Through Hell and High Water: A Story of Love and
Courage
The Scandinavian
Cultural Center
proudly presents a free screening of “Through Hell and High Water” on Sunday,
January 28, at 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm. This award-winning documentary tells
the touching love story of Nancy Eide, an 18-year-old Norwegian girl
living in Hammerfest, and
Archie Kelly, one of the
sailors who took part in
the British Navy’s most
daring rescue near the end of
World War II. Their love story highlights courage in the face of adversity and
shows the determination of the human spirit to fight for freedom at all costs.
The film won the Silver World Medal at the 48th
annual Film and Video Competition in New York (Jan 2005), and the Silver Screen Medal at the U.S. International 
Film and
Video Festival in Los Angeles
(Jun 2005).
Nancy Kelly will be present at
the event and will be available to answer questions after each showing.
Refreshments will be available.
Reservations are not required. For more info, contact: Janet Ruud by phone at
253-564-2832 or by email at <ruudj1norw@aol.com>.
Nancy Kelley (nee Eide) at 18
Edvard Grieg in Story and Song
An original concert created by New York’s Marilyn
Vondra is scheduled for Sunday, March 4, at 3:00 pm. The program features seventeen beautiful songs by Edvard
Grieg in their original language (fourteen Norwegian, and three German).
Narration is interwoven throughout the program, providing fascinating
background information about each song. A short biography of Edvard Grieg will
be presented as well as excerpts from his diaries and letters. This is a
must-see concert—one worthy of a standing ovation says those who have seen the
performance. Reservations are not required.
Cost is $5.00 at the door.
Nordic Sweater Exchange
Do you have a Nordic sweater that you just don’t need or
want anymore? Perhaps your children or grandchildren have outgrown the sweaters
they wore when they were younger. You probably paid a great deal of money for
the initial purchase, and may be reluctant to simply give the sweaters away.
Well, we may have the perfect solution. We are planning to host the “Great
Nordic Sweater Exchange” next Fall. You’ll have an opportunity to exchange or
sell your gently-used sweaters in a relaxed, fun atmosphere. You’ll enjoy a
delicious meal, entertainment, and maybe even a fashion show of the available
sweaters. Let us hear from you if such an event appeals to you. Email: youngse@plu.edu or call 253-535-7322.
January/February 2007 Calendar of Events
Exhibits
«Christmas in Scandinavia,
November 19—January 31, Public Hours: Sun 1-4 pm, Tue/Wed 11am-3
pm
(Closing date extended to accommodate the
rescheduling of the annual Nordic Christmas Fest)
Meetings
«Danish
Sisterhood, January 3/February 7, 9:30 am,
253-843-2249
«Hardanger
Embroidery Group, January 10/February 14, 9:30 am, 253-759-7292
«Danish
Sangaften, January 21/February 18, 6:00 pm,
253-984-6700
«Norwegian
Rosemalers Group, January 17, 24, 31/February 21, 28, 9:30 am, 253-841-3392
«SCC
Council and Executive Board, January 22/February 26. Board meets at
4:45 pm in UC 214;
Council meets at 5:30 pm in the SCC.
Classes
«Nordic
Dance Classes, Sundays, February 11-March 18, 2-4 pm. Cost
for 6-week series: $30 per person
Classes taught by Richard and Beverly Smaby. Registration and
pre-payment required—call 253-535-7322
«Intermediate
Norwegian Language Classes, Mondays, 6-9 pm. Contact: Audun Toven (253-536-8392)
«Beginning
Norwegian Language Classes, Tuesdays, 6-9 pm. Contact: Audun Toven (253-536-8392)
«Swedish
Language Classes, Mondays, 6-9 pm.
Contact: Kerstin Ringdahl (253-535-7586)
Major Events
«Nordic Christmas Fest
Rescheduled for January 27, 6 pm
Current ticket holders may
re-register by contacting Janet Ruud (253-564-2832 or <ruudj1norw@aol.com)
or Betty Larson (253-582-9360 or <larsonem@plu.edu>). If you did not have
reservations for December 16th, they will be happy to add your name to the wait
list.
«Though
Hell and High Water, Documentary Film
Sunday, January 28, 3 pm
and 7 pm (See p. 1 for details.)
News and Notes
Welcome New Members! Carol
and Larry Else (Lakewood), Carol and Cortney Erickson (Puyallup), Erik Gracey
(PLU student), David Guilden (Tacoma), Kelsey Hodge (PLU student), Ellie and
John Kahelin (University Place), Jarrod Miller (PLU student), Abbie and Craig
Nelson (Renton), and Diane Nelson (Edgewood).
Nordic Cooking:
Cooking classes are scheduled for March 13, 17, and 22; 10:00 am; $5.00/class. Daughters of Norway, Embla
#2, will provide menus and instructors.
Contact Judith Willison for more info:
253-848-4232 or <jcwillison@comcast.net>
Discover Norway!
Join Nordmanns-Forbundet and the SCC for the hike of a lifetime on The
Pilgrims’ Road (Pilgrimsleden) to Nidaros (Trondheim). The medieval pilgrimage route is
being re-discovered by modern Norwegians, adventurous hikers, and those simply
seeking solitude and peaceful contemplation. Price: NOK 10.500 ($1,700 at
exchange rate July 2006). Contact tour guide Audun Toven for more information:
253-536-8392 or <tovenat@plu.edu>.
From the Director. . .
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas,
surrounded by friends and family. Ben and I traveled to Alaska (of course!) to spend time with our
now two-year-old grandson Braeden. What joy he brings to our family!
It has been quite a year for
extreme weather in the Pacific Northwest. With
flooding rains and devastating winds, some of us had a tough time weathering
the storm. Inclement weather on December 16th required us to postpone the
annual Nordic Christmas Fest—phones were out, internet access was denied, and
despite our best efforts to reach everyone, there were a few who made it to the
event only to find that it had been cancelled. To those folks we extend our
sincere apologies for your inconvenience. The good news is that the event has
been rescheduled for January 27—same time, same place, same program—featuring a
screening of the documentary film, “Finding Thea.” Other holiday events took place as scheduled.
The annual Norwegian Christmas Service was well attended and enjoyed by all.
The Sankta Lucia Fest drew the largest crowd in its history in spite of the
ominous weather predictions! We appreciate IKEA-Seattle for co-sponsoring this
event each year. Our students enjoy traveling to IKEA the day after Lucia Fest
to take part in Lucia Day at the store. Event planner Lisa Woods told us that
this past October, IKEA “conducted an online survey of 1,000 parents of our
Kids Club members, and our Sankta Lucia celebration ranked as the second most
popular children’s event at IKEA-Seattle. We thank everyone at the Scandinavian Cultural Center
who helped make our celebration a huge success!”
Another program, the visit by
Tova Brandt, Curator of Vesterheim Museum, was also a huge success. In
addition to taking her “traveling trunk” of Nordic artifacts to several local
elementary schools, she presented a superb lecture on the history and
interpretation of Nordic immigration at the SCC and other Scandinavian
organizations. Fourth grade teacher and SCC member Katie Anderson wrote: “Thank
you so much for the wonderful traveling trunk presentation. My students learned
a lot and had fun! What a wonderful collection.” The three-day program was made
possible by a grant from Pierce County Arts Commission. We are grateful for their continued support.
The new year brings with it some
exciting changes—some good, some not-so-good. As you may know, the University Center where the SCC is located will
undergo a complete renovation in 2007. The work is scheduled to begin the first
week in April and will be completed the first week in September. That means
that the SCC will be closed during that time. All programming previously
scheduled between April and September will have to be postponed, cancelled, or
relocated. If you or your organization currently have an event scheduled to
take place in the Cultural Center from April to September, please contact me as
soon as possible to see what other arrangements can be made. Phone: 253-535-7349; Email:
<youngse@plu.edu>
The good news regarding the renovation project is that the
director’s office will be relocated to a space adjacent to the Cultural Center, making it possible for me to
work more closely with our docents and to oversee the work of the Center more
efficiently. We will continue to publish the Scandinavian Scene on a
bi-monthly basis to keep you informed about the renovation process and the
status of our events as they unfold. We’ll also bring news from Claudia
Berguson and Kerstin Ringdahl about what is happening in the Scandinavian
Studies Program and the Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection. In the
meantime, I hope you have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!—Susan
***
The Scandinavian Scene (Susan Young, Editor) is
a bimonthly newsletter published for members and friends of the Scandinavian Cultural Center. For membership information, call 253-535-7349
or write to: Scandinavian
Cultural Center,
Pacific Lutheran
University, Tacoma, WA 98447.
Scandinavian Cultural Center
<www.plu.edu/~scancntr>
Executive Board and Council Members
Susan Young
(Director), Gunnulf Myrbo (President), Lisa Ottoson (Vice President),
Karen Giguere (Secretary), Norita Stewart (Treasurer),
Maynard Hedegaard (Activities Group Coordinator), Joanne McDonald
(Outreach Group Coordinator),
Janet Ruud (Services Group Coordinator/Immediate Past President),
Claudia Berguson and Troy Storfjell
(Scandinavian Studies Program),
Kerstin Ringdahl (Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection),
Ed and Betty Larson (Program Committee Chairs), Esther
Hinschberger (Docent Committee Chair),
Kathrina Jaech (Classes Committee Chair), Judy Laursen (Kitchen
Committee Chair),
Audun Toven (Active Member), Julie Watness (Active member),
Douglas Oakman (Dean of Humanities/Advisory Member)
Associate Members
Linda
Caspersen-Andresen, Laila Hansen, Tom Heavey, Carol Kemp, Marge Kunschak,
Ulla
Lindwood, Inge Miller, Gail Sawyer, Nicki Tollefson, Nancy White, Don Wilson
