner at church and a history tour. The host for the church dinner was the Calvary Lutheran, about 2 miles from the Conference Center. This church is quite active in honoring the memory of Norwegian immigrants; for the past several years they have held a ‘lille julaften” service, in Norwegian, on December 23rd. They also showcase a dramatic artwork, a woodcarving called Peter denying Christ by renowned Willmar woodcarver Fred Cogelow. The dinner included a tour of the building.

The history tour was arranged in cooperation with the Kandiyohi County Historical Society. The stops were: the Guri Endreasen cabin, the Vikor Church, the Old Log Church, the Knudson cabin, and the East Norway Lake Lutheran church. The log church is a full-size replica of the first church built in Arctander Township. The East Church, where we had lunch, dates from 1875 and is a successor to the log church.

The banquet on Saturday featured a combination plate of salmon and beef, also lefse, and rømmegrøt for dessert. There was old-time dinner music by a local group called the Norsemen. Turning to the convocations, four acts with a strong cultural flavor were scheduled for the entertainment of stevne participants. On Friday evening a duo called HjerteDans performed folk dances from south-central Norway. Also on Friday evening, we were entertained by Eric Bergeson, a singer/story teller/author from northwest Minnesota.

After Lag annual meetings in the morning, on Saturday afternoon we were entertained by an orchestra from Malm, Trøndelag, Norway. They are billed as an harmonica orchestra, but played a variety of instruments and types of music. The final act was Ole and Sven, two gentlemen from Wisconsin who specialize in “Norwegian songs, jokes and other foolishness.” With a guitar as accompaniment, they sing and poke some fun at themselves and others of Norwegian ancestry. Many of the songs are ones they have written themselves, and in some cases they have put new words to old tunes.

The 2005 Stevne will be held at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater from July 13 through the 16th.

SOME PICTURES ARE INCLUDED FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT