...Yeah. Anyway.
THIS YEAR, I had the honor and privilege of attending the 53rd Annual Scandinavian Festival, held in Junction City, Oregon, which is about twenty minutes away from where I live, so not too far. This wasn’t my first time at the festival; I had gone three years before with my family. But we had only come for one of the four days and only for a few hours, so I don’t remember much about it.
This festival is a big deal. Everyone involved is really into it, and people come from all over the world to participate. One of the
reasons why I enjoyed it so much this year was because my best friend and
writing partner, Katie, performed Scandinavian dancing and during her breaks
was able to walk around with me and show me the sights.
Oh, but
where do I begin? With the smell of
aebleskivers, I suppose, since it was one of the first things I noticed. Ha ha.
Everything I ate at festival was great.
The aebleskivers, the sausage and mushroom pies, the Swedish meatball
pockets, the elephant ears…I’m getting hungry just sitting here thinking about
them!
The booths
and other shopping venues were also fantastic.
I spent a lot of money, I’ll admit.
If I could offer one piece of advice to anyone who is planning on
attending next year…don’t come with an empty pocketbook! I bought a t-shirt, jewelry, (food), books,
and more. The festival spans a few
blocks of Junction City, and most of the stores remain open during the four
days, so I had the opportunity to check out those as well. My favorite had to be Max Porter’s, a
coffeehouse. The Hazelnut Mocha is a-mazing!
I have to mention
that the weather was exceptional, too.
If it was any warmer or humid, I don’t think that my experience would
have been as enjoyable!
My bestie
did an amazing job with her dancing group.
I wish I would have taken more good pictures and videos, but alas. There is always next year.
Speaking of
next year, I have to confess that I am indeed inspired. I am *this close* to joining a local dance
group so I can dress up and perform next year. I do have quite a bit of Norwegian in me, so I am relevant!
At the very least, attending the festival has inspired me to resume work
on Fleur Valse…
…Well. We’ll just have to see where the wind takes
me, I suppose. :-)
‘Til the
next post!
