Viking Magazine - August 2015 - 8

Nordic Life
Discovering the Vikings
N
umerous sites throughout North
America offer opportunities to
discover new lands, museums and
interesting roadside attractions with
Norwegian-American connections.
According to the U.S. Geological
Survey, 96 sites in United Sates alone
have " Viking " in their names. These
sites, located in 27 states, include:
airports, churches, lakes, hospitals,
parks, islands, schools and towns.
Minnesota has the most with 18,
including the town of Viking in Marshall
County. In addition, there are numerous
sites in North America with Viking
affi liations, such as the Hjemkomst
Center in Moorhead where visitors will
see fascinating replicas of a Viking long
boat, ca. 800 A.D.
Alexandria, Minn., the town that
proclaims itself " the birthplace of
America, " displays the Kensington
Runestone, unearthed by a local farmer
BY JEFF M. SAUVE
in 1898. The rune's inscription purports
to be a record left behind by the Vikings
in 1362, more than a century earlier than
Christopher Columbus' voyage of 1492.
Standing tall in town is " Big Ole, " a
28-foot fi berglass statue of a Viking that
has welcomed road-weary travelers since
1965.
Family car games between sites might
include spotting one of the 2,300 U-Haul
moving vans featuring the runestone
and a long boat. In 2011 Shawn Odden,
president of U-Haul Company of Fargo,
stated, " Now, people all over North
America will have the privilege of seeing
and learning more about this mysterious
stone tablet, and Viking adventures that
could quite possibly rewrite history. "
Jeff M. Sauve serves as an archivist for the
Norwegian-American Hisorical Association
in Northfi eld, Minn.
Norway's Royal Sailors = Norges køngelige seilere
Through late 2015, Oslo
Norway by Photographer Anders
Wilse
The Norsk Folkemuseum is
currently holding an exhibition
celebrating the 150th birthday
of the famous photographer
Anders B. Wilse. A unique aspect
of the exhibit is the extensive
collection of Wilse's original
images. +47 99 35 92 57,
norskfolkemuseum.no
Aug. 6-8, Risør, Norway
Risør Wooden Boat Festival
The coastal town of Risør will
attract thousands of people
this month to enjoy live music,
classic boats and maritime
history at this annual harbor
festival. +47 90 99 57 74,
trebatfestivalen.no
Aug. 13-16, Harstad, Norway
Arctic Race of Norway
Bicyclists wind through the
rugged Nordic landscape
from Harstad to Narvik in a
700-kilometer race north of the
Arctic Circle. letour.com/arcticrace-of-norway
Aug.
22-April 24,
Decorah, Iowa
From Underwear to Everywhere:
Norwegian Sweaters
Explore the history and varied
styles of the internationally
popular Norwegian sweater at
Vesterheim's special exhibition.
563-382-9681, vesterheim.org
SPREAD
THE
WORD
PHOTO COURTESY OF NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOC., NORTHFIELD, MINN.
http://www.letour.com/arctic http://www.trebatfestivalen.no http://www.vesterheim.org http://www.norskfolkemuseum.no
Viking Magazine - August 2015

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