Viking Magazine - November 2018 - 33

in membership, growing from
69 members to 76. " I believe it's
important to sign up new members,
as the [current] members are getting
older. Right now, we have members
from age 1 to 97, " says president Ida
Pedersen, who encourages members to
bring family and friends to meetings,
advertises in the local paper and invites
potential new members to social events,
such as the Syttende Mai and Sankt
Hans celebrations.
Fjeldheim 2-047 in Bend, Oregon
According to lodge membership
secretary Joy Mosier, November and
December are prime months to attract
new members, thanks to Fjeldheim
lodge's two open-to-the-public holiday
events. An annual Scandinavian
Christmas market in November allows
members to sell their new and gently
used Scandinavian items. A couple of
weeks later in December, the lodge
transforms into a bazaar where lefse,
cookies and breads are sold to a
backdrop of festive music and décor.
This event is what led Stacie Johnson
to join Fjeldheim in December 2017.
Paying homage to her Swedish heritage,
she wants to " suck up as much culture
as [she] can, " attending social dinners,
participating in cookie baking classes
and hoping to lend her musical talents
to the group. " All of my Swedish family
was across the country, and I never
really got to know my grandparents, "
Johnson says. " Now I have about 35
Scandinavian grandmothers to fill in
the blanks! "
Those " grandmothers " are part of a
250-person membership-30 of which
joined in 2018. " New members have
fresh ideas, and we welcome those ideas
and suggestions to garnish our longstanding
traditions, " Mosier says. " Our
goal is to have everyone in town know
who we are and that we've been here
for more than 100 years. "
Norden 2-002 in Tacoma, Washington
Quinn Balstad grew up, literally,
with Sons of Norway. Part of a folk
dance group for a Portland, Oregon,
lodge since the age of 3, she officially
became a voting member at 16. Balstad
even met her husband, Erick Balstad,
through the organization. After they
married, she moved her membership
to Tacoma's Norden lodge No. 2, of
which she is now president. " When I
joined, the total aspect of the lodge was
different, " she says. " It was the go-to
place. Now, with so many places to go
and things to do, we have to come up
with a 'wow' factor to compete. "
Through events like pannekaker
breakfasts and Swedish folk dancing
lessons, the lodge of 336 members
continues to find success with
recruiting, adding an additional three to
five members every couple of months,
Balstad estimates.
Pam Larsen is one of those members.
Wanting to learn more about their
Scandinavian heritage and share it
with their children and grandchildren,
she and her husband, Steve, joined
nearly two years ago after meeting
Balstad through their boating club and
attending the lodge's annual Julebord
dinner. Since then, they've committed
wholeheartedly to the organization,
with Pam serving as social director
and Steve sitting on the board for
Normanna Hall, the lodge's home base.
" There is so much to gain by joining
an organization with people who have
the same interests as you, " Larsen says.
" I hope we are giving back to the lodge
as well through our service and making
it stronger. "
Norden
sonsofnorway.com VIKING NOVEMBER 2018 33
Fjeldhelm
Norden
Fjeldhelm
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - November 2018

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