Vesterheim Museum

at the 42nd annual Decorah Nordic Fest

Click here for a detailed schedule of Vesterheim events at Nordic Fest.

Decorah’s 42nd annual Nordic Fest kicks off with opening ceremonies on Thursday evening, July 24, and runs through Saturday, July 26, 2008.

Vesterheim will have special events all day on Friday and Saturday, July 25 and 26, as well as an Old-Time Gospel Hymn Sing on Sunday, July 27, at 10:30 a.m.

Vesterheim’s National Exhibition of Folk Art in the Norwegian Tradition will be on view in the Hauge Gallery of the Westby-Torgerson Education Center from July 19-26. This exceptional exhibition of knifemaking, rosemaling, weaving, and woodworking by some of the best contemporary artists working in the Norwegian folk arts will be open for viewing from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, during Nordic Fest. Many of the pieces will be for sale by silent auction.

Nordic Fest is a great time to check out the museum’s special exhibitions Kubbestol: From Seating to Symbol and Fire and Wood, on view in the museum's main building.

Other highlights of Vesterheim activities at this year’s Nordic Fest include:

• Demonstrations by artists, including—
Vesterheim folk-art instructors from Norway and America
Living Heritage demonstrators
Vesterheim Gold Medal winners
Oneota Weavers Guild

• Children’s original theatre production, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Art, with Decorah’s Upstart Crow Theatreworks

• The Commonweal Theatre Company performing scenes from Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler

• At the Vesterheim canopy, sponsored in part by Decorah Sons of Norway Valdres Lodge #1-503—
My Norwegian Trunk of Memories with Karen Teslow, Decorah. Stories and items from days gone by.
Johann Svensen and the News from the Old Country with Peter Jorgensen, Decorah. Is Scandinavian humor an oxymoron? You might say it’s not after you hear Johann Svensen’s up-to-the-minute news from Denmark, Mexico and who knows where and the goings on with Lars, Anna Katrina, Mogens, Ole, Sven, and Lena.
Storytelling and Children’s Activities Sharon Rossman, Decorah, will read the Jan Brett book Trouble with Trolls.

• Special Presentations—
The Inside Story of Outhouses with Ron and Freda Nowland, La Crosse, Wis. A nostalgic look back at a little building familiar to previous generations. Humorous stories, historical facts, and pictures of many outhouse styles combine in this illustrated talk.
Timeless Tales of the Ancient Norse with Dag Rossman, Decorah, Iowa. Norse myths and folklore put us in touch with the world of our ancestors and help us understand what they thought it meant to be human.

Vesterheim Folk-Art Banquet during Nordic Fest
Everyone is invited to the annual Folk-art Banquet on Friday, July 25, at the Hotel Winneshiek in Decorah. There will be a social hour with a cash bar at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. The cost is $25 per person. Call Vesterheim at 563-382-9681 to make reservations.

Check here for information about the Sixteenth Annual Vesterheim Rosemaling Raffle—a beautiful bowl, hand-turned by Paul Loftness of Gibbon, Minn., carved by Vesterheim Gold Medalist Becky Lusk of Coon Valley, Wis., and painted by Vesterheim Gold Medalist Jean Simonson Giese, of De Soto, Wis

To learn more about other aspects of the fest, call the “troll-free” hotline at 1-800-382-FEST, or check out the Nordic Fest website at www.nordicfest.com.