JUNE 16, 2016 // 17
16 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Heritage,
family and fun
‘WE HAVE A VERY
STRONG SCANDINAVIAN
COMMUNITY HERE, AND
PEOPLE ARE PASSIONATE
ABOUT SHARING THOSE
TRADITIONS.’
2016 Astoria
Scandinavian
Midsummer
Festival Court
Miss Scandinavia 2015
Meisha Boettcher
Meisha is the daughter of Gary and Ingrid
Boettcher. She is a senior and the valedictorian at
Knappa High School. She plans to attend Western
Oregon University and get her bachelor’s degree
in criminal justice to become a police oicer. She
works as a tour guide at High Life Adventures and
volunteers at the Clatsop County District Attorney’s
Oice. She will inish her reign as Miss Scandinavian
2015 during the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival
Coronation, when she will crown Miss Scandinavia
2016.
at the Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival
By DAN HAAG
From June 17 to 19, the Astoria
Scandinavian Midsummer Festival will
transform the Clatsop County Fair-
grounds into a wonderland of Nor-
wegian, Finnish, Danish and Swedish
culture.
Now in its 49th year, the festival
celebrates the Scandinavian cultural
inluence in Astoria and the surrounding
area. It’s also a big party showcasing the
convivial spirit Scandinavians brought
to the shores of the Columbia River,
complete with authentic attire, a royal
court, a beer garden, Vikings and food
galore.
So welcome, or, as the Finns would
say, tervetuola!
Preserving heritage
With nearly 50 years under its
belt, the festival’s main mission is the
preservation of the Scandinavian culture
and heritage of the North Coast. While
the North Coast has been inluenced
signiicantly by a variety of immigrant
groups over the years, a large portion
came from Scandinavia. Their descen-
dants continue to reside here.
“We have a very strong Scandina-
vian community here, and people are
passionate about sharing those tradi-
tions,” says Janet Bowler, entertainment
coordinator for the festival.
Not being Scandinavian doesn’t
mean you can’t enjoy the proceedings.
Bowler sees the festival as an educa-
tional opportunity for those unfamiliar
with that part of the world. “People
should think of it as a chance to expe-
rience Scandinavian culture without
buying a round-trip ticket to Europe,”
she says.
Saara Matthews, a former festival
junior Miss Finland and Scandinavian
dancer, feels the event evolves with
its surroundings. “I think it’s changed
as Astoria has,” she says. “Originally,
it was very much rooted in the strong
local Scandinavian and Finnish pop-
ulation of our area. We still draw on
that local crowd but get a lot of other
visitors since Astoria has because such a
popular place.”
2016 Astoria
Scandinavian
Midsummer
Festival Court
Susan and her husband
have three children: Devin, Wyatt
and Reanna, who was Miss
Junior Court Chaperone Denmark in 2013. Susan is the
Susan Jackson daughter of Bev Hoofnagle, who
is the Senior Court Chaperone.
She has been in the Viking Nordic
Dancers for over 30 years.
Bev has been involved in
the Scandinavian Midsummer
Festival and the Viking Nordic
Dancers since 1983. She and
her husband, Dave, have three
Senior Court Chaperone children; their daughter, Susan,
Bev Hoofnagle is the Junior Court Chaperone.
2016 Astoria
Scandinavian
Midsummer
Festival Court
2016 Astoria
Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival
Junior Court
Crown Bearer
Junior Miss Iceland
Luke Patterson
Ava Dawn Thornton
Luke is the son Kelley and Melissa Patterson.
He has two brothers, Zachary and Kellan, and a
twin sister, Delaney, who was Junior Miss Iceland
last year. Luke enjoys playing football and basket-
ball. He is also in the second year of 4-H, where
he will be showing rabbits and a market lamb. He
likes to hunt, ish and hike with his family.
Ava is the daughter of Ryker and Missy Thorn-
ton. Ava is in third grade, and she enjoys soccer,
basketball, baseball and ballet. She loves animals
and loves playing with her dog, time with friends,
singing, acting, rollerskating and swimming. Her
mother was Junior Miss Iceland in 1982, and Ava is
excited to follow in her footsteps.
‘A cultural oasis’
Organizing three days of dancing,
performances and games is no small
task: There are 16 different groups in
multiple venues providing a weekend’s
worth of entertainment for hundreds of
festival-goers.
Bowler points to the beer garden as
a hub of fun and entertainment. Hosted
by the Astor Street Opry Company, the
venue hums, and Bowler says it’s often
standing-room only. “It’s great spot to
stop and relax if you’re tired of danc-
ing,” she says.
A particular point of pride for Bowl-
er is the three musical trios performing
at this year’s festival: one each from
Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Each is
comprised of professional, classically
trained musicians who have garnered
multiple accolades: The Danish group
has received the European equivalent of
18 Grammy awards.
The Royal Court is a big piece of the
cultural puzzle.
Every year, the various Scandinavian
lodges of Astoria pick a high-school-
aged girl to represent their heritage.
These young women then spend the
majority of the year visiting with the
community and promoting the festival.
Abbie Johnson, Junior Miss Norway
in 2003 and both Miss Norway and
Miss Scandinavia in 2014, feels the
Royal Court is a vital element of the
festival.
“Being Miss Scandinavia is an
incredible opportunity to represent the
entire Scandinavian community as a
whole,” she says, adding that many
princesses have followed in their
mother or sister or aunt’s footsteps,
even wearing the same authentic
costumes passed down through their
families.
Attendees are noticing the effort
put into carrying off a well-rounded
event, as evidenced by comments made
2016 Astoria
Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival
Senior Court
2016 Astoria
Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival
Senior Court
2016 Astoria
Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival
Junior Court
2016 Astoria
Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival
Junior Court
Senior Miss Sweden
Senior Miss Norway
Junior Miss Sweden
Junior Miss Norway
Megan Sweet
Megan McCall DeVos
Sienna Barnes
Hailey Svensen
PHOTOS BY JOSHUA BESSEX
Above: Torch bearers will lead the way
to the bonire Friday night.
Left: Festival goers dance during the
Queen’s Ball at last year’s Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival.
‘Working together’
of the dishes honor people who
helped the festival.
“Many of the recipes are based
on people who are no longer with
us but worked very hard on the
festival,” she says. “They used
their own recipes with a pinch of
this and some of that, nothing
PHOTO BY JOSHUA BESSEX written down. This is a way of
Joanne Petersen Imamura was Miss Denmark preserving these things.”
in 1972.
Picking a favorite dish is one
of the harder choices of the week-
by visiting Danish entertainer Harald
end, with four different lodges offering
Haugaard last year. He has made the
a variety of foods. And that’s not even
rounds of cultural festivals in Europe
taking into account the full meals, such
and declared that Astoria’s is among the as the beef dinner put on by the Olney
best in the world.
Grange.
“He called our festival a cultural
Matthews says repeat festival-go-
oasis,” Bowler says. “He enjoys coming ers use the opportunity to stock up on
back ... and encouraged us to keep it
favorite dishes. “I know I have a check
going.”
list of foods I try to eat,” she says.
“Sometimes I’m disappointed at the end
Bring your appetite
when I know I missed something and
Festivals and food go hand-in-hand,
it will be another year before I have a
and the menu at the Scandinavian
chance.”
Midsummer Festival promises to fulill
Be warned: Bowler says that mod-
the heartiest of appetites. There’s no
ern clothing and traditional costumes
shortage of culinary choices: Finnish
alike start feeling a little tight after
rice pudding; Danish meatballs and red
three days of partaking. “They might
cabbage; Swedish pea soup; Norwegian it really well at the beginning of the
potato lefse.
weekend, but I think our waistbands
Food is a big part of Scandinavian
are pushing the limit at the end,” she
identity. Matthews points out that many says.
How does a small-town festival stay
relevant for 49 years?
“This festival requires all of your
senses,” Johnson says. “You can taste
the food, listen to traditional music, look
at the beautiful Scandinavian costumes,
and feel the heritage.”
While great entertainment and deli-
cious food are huge selling points, the
festival is deeply rooted in a sense of
ancestral and communal pride.
That extends to passing on pride in
such things as family recipes and tradi-
tional costumes.
“The passion for preserving Scandi-
navian heritage is passed from gener-
ation to generation, especially in this
community,” Bowler says.
Matthews agrees, adding that the
festival also serves as a reunion of sorts,
a place to visit with friends and family
not seen since the previous year.
Johnson, born in 1996, has attended
every festival since, while Matthews
began attending at age 5.
Mostly, it’s a time to celebrate a
connection to the past and the future of
a close-knit community.
“It’s about people working hard to
put on an event and hoping everyone
has a good time,” Matthews says. “It’s
all volunteer work and working togeth-
er. I think this is carried over from the
immigrants who moved here.”
Megan’s parents are Chad and Denele Sweet
of Seaside. She is a junior at Seaside High School,
where she is involved in the symphonic band. She
also played soccer, participated in track and has
been involved in 4-H. She is a dance teacher and
an Encore Dance elite gymnast. She has enjoyed
her time on the Scandinavian Court meeting new
people and has become close friends with the
other girls on the court.
Megan is the daughter of Jonathan and
Michelle DeVos. She is a senior at Astoria High
School, where she is the head captain of the AHS
Dance Team, team president of Business Leaders
of Tomorrow and junior leader of the 4-H group
Black Sheep. She also works for Kids Care. In the
fall she will attend Western Oregon University,
majoring in business management and dancing on
the university’s dance team. When she was a child,
Megan would help her Papa make luteisk — but
she’s never had a desire to eat it!
Sienna is the daughter of Kristen Sodervick,
Eric Lane and Adam Barnes; her grandparents are
Nancy Lane, Bob Lane, Scott McMullen, Phyliss
Mattix and Paula Harvey. Sienna is in third grade.
She is a member of the Viking Nordic Dancers and
also enjoys gymnastics and rollerblading. This year
she has enjoyed learning about her heritage.
2016 Astoria
Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival
Senior Court
2016 Astoria
Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival
Senior Court
2016 Astoria
Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival
Junior Court
2016 Astoria
Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival
Junior Court
Senior Miss Finland
Senior Miss Denmark
Junior Miss Finland
Junior Miss Denmark
Kaisa Israel
Kaitlyn Landwehr
Lillian Helligso
Ashley Lacy
Kaisa is the daughter of Kent and Brittany
Israel of Astoria and Linda Israel. She is a junior at
Astoria High School and is on the varsity basketball
team and equestrian team. She also competes
and shows at the Clatsop County Fair, showing her
horse and swine. She has traveled to Finland to
visit her grandparents and loved being able to see
them. She would love to be able to go see them
again.
Kaitlyn is the daughter of Keith and Mindy
Landwehr. She is a junior at Knappa High School,
where she is class president, plays volleyball and
basketball, and is on the equestrian team. She has
been involved with the Scandinavian Midsummer
Festival her entire life; she was once Junior Miss
Denmark. She will graduate in 2017. Kaitlyn plans
to attend college and receive an educational
degree in art and eventually become a high school
art teacher.
Lily is the daughter of Ryan and Brandi
Helligso; her grandparents are Larry and Deanna
Hellisgo, Roxanne Fluhrer and the late Dale McGin-
nis. She is in second grade and is active in dance at
Maddox Dance Studio in ballet, tap, hip-hop and
acrobatics; she has performed in “The Nutcracker”
as well as the Missoula Children’s Theater. Lily is
also a Brownie Girl Scout and enjoys reading and
writing stories in her free time.
Hailey is the daughter of Adam and Melissa
Svensen; her grandparents are David and Judy
Nygaard and Tom and Jackie Svensen. Her
great-grandparents are Martin and the late
Doris Nygaard, Ron and the late Anita Angberg
and Dorothy Nadon. Her younger sister is Kilee
Svensen. Hailey is a irst grader, and her activities
include dance, tumbling, soccer and baseball. Her
mother was Junior Miss Norway in 1991, and her
grandmother Judy Nygaard was Miss Scandinavia
in 1973.
Ashley is the daughter of Mark and Kathryn
Lacy, and she has ive brothers and sisters. Ashley
is in third grade and enjoys playing basketball,
dancing with the Viking Nordic Dancers and
reading. She lives on a farm with a large number
of pets and livestock and is part of the Black Sheep
4-H Club. Ashley enjoys time with her dogs, cats,
horses, alpaca and goats. Her grandparents are Rod
VanSon of Ilwaco, Washington, George and Kay
Lacy of Hayden, Idaho, and the late Gwen VanSon.