Vesterheim Events Schedule

at the 44th Annual Decorah Nordic Fest

July 23-24, 2010

Click here to print out a PDF schedule of the Vesterheim Nordic Fest events.

General Museum Information


Vesterheim Museum’s Main Building
At 520 W. Water St. Open 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., Thursday-Sunday (9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. all other days), admission to the Main Building is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65+, and $5 for children ages 7-18; free on Thursday.

Vesterheim’s Open Air Division
Open Friday and Saturday, 12:00 - 4:00 p.m., tour on your own, no admission fee. Guided tours of the Open Air Division on Thursday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.

Vesterheim’s Bauder-Landsgard Collections Study Center
Behind-the-Scenes Guided Tours at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, free-will donation. There will be a sign-up sheet in the Westby-Torgerson Education Center, limit 20 people per tour.

18th Annual Vesterheim Rosemaling Raffle
A bowl hand-turned by Paul Loftness, carved by Becky Lusk, and rosemaled by Jean Simonson Giese. Tickets on sale in the Hauge Gallery of the Westby-Torgerson Education Center and the museum stores. Drawing at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday in the Hauge Gallery. Need not be present to win.

 

Demonstrations, Displays, and Sales:

All open 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday, unless otherwise noted.

Museum’s Main Building
Vesterheim Museum Store, open 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Thursday-Sunday (9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. all other days), First Floor. Sweaters, jewelry, folk art, cooking supplies, books, and more
Richard Enstad, Eagan, Minn.: Ropemaking (periodically Friday and Saturday), First Floor
Beatrice Hole, Eden Prairie, Minn.: Psalmodikon, First Floor
Sue Flanders, Crystal, Minn., and Janine Kosel, St. Louis Park, Minn.: Co-authors of Norwegian Handknits, book signing (periodically Friday and Saturday), Museum Store
Laurie Lee, Mankato, Minn.: Viking Knit Jewelry, Second Floor
Oneota Weavers Guild, Decorah, Iowa: Spinning and Weaving, Third Floor

Westby-Torgerson Education Center

  • Folk Art Supply Shop (First Floor):
    Open 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Thursday-Sunday (9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. all other days). Featuring books and supplies for rosemaling, woodworking, and other folk arts.
    Sue Flanders, Crystal, Minn., and Janine Kosel, St. Louis Park, Minn.: Co-authors of Norwegian Handknits, book signing (periodically Friday and Saturday)
    Howard Amundson, Minnetonka, Minn.: Painting with “Traditions” brand acrylic paint (periodically Friday and Saturday)
  • Woodworking Classroom (First Floor):
    Rebecca Hanna, Decorah, Iowa: Woodcarving (Saturday 12:00-2:00 p.m.)
    Lindsay Lee, Decorah, Iowa: Birch Boxes (Friday only)
    Becky Lusk, Coon Valley, Wis.: Figure Carving (Saturday only)
    Ellen Macdonald, Decorah, Iowa: Chip Carving (Saturday only)
    Harley Refsal, Decorah, Iowa: Figure Carving (Friday only)
    Bob Shervey, Barret, Minn.: Knifemaking (Friday 12:00-2:00 p.m.)
  • Ethel Kvalheim Classroom (Third Floor):
    Else Bigton and Phillip Odden, Barronett, Wis.: Acanthus/Dragon-Style Carving
    Gene and Lucy Tokheim, Dawson, Minn.: Ceramic Turning and Knifemaking
  • Gold Medalists Classroom (Third Floor):
    Ribbon-Winning Rosemalers Vesterheim Sales Shop, staffed by Nisse Rosemalers, Postville, Iowa
    Jean Giese, DeSoto, Wis.: Telemark-style Rosemaling (Friday 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.)
    Patti Goke, St. Cloud, Minn.: Vest Agder-style Rosmaling (Friday 1:00-3:00 p.m.)
    Pam Rucinski, Seymour, Wis.: Hallingdal-style Rosemaling (Friday 3:00-5:00 p.m.)
    Nancy Schmidt, Waukesha,Wis.: Os-style Rosemaling (Saturday 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.)
    Sara Tollefson, Preston, Minn.: Valdres-style Rosmaling (Friday 1:00-3:00 p.m.)
    Lois Mueller, Platteville, Wis.: Gudbrandsdal-style Rosemaling (Saturday 3:00-5:00 p.m.)
  • Lila Nelson Weaving Classroom (Third Floor):
    Oneota Weavers and Spinners Guild, the Decorah, Iowa, area: Weaving and Fiber Art

Open Air Division and Museum Lawn
Skjaldborg, Elk Horn, Iowa, Viking encampment and entertainment with full Viking combat demonstrations. Skjaldborg means “fortress of shields.” (Sponsored by Voltmer, Inc., Decorah)
Sam Shoults, Knox City, Mo., “Yrsa” Viking Ship Replica, with which Shoults has had many adventures, including sailing down the Mississippi River. (Sponsored by Viking Bank &Trust, Decorah)
Carl Homstad, Decorah, Iowa: Woodcut Prints
Shirley Longfellow, Black Canyon, Arizona: Photographs
Living Heritage Demonstrators (Sponsored by Madison TorskeKlubben):
Jasper Bond, Sauk Rapids, Minn.,: Pottery
John Drewes, Red Wing, Minn.: Leather Craft/Knifemaking
David Johnson, La Crescent, Minn.: Making Dovetailed Chests
Tom Latané, Pepin, Wis.: Blacksmithing
Paul Loftness, Gibbon, Minn.: Wooden Plate and Bowl Turning
Jim Van Hoven, Scandia, Minn.: Chair Making

Performances

Vesterheim’s Bethania Lutheran Church, 113 N. Mill St. (upper level)
Friday at 3:00 and 3:45 p.m. and Saturday at 3:00, 3:45, and 4:30 p.m.
The Secret Life of Trolls—Theatre performance by Decorah area young people inspired by the much-maligned creatures, trolls. Sponsored by Sons of Norway, Valdres Lodge #1-503; T-Bocks (Mike and Dominique Bockman); Beta Sigma Phi Beta Tau; Helen Basler; Sondra and John Carver; Betty and Larry Danielson; Duane W. Fenstermann; Karen and James Gray; Jon and Mary Hart; Marilyn Wahlberg; David and Brenda Carlson; Bob and Marilyn Larson; and The Depot Outlet.

Decorah’s United Methodist Church, 302 W. Broadway (lower level)
Friday and Saturday
1:00 p.m. Troll Tales Old and New—Dag Rossman, Decorah, Iowa. Hear Dag’s exciting tales and learn the truth about the trolls that inhabit so many Scandinavian myths and folktales, both traditional and literary.
2:00 p.m. An Apple a Day and Other Old Home Remedies Howard Amundson, Minnetonka, Minn. Born in a poor area of Northern Minnesota after the Depression, Howard entertains with his memories of home medical remedies.

Vesterheim’s Amdal-Odland Heritage Center, 523 W. Water. St.
Friday and Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Viking: The Replica Ship that Sailed the Atlantic in 1893 Lorraine Straw presents a visually rich PowerPoint presentation about the replica Viking ship that sailed from Norway to Chicago for the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. Straw is from Oregon, Illinois, and the ship is currently located in Geneva, Illinois.

 

Special Exhibitions:

National Exhibition of Folk Art in the Norwegian Tradition
Open Saturday, July 17, through Saturday, July 24, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. in the Westby-Torgerson Education Center. Annual exhibition of the finest American artists working in the Norwegian tradition. All exhibition pieces that are for purchase will be sold by silent auction. All bids must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. Saturday, July 24. Visit the exhibition for details. Free admission. Sponsored by Kate Rattenborg of Decorah and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Pieces of Self: Identity and Norwegian-American Quilts
Museum’s Main Building. Expressions of family, religious, and ethnic identity in quilts from Vesterheim’s collection.

2010: The International Year of the Nurse
Museum’s Main Building. Featuring WWII, Red Cross, and Deaconess nurses.

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>.