Syttende Mai, Decorah Style

How will you celebrate Syttende Mai? If you live anywhere near Decorah, Iowa, consider checking out the celebration Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum is planning. It begins with a street dance by the Footnotes, Decorah's old-time Scandinavian dance band, on the evening of Fri., May 17. The celebration continues on Saturday with a children’s parade and family activities. Following the parade, Decorah’s Nordic Dancers will perform on Mill St. next to the museum’s Main Building.

The celebration events are free and museum admission is also free on Sat., May 18. Don't miss the chance to take in the museum's current exhibit, “The Sámi Reindeer People of Alaska,” with gallery talks at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. by Vesterheim curator Laurann Gilbertson. For more information, visit the Vesterheim website.

Looking for a celebration near you? Take a look on page 8 in the May issue of Viking to find more information on some of the largest Syttende Mai celebrations happening on both sides of the pond.

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Photo courtesy of Vesterheim.