Early June

From goats to golf and Nationaldagen, there are a variety of things going on this week. 

  • HRH Princess Estelle on National Day 2016 (too bad she and the goat probably aren't headed for Al Johnson's Roofing of the Goats later this week ....) Photo Kate Gabor/Kungahuset.se
  • It June! See the listings below (and www.nordstjernan.com/calendar) for current events; you can also check here if you are looking for National Day events on and around June 6.

  • Learn to make the classic Finnish karjalanpiirakka pastry with the Swedes at ASI. Photo by Jarno Elonen/Wikimedia
  • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 - IT'S SWEDEN'S NATIONAL DAY!
    Minneapolis, MN
    Nordic Table Workshop: Karelian Pastries, 6:30-8:30 PM
    Learn to make the classic karjalanpiirakka pastry from the Karelian region of Finland in this hands-on class. Often described as the national dish of Finland, these pastries are loved as a breakfast or light lunch, and they make a unique summer brunch or a great picnic. This event is held at the Lake Calhoun Whole Foods Market Teaching Kitchen. $45/ASI members, $55/non-members. For more info: 612.871.4907 / emilyk@asimn.org / www.asimn.org

  • Best-selling author Jan Brett captures the mischievous nature of Tomten, along with Henny and Hedgie. Her recognizable watercolors with needlepoint patterned borders capture the humor and playfulness of the tale in the beauty of a Scandinavian farm.
  • THURSDAY, JUNE 7
    Seattle, WA
    Nordic Storytelling: Hedgie's Surprise, 10-11 AM
    Join the first Nordic Stories in the new Nordic Museum! This storytelling-and-crafts program for preschool-aged children and their grown-ups, is returning to the original 10 a.m. start time with Hedgie's Surprise by Jan Brett. For more info: 206.789.5707 / www.nordicmuseum.org

  • 2018 Jenny Lind scholar, soprano Kine Sandtrø. Photo folketshusochparker.se
  • Annual Raoul Wallenberg Dinner, 5:30 - 8 PM
    The 23rd Annual Raoul Wallenberg Dinner honors the memory of the Swedish architect, businessman and diplomat who saved thousands of Jews from the Nazis. Wallenberg served as Sweden's special envoy in Nazi-occupied Budapest from July to December, 1944, during which time he issued protective passports to Jewish persons and sheltered Jews in Swedish-territory buildings, saving tens of thousands of people from deportation to concentration camps. Wallenberg was detained by the Soviet Army in 1944, and reportedly died in a communist prison in 1947. Nordic Museum, 206.789.5707 / www.nordicmuseum.org/wallenberg

  • Wallenberg was born in 1912 and disappeared in January 1945, when he was taken by Soviet troops. He was never found.
  • FRIDAY, JUNE 8
    Chicago, IL
    Annual Golf Outing, 11:30 AM - 8:30 PM
    SACC Chicago cordially invites you to the Annual Scandinavian Les Nelson Foursome Scramble and Barbeque at the Arboretum Club. The Golf Classic and Barbeque offer individuals and companies an exceptional opportunity to network with colleagues, clients and friends. For more info: 312.257.3002 / sacc@sacc-chicago.org / www.sacc-chicago.org

  • The Raoul Wallenberg Memorial in Stockholm, Sweden. Photo courtesy of pntphoto/Pavel Trebukov via Creative Commons license
  • Philadelphia, PA
    A Summer Evening of Song, 7:30-9 PM
    The 2018 Jenny Lind scholar, soprano Kine Sandtrø, will perform songs from 1850, the year Jenny Lind herself sang at Gloria Dei (Old Swedes) Church in Philadelphia. This is the first stop for the Jenny Lind scholar on her U.S. tour. Suggested donation: $20/adult and $10/student (proceeds benefit historic preservation work at Gloria Dei Church and the mission of the Augustana Institute.) For more info: 215.389.1513 / preserveoldswedes@gmail.com / www.preserveoldswedes.org

  • Door County, Wisconsin's Swedish restaurant Al Johnson's is known for - among other things - the goats on its sod roof.
  • West Newton, MA
    Screening: Maj Doris, 6-8:30 PM
    Maj Doris is a documentary that follows the 74-year-old legendary Sámi woman Maj Doris Rimpi. Twenty years ago she travelled around the world and experienced a lot, and nowadays she lives alone on a farm above the Arctic Circle in Sweden. She keeps reindeer but she’s also a sought-after artist, painter and actress (e.g. Sámi Blood 2016). Last winter was filled with hard work and she almost gave up, and though she got some unexpected help, does she have the energy to continue like this? Scandinavian Cultural Center, 617.795.1914 / www.scandicenter.org

  • SATURDAY, JUNE 9
    Sister Bay, WI
    Roofing of the Goats, 10 AM - 4 PM
    The Annual Roofing of the Goats Parade and Festival kicks off tourist season in Door County: The parade moves along HWY 42, then to Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant and Butik, where some of the goats go up to the grass roof, inaugurating yet another season of goat-watching. (It you don’t see them at the parade or when you dine at Al Johnson’s, they can be viewed all season on the online streaming-video Goat Cam: www.aljohnsons.com/goat-cam Then, this year's Goat Parade will be followed by Al Johnson's 3rd Annual Goat Fest, at Stabbur Beer Garden next door to the restaurant at 10698 N. Bay Shore Drive. Goat Fest starts at 12:noon and will feature live music, fun kids' games, various beverages, special food dishes and a Swedish Pancake-Eating Contest. Other downtown Sister Bay businesses are offering their own festivities and specials. For more info: 920.421.1589 / www.aljohnsons.com

  • West Newton, MA
    Oskar Stenmark Trio, 1-2:30 PM
    The Scandinavian Cultural Center welcomes back Oskar Stenmark and his trio, performing “In My Grandmother’s Footsteps.” They have toured areas of the U.S., like Stenmark’s grandmother did in 1956. Sixty-two years later he revives the music, this time with special guest and Boston local Bruno Råberg on bass. Polskas, waltzes and folk songs are mixed with improvisation, a contemporary expression and sounds from New York. This event is co-sponsored by Boston chapter of the Swedish Women’s Education Association. For more info: 617.795.1914 / kerry@scandicenter.org / www.scandicenter.org/event/fika-sound-series-oskar-stenmark-trio

  • Minneapolis, MN
    Nordic Table: Summer Strawberry Cake, 2-4 PM
    It’s time to make jordgubbstårta, a multi-layered sponge cake filled with whipped cream and strawberries, a traditional centerpiece of the Midsommar table. This class shares the tips and tricks of pulling off a beautiful cake worthy of any summertime occasion. And of course there is tasting, too: full-sized and mini strawberry cakes. This is a family friendly course, ages 10+. $45/ASI members, $55/non-members. American Swedish Institute, 612.871.4907 / emilyk@asimn.org / www.asimn.org

  • ONGOING and SOON in Mystic, CT
    The Vikings Begin: Treasures from Uppsala exhibit. Priceless treasures, including helmets, shields, weapons, glass, and thematic sections on Viking warfare, trade, the Baltic Sea, a ship burial, Norse gods, and relations to other cultures employ rare archaeological finds in the discovery of how this maritime society lived more than a millennium ago. On exhibit through September at Mystic Seaport. 860.572.0711 / info@mysticseaport.org.

  • Mystic is also the U.S. home of the Viking ship Draken Harald Hårfagre, which may soon be taking another tour along the Atlantic Coast. Stay tuned! www.drakenhh.com