Scandinavian Festival returns April 18-19
Family friendly event features food, music, crafts
More activities then ever are being offered for children including a soccer clinic, a Swedish-style croquet game, drama, storytelling and crafts ranging from carving butter knives to making lace.
Photo: Erik Hagen(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – March 31, 2009) The sound of dancing feet, the mouthwatering aroma of food and the laughter of children will fill the air when the Scandinavian Festival returns to California Lutheran University April 18 and 19.
The family friendly event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day with food, entertainment and demonstrations highlighting the Nordic cultures of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.
This year the organizers are eliminating the entrance fee for children 11 and younger and holding the price at $5 for visitors 12 and older in face of the increased economic challenges people are facing.
Opening Saturday, April 18, with the traditional colorful parade of flags featuring Scandinavian dignitaries and Old World costumes, the 2009 festival will continue with ongoing music, dancing and lectures. More activities then ever are being offered for children including a soccer clinic, a Swedish-style croquet game, drama, storytelling and crafts ranging from carving butter knives to making flower head wreaths. Visitors can explore Viking and Sami villages, participate in medieval games, and view exhibits on the Nobel and Kavli prizes. Shoppers will be able to choose from a variety of Scandinavian handicrafts and feast on a smorgasbord of Nordic delicacies.
The Scandinavian Center on campus will be open from 2 to 6 p.m. Scandinavian artifacts, books and art will be on display and free coffee and cookies will be served.
Lutheran pastors from Scandinavian churches throughout the Southland will lead a worship service on Sunday, April 19. Prayers, hymns and liturgy will be presented in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and English. Denmark native Torkil Hammer of Newbury Park will provide accompaniment on a Scandinavian nyckelharpa.
Founded by a Swedish-American professor and Norwegian-American administrator 35 years ago, the festival showcases Scandinavian culture and the CLU campus and pays tribute to the Scandinavian roots of the school. The university’s founding in 1959 had been the long-standing dream of Scandinavian immigrants, and it was built on land donated by the son of Norwegian pioneers. The cultural celebration has expanded from 600 participants at the inaugural event to more than 6,000 visitors last year. The Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation sponsors the festival with support from the Barbara Osher Pro Suecia Foundation and several other organizations.
The university is located at the corner of Olsen Road and Mountclef Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. For more information, visit http://www.callutheran.edu/scanfest, e-mail lana@tripnet.se or call (805) 216-3373.