SynNor Brevet. January January Lodge Meeting: Tuesday, January 10, 2017 Member Book Reviews! Number 17:01

Transcription

1 SynNor Brevet Published monthly by Synnøve-Nordkap Lodge #1-008 January 2017 Number 17:01 District 1 Lodge of the Year 2013 and Family Lodge of the Year 2006,2008, 2014 and 2015 January Lodge Meeting: Tuesday, January 10, 2017 Member Book Reviews! Read any good books lately? Are you looking for something to read while sitting by the pool in Florida, Arizona, California, or Texas? How about a good book to read instead of watching the snow pile up outside? Nothing worth watching on TV? Immerse yourself in a good mystery and stay up past the 10:00 p.m. news. Join us at our January lodge meeting when we review and recommend several new and not so new books that have ties to Scandinavia and/or Scandinavian authors. We ll provide you with a great list of choices for your winter reading. Come and get better acquainted with some of your fellow lodge members - see and hear what they are reading and continue the conversation by sharing one of your favorite books over coffee and goodies! We will have 7 lodge members reviewing 8 books: JoAnn Hogenson - A Man Called Ove Joanne Englund - Coya Come Home Harry Thomsen - From Day To Day: The Cocentration Camp Diary of Odd Nansan Millie Hartleben - The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth Of The Scandinavian Utopia Maureen Austinson - The Daughter's Walk and The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Ran Away Axel Torvi - To Siberia Dianne Anderson - Yes Chef Power Point slides will highlight each book as it is being reviewed. The brief descriptions of the books are intended to stir up conversations over coffee and/or lead to more questions from our members to ask the reviewers about the books. There will also be a hand-out with the reviewed books and other books which have been recommended by others.

2 Scandinavian Culture and News By Don Halvorson Bergen and the Hanseatic League One popular destination for tourists traveling to Bergen, Norway is a stop at the Bryggen and its restored old wharf buildings that once housed the medieval merchants and tradesmen of the powerful Hanseatic League. This league was an attempt by German tradesmen banding together to protect and control their commercial interests along the Baltic coast and beyond. By the 13 th century these small groups of German tradesmen (Hansa in German) began to form guilds. To corner the trade even further, guilds grouped together to form the Hanseatic League. During the last decade of the 12 th century, Danish and Norwegian crusaders passing through Bergen discovered large numbers of dried stockfish-spring and winter codthat had been shipped down the west coast to Bergen from northern Norway, and seasonally sold in the city market place. Soon the Germans began to arrive there to trade. At first the traders came to Bergen in the buying seasons only, but around 1259 some began to stay over through the winter. According to an ordinance drawn up by the medieval North-West German city league, the traders stay was considered legal under Norwegian law. In addition, they were also granted extra privileges. From its central location in Lubeck, the League established over 200 market towns, and set up offices at four permanent trading centers: Bruges, London, Novgorod and Bergen. Bergen is the only site left of this once dominant league, and it alone remains a window into what a medieval style of living looked like. Very few coins changed hands during the transactions. The northerners sold their goods to the league, and received a fixed amount of credit in return. The commodities traded were mainly stockfish, cod liver oil, hides, furs, butter and tallow. With the credit they received, they could obtain grain, flour, malt, salt, beer, hops, hemp, cloth, hardware and glass. Religious artwork meant for the church may have also been acquired. From Bergen most of the purchased goods were shipped to continental Europe where they were sold in other Baltic market towns. Medieval life at the Bryggen was spartan. Life there was completely patriarchal. Every member was single, and it would remain that way as long as he was at the Bryggen. There could be no contact with any women in town, or with anybody else outside the Bryggen. The members lived in the long rows of houses next to the water, which were called tenements. Each tenement held 5-10 houses. A shared space in each tenement had a shed and a hoisting boom facing the water. The Hanseatic League lasted for two centuries, and the Bergen Office endured for 150 years longer. The trading was good for both parties. Without the League, the northerners could not have survived through the hard times. As for the league, they were able to monopolize the market of fish, fur and other items only found in the north and introduce it to mainland Europe. Marco Trebbi The Hanseatic Museum and Schøstuene Bergen 1996 Synnøve-Nordkap Lodge normally meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month, usually at 7:00 PM at Gustavus Adolphus Church 1669 Arcade Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota (use the South entrance) Web Page: On Facebook, look for Synnove-Nordkap Junior Lodge: see Online photo album: For information, contact one of our officers. (See back cover for list.) Sons of Norway International: SynNorBrevet, Synnøve-Nordkap Lodge, Issue Page 2

3 Lodge News Fra Presidenten Godt Nyttår! And Happy 2017 New Year to you. We have a new year, some new Lodge members, some new board members, and a different Synnove-Nordkap president Sharon Amann. A hearty Thank You goes out to Ron Stow for his outstanding leadership as president. He has steered this Lodge to many wonderful things during his tenure: 2 Family Lodge of the Year awards, the truly stellar New Land, New Life project that keeps on providing vigor to other Lodges, the upcoming International Sons of Norway Conference in 2018, and so many other events. He will remain an active board member as our Counselor also as he also assumes his role as District 1 Vice-President. Mange Tusen Takk, Ron! I thought our Julebord was a resounding success. Each December we outdo the previous ones! We had lots of wonderful Scandinavian foods with a few other tasty additions. Thank you so much, Members, for the time, effort, and $$ spent to come together to make this one of the highlights of our Lodge year. The team that came early to set up, the hard-working kitchen crew, and the great cleanup group (many of whom did all three) deserve our heart-felt thanks. I look forward to serving you over the next two years with the help of our wonderful board. This body is the spark that decides on programs, events, and activities. We welcome and encourage suggestions. Also know that ANYONE can attend board meetings, and we encourage you to do so. We look forward to a fun Our board is considering several ways to get more members involved in more Cultural Skills activities. We are also anticipating the fun annual February Event of Chili Dump / Movie night. Stay tuned for more about that! Blessings, Sharon Sunshine News HELP US KEEP TRACK OF OUR MEMBERS! Mary Beth Mutchler is our sunshine person. If you know of someone who is sick, had surgery, etc., please call her at or her at mbe43@q.com and she will send a card from the lodge. Also, if your phone, , or address change, please let us know at or dmutchler@q.com. - Thanks! SynNorBrevet, Synnove-Nordkap Lodge, Issue Page3

4 Lodge News Board Meeting Minutes, 1 November, 2016 Attendees: Ron and Susan Stow, Laura Sherman, Lynn Hoffmeyer, Sharon Amann, Dianne Anderson, Pat Carlson, Dave and Mary Beth Mutchler, Chuck and Jean Draheim. After a warm-up quiz, we reviewed the November lodge meeting. Corrie Knutson is a lively presenter, and Rachel Jensen was reserved at first, but then gave a wonderful and informative Hardanger fiddle concert. The church s changes to the sound system took us by surprise, but Chuck has a meeting with them soon to resolve our issues. We previewed the December Julebord. Sharon said that there are only a few openings in food items, so things are looking better. We re fortunate to have the barbershop quartet coming; it looks like a fun evening. Regarding officer nominations for 2017, Sheryl Hove has graciously returned to help co-lead the language class. Laura gave a brief financial report. She will be writing a $100 check to Ski for Light again this year. Ron, Lowell, and Chuck will look into getting a grant from headquarters to present a wood carving workshop next year. Susan gave a brief Junior Lodge report. They have been busy with fun quizzes on Norway, and had a baking day for Christmas cookies. On Sunday, December 11, the Peer Gynt Dancers will perform in the St. Paul European Christmas Market at the Union Depot from 1-2 PM. They plan to dance again in the St. Paul Winter Carnival Parade on January 28. Ron reported on the preparations for the 2018 SON International Convention in Minneapolis. Dennis Rusinko of Syttende Mai lodge, Claudia Bomier and Diane Halvorson of Vennekretsen, and Ron and Susan for our lodge will be leading the planning for this event. Our lodge will be in charge of coordinating the Folk Art exhibit. Dianne said that she has seven people set to report on books with Scandinavian themes at the January meeting. It sounds like it should be an interesting and informative program. Tolly Vollen, District 1 Sports Director, will be organizing a District 1 bowling tournament at Treasure Island casino. We adjourned with some wonderful Christmas treats that Susan had prepared. The next board of directors meeting will be held at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, January 3 in the Board Room at the Roseville library (2 nd floor in the back). Submitted by: Dave Mutchler, Secretary Lodge Meeting December 13, 2016 About 75 lodge members and guests attended our December Julebord. As usual, there were lots of Scandinavian goodies to sample, thanks to the food items donated by our members. We started off with hors d oeuvres, followed by the dinner itself. We then took a break for a very brief business meeting to approve our nominated list of officers for We thank Sheryl Hove for her willingness to help with the language classes. Dianne Anderson previewed the 5 minute book reports on a Scandinavian authored book to be done at our January meeting, It should be an interesting program. President Ron Stow gave his greetings to all and his thanks to the Board for their contributions and asked Roger Bosmoe, who is a member of our lodge, to introduce the rest of the barbershop quartet Autumn Serenade. We were treated to their renditions of a number of familiar songs of the Christmas season. Our thanks to the member who donated this program. Having had a bit of time for the food to settle, we then had dessert from the dessert table. Tusen takk to all the people who brought things to share at the Julebord. Submitted by Dave Mutchler, Secretary SynNorBrevet, Synnøve-Nordkap Lodge, Issue Page 4

5 Calendar of Coming Events Genealogy Group Tues. Jan. 3 Sat. Jan. 7 Tues. Jan.10 Tues. Jan. 10 Synnøve-Nordkap Board Meeting RosevilleLibrary Board Room 2 nd Floor in Back Genealogy Group Meeting Maplewood Library Community Room Synnøve-Nordkap lodge meeting Gustavus Adolphus Luthern Church SON Language Lesson before monthly meeting. 7:00 pm To 9:00 pm 10:00 a.m. To Noon 7:00 pm To 9:00 pm 6:30 p.m. To 7:00 p.m. Turn over some new leaves in your life and come to the January Genealogy Group meeting to begin researching your family tree. The next meeting is January 7, 2017 at the Maplewood Library Community Program Room from 10 am to noon. The library is located at 3025 Southlawn Dr. which is just west of Maplewood Mall. An optional lunch at a nearby restaurant will follow the meeting. In February, the Genealogy Group will be meeting at the White Bear Lake Library. Thurs. Jan. 19 Norsk Nordmenn og Norge SunRay Library 2105 Wilson Ave, St. Paul 1:00 p.m. To 2:30 p.m. Mindekirken: Go to for more information on activities. Refreshments and Treats - Servers Schedule! Thank you!! January 10th 2017 Susan Stow; JoAnn Hogenson, Sharon Kalmes February 14th 2017 Kathy Kaluza, Cathie Reasoner, Sue Halverson March 14th 2017 Mary Beth Mutchler, Lisa Mutchler, Lenore Jesness April 11th 2017 Sheryl Hove, Jacquie Carlone, Meredith Berg May 9th 2017 Chuck & Jean Draheim Festival of Nations : May 4th to 7 th, 2017 Cooking day Monday, May 1st, 2017 Norwegian Language Classes - Norsk Nordmenn og Norge Classes resume January 19, 1:00-2:30 p.m. SunRay Library, 2105 Wilson Ave., St. Paul, (Note change from evenings to afternoon at SunRay Library) WELCOME to New Members! Contact Class Co-facilitator Sheryl Hove at sherylhove@netzero.net or SynNorBrevet, Synnove-Nordkap Lodge, Issue Page 5

6 Junior Lodge Update Det Bor en Baker i Ǿstre Aker, han baker kringler og julekaker, Han baker store, han baker små, han baker noen med sukker på. Our bakers at Junior Lodge don t live in Ǿstre Aker, but they all did a fine job baking kringler, plus krum kake, sandbakkels and pepperkaker, which was a new recipe this year. A huge vote of thanks to our parent helpers who cleaned up the kitchen so that we could go on with our meeting and rehearsal. Author Roald Dahl was our cultural focus. Dahl s parents were both from Norway, although he grew up in England. Every summer Roald spent on the island of Tjørne with his grandmother. Most of the kids had read a couple of Dahl s beloved stories, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, or Matilda. The following Sunday was our performance at the European Christmas Market at Union Depot. Weather wise, was tremendously cold. Even the CD player rebelled. As we were to give an hour performance, any recordings past ten did not play without extra encouragement. A sweater cuddling over the player helped us get music for dances Uff da! Good crowd to watch, terrific enthusiasm from our Peer Gynt Dancers. Keep your fingers crossed for favorable temperature for the Winter Carnival Grande Day Parade on Saturday, January 28 th, starting at 2:00. The route is from the Smith Ave.High Bridge, along West 7 th, in back of the River Center to Rice Park and ends in front of the St. Paul Hotel. How wonderful it would be to see some senior lodge members along the route cheering us on. Tusen takk to our Baking Day helpers Bethany Gladhill, Corrie Knudsen, Scott Kneeskern, Sasha Aslanian and Abbi Kneeskern Baking Day produced more Norwegian cookies than ever. We baked krum kake, sandbakkels, and kringla. SynNorBrevet, Synnøve-Nordkap Lodge, Issue Page 6

7 Not Your Everyday Wood Piles! (Contributed by Sharon Amann) 15 people who used piling logs to create beautiful works of art... This scene with the owl must have taken the artist so long to plan and put together! All of the different types and cuts of wood make for a very detailed piece of art. The moon actually looks like it s Glowing! Wow! This wood pile was made to look like the King and Queen of Norway. The detail is mindblowing. You could stare at this one forever trying to figure out how they stacked the wood. This is amazing. The deadline to submit items to the Brevet for the coming month is normally the 20th of the previous month. Please keep this time frame in mind, and keep those news items coming! Thanks, Lowell, Lynn, and Ken. SynNorBrevet, Synnøve-Nordkap Lodge, Issue Page 7

8 Synnøve-Nordkap Lodge #1-008 Sons of Norway 1611 Hydram Av Ct N Oakdale, Minnesota OFFICERS & COMMITTEE CHAIRS SYNNØVE-NORDKAP SONS OF NORWAY LODGE #1-008 To: PRESIDENT Sharon Amann, , slamann@comcast.net VICE PRES./MEMBERSHIP Chuck Draheim, , cmdraheim@aol.com SECRETARY Dave Mutchler, , dmutchler@q.com MEMBERSHIP SEC. Trudi Johnson-Richards trudijr11@gmail.com TREASURER Jean Draheim, , jeanmarieverner@aol.com SOCIAL DIRECTOR Pat Carlson, , pat.carlson@state.mn.us Dianne Anderson, , bobdianne2@comcast.net COUNSELOR Ron Stow, , burle103@aol.com JR LODGE/PEER GYNT DANCERS Susan Stow, , burle103@aol.com TRUSTEES LaRee Opdahl, Dave Hegdahl, , shegdahld2@comcast.net MARSHALL Kathy Kaluza ASSISTANT MARSHALL Doug Peterson , dwpete@comcast.net SPORTS DIRECTOR Lowell Johnson, , jhnsn7440@msn.com HISTORIAN Lenore Jesness, , ljes@usfamily.net MUSICIAN Jenny Read, jennie50000@hotmail.com GREETERS Maureen Austinson , dragonfly301@q.com Mary Beth Mutchler, , mbe43@q.com NEWSLETTER EDITORS Lowell Johnson, , jhnsn7440@msn.com Lynn Hoffmeyer, , lynnhoffmeyer@gmail.com Ken Bjork, , kenhbjork@gmail.com Dave Mutchler, , dmutchler@q.com NEWSLETTER MAILERS: (Open) NEWSLETTER STAFF: Ron and Susan Stow, Don Halvorson, Mary Beth Mutchler PUBLICITY: Leif Erickson, , lericks@pressenter.com Jana Stow Velo, , velo.jana@gmail.com SUNSHINE Mary Beth Mutchler, , mbe43@q.com LIBRARIAN JoAnne Englund, , joyful@hopework.org GENEALOGY Cathie Reasoner, , harrie1030@netzero.com Fred Matson, , norhemian@comcast.net NORSK CLASSES Crystal Bloecher, Sheryl Hove, , sherylhove@netzero.net WEBMASTER Dave Mutchler, , dmutchler@q.com FOUNDATION Susan Stow, , burle103@aol.com SCHOLARSHIP Kathy Manderscheid, , kmanderscheid@comcast.net Sasha Aslanian, , saslanian68@yahoo.com AUDITORS Wayne Bjorum, Laura Sherman and Jennifer Stow Upcoming Activities Gustavus-Adolphus Lutheran Church 1669 Arcade Street St. Paul, MN The Mission of Sons of Norway is to promote and to preserve the heritage and culture of Norway, to celebrate our relationship with other Nordic countries, and to provide quality insurance and financial products to its members. Synnøve-Nordkap Lodge welcomes visitors and new members. SynNorBrevet, Synnøve-Nordkap Lodge, Issue Page 8