BREAKING NEWS
Return here often for the latest information
on activities planned for the Centennial Celebration!
May 7, 2016
Governor Dayton Proclaims May 7, 2016, as Bygdelagenes Fellesraad Day.
May 1, 2016
Centennial Speakers
Thursday Reception
Doug Ohman
Norwegian Images in Minnesota
Travel with Photographer & Story Teller, Doug Ohman. Doug uses his camera to
tell the story of Minnesota history. The program will focus on a variety of Norwegian
sites he has photographed along the back roads, small towns and neighborhoods
of the state. He will share stories along with photographs the highlight the
richness of Norwegian history & culture.
Friday Opening Session
John R. Christianson
“Janteloven” – Is That What It Means to Be Norwegian?
Janteloven (the Law of Jante) says, “Don’t think you’re so great!” Is that what it
means to be Norwegian? Or are we the opposite: the GREATEST?
Saturday Banquet
US District Court Chief Justice John Tunheim
Essential Relationships Between Norway and the United States
John R Tunheim graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota
and University of Minnesota Law School. He was appointed a United States
District Judge taking his oath of office in December 29, 1995. From 1994-1998,
he served as the Chairman of the U.S. Assassination Records Review Board, an
independent federal agency responsible for reviewing and facilitating public disclosure
of previously classified government records related to the assassination of
President John F. Kennedy. He has also invested a significant amount of time in
international rule of law development. Countries he has worked in are: Pakistan,
India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives.
Session Speakers and their Subjects
Lynne Beck
Future of printed materials in academic libraries (Friday)
Betty A Bergland
Enduring Ethnicity—Two Approaches (Friday)
Ida Marie Bringedal
Contemporary art scene in Norway (Saturday)
Gary DeKrey
The Future of Ethnicity in the Twenty-First Century (Saturday)
Knut Djupedal
Ingrid Semmingson Library at the Norwegian Museum of Migration (Friday)
Story of the Bygdelag and the Founding of the Norwegian Emigrant Museum (Saturday)
Bradley Ellingboe
The Contributions of Norwegian Immigrants to the Musical Life of the United States. (Friday)
Laurann Gilbertson
Norwegian Folk Art in America: Past, Present and Future (Saturday)
Dennis Gimmestad
Enduring Ethnicity—Two Approaches (Friday)
Gracia Grindal
Early Norwegian American Leaders as Exemplified by Linka Preus and Elisabeth Koren (Friday)
Øyvind Gullikson
Strength, Grace & Skills of Norwegian-Americans (Friday)
Elaine Helgeson Hasleton
Twenty First Century Norwegian Family Research Melding old and new (Friday)
Barbara Horn
Preparing for a research trip in the 21st century – Getting the most out of your time and tools (Friday)
Terje Mikael Hasle Joranger
American, Norwegian, or Sogning? Norwegian-American Identity Formation in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (Friday)
A Sense of Place: Norwegian-Americans in the Upper Midwest (Saturday)
Karen Humphrey
Bringing Families Together: Historical Societies, Archives, and the 21st Century (Friday)
Jean Knaak
Norwegian Heritage, Research Skills and the Future (Friday)
Fredrik Larsen Lund
The Norwegian archival system including information about various relevant services
and sources for Norwegian- American family history (Friday)
Finding Family in Norway: What You Should Know Before You Travel. (Saturday)
H Christine Midelfort
Enduring Ethnicity—Two Approaches (Friday)
Marvin Slind
The Cultural, Social, and Economic Dimensions of Norwegian Immigration to America (Friday)
Marilyn D Somdahl
Fellesraad - An Abbreviated History (Saturday)
Marilyn Sorensen
Norwegian Heritage, Research Skills and the Future (Friday)
Fellesraad - An Abbreviated History (Saturday)
Johnathan Storlie
DNA impact on Norwegian Family History Research (Friday)
Garth Ulrich
Canadian research for Norwegian family history. (Friday)
April 14, 2016
Book Signing at Norway House
Join us at NORWAY HOUSE on SUNDAY, MAY 8th at 1:00 pm for a book reading / book
signing with national award winning and New York Times bestselling author, Neal
Bascomb. Mr. Bascomb’s newest book, The Winter Fortress , tells the true tale of
one of the greatest feats of sabotage during WWII the destruction of the heavy
water plant in Telemark Norway.
March 13, 2016
Lena and Ole Build a Lag Cabin
Lena and Ole will be featured in “Lena and Ole Build a Lag Cabin at the
centennial reception on Friday evening, May 6 at 7 pm. This humorous skit has
been developed for this occasion and will be very special. The location is the
Doubletree by Hilton in Brooklyn Center. Attendance is included with all paid
registration fees for the conference.
February 20, 2016
Norwegian Bunad Parade
There will be a Bunad Parade at the banquet on Saturday, May 7, at the Fellesraad Centennial at
the Earle Brown Center. Many areas of Norway will be represented so there will be a large array
of colors and styles. All individuals who have bunads may participate if they are registered
for all day Saturday. There will be a meeting scheduled on Saturday, May 7, to go over the
staging with the time of the meeting available at the registration desk. When registrants sign
in for the conference, they will also to sign in for the bunad parade and prepare their
information card for the bunad show.
February 9, 2016
Norwegian Glee Club Sings
The Saturday luncheon will feature the Norwegian Glee Club of Minneapolis. This
is a Member Chorus of the Norwegian Singers Association of America, bringing the
musical treasures of Norway to the American public and reminding us of our great
Scandinavian heritage.
The Norwegian Glee Club was formed on August 7, 1912, by
the remaining members of two other choruses: the Norwegian Good Templar Singing
Society and the Hugnad Male Chorus. The chorus continues the Norwegian-American
tradition of men’s singing choruses, which is a part of our great Norwegian
choral tradition.
January 27, 2016
Poster Exhibit Secured For Thursday and Friday
New Land, New Life: Norwegian Immigration in Minnesota: 1825-1925 will be
on display Friday, May 6, during the Fellesraad Centennial Celebration. It is
a poster display about immigration of people to Minnesota from Norway from 1825-
1925. It shows a time line starting with Eric the Red and Leif Eriksson, moving
on to settling in the 1880s. It shows maps where high concentrations of
Norwegians settled. The series of twenty panels depicts the first 100 years of
Norwegian immigration in Minnesota. It is lent to the centennial celebration
and is a collaboration of RCHS and the Synnove-Nordkap Sons of Norway Lodge.
January 14, 2016
"A View from My Heart" Exhibit - Thursday and Friday
"A View from My Heart", a special display from Norway of Norwegian landscape and wildlife by
photographer Øystein Johnsen will be exhibited on Friday, May 6 at the Fellesraad Centennial.
Please take the time to view this display. For more information go to
oystein-johnsen.com/.
December 7, 2015
Stoughton Norwegian Dancers to Entertain
During the Saturday morning session (currently scheduled for 9:50 am) we will have a chance to
watch the Stoughton Norwegian Dancers put on a
display of folk dances and music. These twenty-four talented high schoolers are well known for
their prowess in the art of folk dancing.
Those who have seen them before will tell you that it is not an
experience you would want to miss. Read more...
Saturday - Now Includes a Norwegian Day Camp
Youngsters from 5-16 are encouraged to come along with their parents/grandparents to the
Centennial Celebration on Saturday, May 7th.
The $60 registration fee includes all materials, lunch and snacks. It also covers admission to the Friday evening reception and Saturday evening banquet.
This special day of activities designed especially for the 'next generation' begins at 8 A.M.
and ends at 5:00 p.m. We'll start things off with the Stoughton Norwegian Dancers, who will
teach us a Norwegian folk dance. We'll then have a getting-to-know-you session, learn a little
Norwegian history, and sing some Norwegian folk songs. After sharing a special lunch together,
we'll fill the afternoon with games and crafts…and a visit from a ventriloquist!
Centennial Celebration on Saturday, May 7th.
The $60 registration fee includes all materials, lunch and snacks. It also covers admission
to the Friday evening reception and Saturday evening banquet.
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