October 2004

Minutes of the September Lodge Meeting

The meeting was called to order at 7:15 p.m. by President Erv Staveteig. 21 members were present. The three national anthems were sung, Canada, U.S. & Norway.

The treasurer, Betty Collins, reported that there is $1103.96 in the treasury. Linda Staveteig reported a $118.00 rebate to the treasury for membership. The report was approved as submitted.

President Erv Staveteig reported that he had several new prospects for membership and that he would like to plan a breakfast with sponsors for the prospects.

Inga Kerns talked about her trip to Norway with the Salvation Army Scouts. She will present a program in November.

Doris Witt announced that used phone cards are now being collected along with cancelled stamps for Tubfrim. She asked that members bring their stamps to the October meeting.

DuWayne Sheldon reported that Sons of Norway had a display at the rededication of the McHenry Township facility. Member news included the fact that Margaret Hagemoe had sent the lodge a postcard from Norway and that Cathy Nolan had won 2nd place for the POSTEN newsletter for District 5.

Erv Staveteig reported that the Stoughton Norwegian Dancers would like to perform in McHenry County. They charge $500 so tickets would have to be sold. The lodge thought that we could possibly arrange a venue next year in October.

Peter Strand reported on the Norge Ski Jump. The winter jump will mark the 100th Anniversary of the Jump and the Norwegian Ski team and the King of Norway have been invited to attend. Our lodge would like to be included in some way, possibly for a flag ceremony or some other volunteer work.

Erv Staveteig reported on the Inter-national Convention where he was a delegate from District 5. 170 delegates attended. Of note is that our SON Fraternal Insurance has a surplus and is in strong shape with their annuities, in contrast to a lot of other organizations.

Harold Norbrothen won the Uff Da Drawing of $7.50.

The meeting was adjourned at 8 p.m. followed by a slide presentation from Jim Thompson on his trip to Norway and Denmark.

Respectfully submitted, Catherine Nolan, Secretary

Ann Btrannvoll of Suedsmo, Norway, who co-owns the horse with two other people, agreed that the donation was fitting. Windsong made a three-wide move in the stretch and captured the $1,000,000 race by 1 length over the favorite, Tom Ridge.

Named after one of the greatest trotters of all time, the Hambletonian Stakes is considered the tour de force of harness racing. A popular facet of horse racing, harness racing involves a horse pulling a "sulky," or cart, ridden by a driver. The prize for the Hambletonian is the most coveted in the sport, and also the most expensive, valued at $1.2 million. The race was begun in 1926 and was originally run in Syracuse, N.Y, but in 1957 it was moved to DuQuoin, IL and remained there until 1981 when it was moved back to the East Coast to The Meadowlands track. While in DuQuoin, many great champions of that era affixed their place in the trotting firmament by way of impressive victories. Southern Illinois in late summer can be hot and humid, with thermometer readings of 100 degrees not uncommon. Combined with the mile clay track at DuQuoin, it was perfect setting for trotting speed. Stake and world records were set and reset no less than a dozen times at DuQuoin, several times on the same afternoon. In the first heat in 1978 Speedy Somolli trotted the first 1:55 race mile in history. Remarkably he lost the second heat by a nose to Florida Pro in an identical 1:55, and required a third heat to win the day.

Every year, in the week before Labor Day, the country fair venue of DuQuoin became the focus of the sport for horsemen, members of the media and fans from across North America and Europe.

After our Pot Luck dinner, served at 6:30 p.m., get ready to be entertained by Eric as he tells us about his life as a feature writer. Eric is the person, you may recall, that defended the Vikings in an article when Mel Gibson commented about the Vikings pillaging and speaking in strange guttural tongues. Previously Gibson had also stated that he needed a strict moral code or he would turn into a Viking pig. Our own Erv Staveteig was also quoted in Eric's article, saying "I just sort of disregard some of that stuff, all that, to me, is almost mythology."

Congress proclaimed Leif Erickson Day to honor the man who sailed to Newfoundland Canada, almost 500 years before Columbus. L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, marks the earliest known European settlement in the New World. The site looks pretty much like it did in 1000 AD when Vikings from Scandinavia and Greenland landed in North America.

Leif Erickson was born about 960 AD in Iceland. The tradition of the Vikings was to have the son grow up in another family and from the age of 8; Leif studied Russian, Celtic, Reading and Writing. His first voyage was at age 24 to take gifts to the King of Norway where King Olaf found Leif liked to play chess and would challenge him to games.

Leif was not very religious but he could recite all the Norse sagas which influenced his adventures. He is thought to be the first European to set foot in the New World.

On the Viking Trail: Travels in Scandinavian America explores many of Scandinavian-American spots with warmth and humor. Author Don Lago is determined to combat the phenomenon of American immigrants and their descendents often forgetting the lands from which they came. He visits Norwegian Vesterheim, but also two fairy-tale California towns; the Danish Solvang and the Swedish Kingsburg. He meets Icelanders in the Utah desert, visits historic Bishop Hill in Illinois and even takes in the giant coffeepot that looms over Stanton, Iowa, the hometown of Mrs. Olson in the old Fogler's Coffee commercials. Lago makessearching for ethnic identity into something both interesting and fun. (Look at library for ISBN 0-87745-892-8)

Norwegian athletes brought home five gold medals and one bronze from the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. This is the best result from Summer Games for Norway since the 1920 Olympic Games. On the Medals Table, Norway ranks number 16, and is ahead of Sweden which ranks 19th. Of the other Nordic countries, Denmark ranks 37th and Finland 62nd.

Thorkildsen's win in the javelin final was the biggest surprise for Norway of the Athens games. Other medal winners were: Sailing: Siren Sundby, gold in the women's Europe class final. Mountain Bike: Gunne Rita Dahle, gold in the women's final. Rowing: Olaf Tufte, gold in single sculls for men. Canoeing: Veraas Larsen, gold in K-1 1000m men's final. Canoeing: Veraas Laarsen and Nils Olav Fjeldheim, bronze in the K-2 1000m final. Javelin: Andreas Thorkilsen, gold in men's final.

Norway ranked 2nd in Gold medals per million population in 2004, The Bahamas was ranked first with one Gold medal for a population of a little over 3 million.

Don Rude, International Youth Director is searching for classrooms that would like to set up pen pal classrooms in Norway. If you know of a school who would be interested, email the address and grade to Don as soon as possible. This will be on a first come, first served basis.

1. A rat can last longer without water than a camel.
2. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.
3. A duck's quack doesn't echo. No one knows why.
4. During the chariot scene in "Ben Hur," a small red car can be seen in the distance (and Heston's wearing a watch).
5. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily!
6. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.
7. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan. There was never a recorded Wendy before.
8. If one places a tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death.
9. Bruce Lee was so fast that they actually had to s-l-o-w film down so you could see his moves. That's the opposite of the norm.
10. The original name for butterfly was flutterby.
11. The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.
12. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.
13. Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.
14. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.

Visit the Art Nouveau Museum in Ålesund to learn more about the town's unique architectural history. After the great fire in 1904, which destroyed 90% of the buildings, the city was totally rebuilt in the Art Noveau style. The myriad of turrets, spires and beautiful ornamentation gives the town its distinctive fairytale-like character. For more information visit www.jugendstilsenteret.no

New Scandinavian Cooking is a beautifully shot 13-part TV series focusing on modern Scandinavian cooking. Andreas Viestad brings his mobile kitchen to Norway's fjords, cities and countryside where he prepares delicious food in the great outdoors.

His backdrops are breathtaking vistas of the spectacular Norwegian landscape. New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad airs on public television stations nationwide beginning May 3, 2003.

Andreas brings a truly fresh approach to cooking, weaving traditional Scandinavian ingredients into modern recipes that are fun and simple to prepare. Combining the elegant simplicity of Provencal and Tuscan cooking with the northern ingredients of his native Norway, Andreas demystifies cooking and makes it fun as he prepares dishes with a history dating back to the Vikings. In the series, Andreas introduces the audience to some exciting techniques, but he always makes sure that every dish can be made in an American kitchen.

New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad is also more than just a cooking show. It is a rich visual tour of Scandinavian cuisine, culture and history, overflowing with Andreas' remarkable knowledge and passion for eating and living well. Acting as both chef and guide, he brings the viewer on an eye-opening voyage as he travels through Norway with his mobile kitchen.

Andreas Viestad is an award-winning food journalist and author of cookbooks in Norway. His profound culinary expertise is informed by history, literature, music and international affairs - all areas he has covered as a journalist for leading Norwegian newspapers and radio. In April 2003, his first English language cookbook Kitchen of Light-New Scandinavian Cooking with Andreas Viestad will be published in the U.S. by Artisan Publishing.

Combining new, culinary experiences and armchair tourism in one program, New Scandinavian Cooking with Andreas Viestad promises not only a different style of cooking, but a guided tour of Norway, renowned for its breathtaking landscapes.

New Scandinavian Cooking is supplied by Nett-TV AS and presented by American Public Television (APT). For more information on program schedules, please check your local listings at www.pbs.org. To see a trailer and learn more about the program, visit www.scandcook.com

Tubfrim needs your used stamps and telephone cards. They gratefully accept all types of used stamps which are sold to philatelists and dealers all over the world. They are also happy to receive stamp collections, old envelopes, covers and postcards. If envelopes, postcards, etc. are more than 50 years old, do not cut off the stamp but send the entire envelope/postcard.

Tubfrim sells the stamps and cards, the proceeds of which help handicapped children and youth and also finances tuberculosis research.

Each year Tubfrim has approximately half a million Norwegian kroner for this purpose. You can bring your stamps to the next Sons of Norway meeting where Doris Witt will be collecting them. Most of the stamps are shipped to Norway by Star Shipping and DFDS Transport free of charge. You may also send your stamps and cards yourself to: TUBFRIM, NO-3540 Nesbyen, Norway. Sons of Norway has helped collect stamps for over 50 years.

Norway may again have been ranked as the best place to live in the world, but the capital, Oslo, is a reminder that this honor often comes at a certain cost. Oslo and Paris are ranked the most expensive cities in Europe according to a new survey carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Oslo is also challenging Tokyo and Osaka for the dubious honor of being the most expensive spot in the world. Copenhagen is behind Oslo in 5th place. Two factors are behind the latest changes in rankings, the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar and new price levels for goods and services.

Ole decided to buy Lena a new car for her birthday. They shopped and shopped and finally Lena found one she liked. But before signing the papers, Lena looked at the car one more time. Suddenly she bristled and walked away, saying she didn't want the car. She wouldn't even talk about it.

On the way home, Ole said, "Vell, Lena, I tot yew liked dat car. Vat changed your mind about it?"

"Ole, I yust don't vant any car vit XL on it," Lena answered. "It's bad enuff having dat on my underwear."

Submitted by Erv Staveteig

www.sofn.com is the Headquarters Page. It is linked to Web Pages in Norway and to genealogy sites there and here in U.S.

It is also linked to the District 5 site at http://members.aol.com/john1307/index.html. Here you can click onto other lodges in District 5 or on to Fjordland Lodge.

Sons of Norways misjon er å fremme, ivareta og på lang sikt verne om norske og andre nordiske kulturtradisjoner, samtidig som organisasjonen får vokse og utvikle seg som en broderskapsforening med maksimal hjelp og støtte til alle medlemmer.

Har du hørt?	Jokes
Note from the Librarian	Newsbriefs
Litt på norsk	Fun & Games

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