Newsletter Date Volume 1, Issue 1 Ostestaden News Ostestaden Lodge 5-642, Monroe, WI 53566 A Congenial Society of Sons, Daughters and Friends of Norway Vol. 19 No. 1 Founded June 14, 1996 January-February 2014 Sons of Norway Ostestaden Lodge 5-642 (The Cheese City Lodge) with news from Norway, Sons of Norway, Ostestaden and area lodges. Individual Highlights: President 2 Jan, Feb 2 Nov, Dec 3 Calendar 4 Alyson Groom 4 Birthdays 5 Officers 6 Northern Lights Helen Miller Theoretically, you can see the northern lights, or aurora borealis, all over Norway. However, the best places are above the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway. They are most frequent in late autumn and winter/early spring (September 21 March 21), it is dark between 6 pm and 1 am, and you have maximum chances of spotting the lights. However, the weather is also of importance, and September, October and November tend to be wet and snowless in the north. The northern lights belt hits Northern Norway in the Lofoten Islands, and follows the coast all the way up to the North Cape. This means that no other place on earth offers better chances of spotting the lights, and one location in this area might be as good as another. In fact, one often observes the same northern lights in the Lofoten as in Tromso, just from a different angle. The Northern Lights are actually the result of collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth's atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun's atmosphere. Variations in color are due to the type of gas particles that are colliding. The most common auroral color, a pale yellowish-green, is produced by oxygen molecules located about 60 miles above the earth. Rare, all-red auroras are produced by highaltitude oxygen, at heights of up to 200 miles. Nitrogen produces blue or purplish-red aurora.
Ostestaden News Page 2 of 6 Fra Presidentent January social It s movie night! The January 9 meeting will again be at Grace Lutheran Church. Brad will bring a Norwegian movie. We will feast on popcorn and a light lunch. We need to elect delegates to the Convention at Lake Lawn Lodge in Delevan next summer. If you have any questions about being a delegate, please call Maren. Hei Ostestaden members and friends, February social February 13 at 6:30 pm at Grace Lutheran Church. What s red, white, and blue in Norway. How about the curling team s pants? I feel so blessed to have a wonderful Sons of Norway family. All of us are working toward the same goal of passing our Norwegian family traditions on to others to keep them going for the future generations. If you haven't talked to your family, older ones, what were their traditions growing up? or younger ones, why we do certain things at the holidays? This week after school I offered my 8 year old grandson krumkaka. What is that he asked? I pronounced it again and asked him to repeat it, then explained what it meant. I commented he was speaking Norwegian and that exited him. Next week the word is Julekake though I have never made Christmas Bread but have eaten my fill over the years. Thanks to everyone who helped make lefsa, who attended the Christmas Party and all who baked, donated money and helped at the bake sale. The lefsa was gone by 9:05! We need to make new plans for making lefsa for the Dec. 2014 bake sale. We could have sold many additional packages if we had had them. As it was we took in over $900. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. See you in 2014. Maren Nelson Hunt for some Norwegian Valentines at our social. Our meal will be catered by Vince s and the menu will include lasagna, garlic bread, salad and dessert. Cost will be about $5 per person. The Ladies on the Bridge (closeup) Norwegian Painter Edvard Munch perfected the art of darkness and foreboding as in The Scream. In this painting, however, he uses a colorful palette that perks up Oslo s winter gray. Source: National Geographic Traveler
Page 3 of 6 Ostestaden News November social report Without Sons of Norway, I wouldn t have a chance to go because it is expensive, says Isaac Wild about the Masse Moro Norwegian Heritage camp. During meals we speak only Norwegian. The team that speaks the most Norwegian wins a prize like a water fight. As for Norwegian food, Museli cereal is the best I ever had! Seventy five youth ages nine to 15 attend this camp in Beaver Creek Nature Reserve in Fall Creek, Wisconsin. The focus on history, arts, and culture of Norway includes crafts, a talent night, and a dance. At the end of two weeks, We have to go home. Front page of The Monroe Times, 11/18/13. December social report About 40 guests attended our Christmas Party at the World Buffet. The Tacket- Thompson DuoSang bluegrass including The Last Train to Kitty Hawk about the Wright Brothers riding a train to their plane hangar. It symbolized the move to a new era in transportation. They also sang some newgrass which is bluegrass with updated cultural references. They even threw in a few Christmas songs. A Swedish printed dish cloth sneaked into our Norwegian gift exchange.
Calendar Ostestaden News Page 4 of 6 January 9 Board meeting at 5:30 January 9 Social at 6:30 pm Grace Lutheran Church. Norwegian movie, popcorn and a light lunch. Election of delegates to the Convention at Lake Lawn Lodge in Delevan next summer. If you have any questions about being a delegate, please call Maren. January 18 Lefse clinic at 9:00 11:00 am at Grace Lutheran Church. This is for anyone who wants to learn to make lefse. If you can help, please let Maren know at the January meeting or call 325-3248. January 25 Luther College Nordic Choir in Edgerton at 7:30 pm. This is one of the top cappella college choirs in the nation. Tickets are available online at www.itickets.com. January 30 Book club at 7:00 pm. Cathy Smith will host. February 13 Social at 6:30 pm at Grace Lutheran Church. Meal will be catered by Vince s to include lasagna, garlic bread, salad and dessert. Cost will be about $5 per person. Jean is planning a Norwegian Valentine scavenger hunt. February 15 March-April newsletter submission deadline March 13 Board meeting at 5:30 March 13 Social at 6:30 pm Grace Lutheran Church. March 22 We host the Zone 3 training! We share information with other Lodges and always come away with something to apply to our Lodge. Zone 3 rotates hosts and it s our turn. We will be at Grace Lutheran and are responsible for food. We will furnish treats for two coffee breaks and be compensated for the noon meal. Please plan to support. Bad traveling weather? Listen to WEKZ. We will get information out by 1 pm. Alyson Groom is a youth member of our lodge. She is the granddaughter of members, Gary and Marsha Wilhelms. Alyson is 17 years old and a senior at Monroe High School. Her interests are art and the theater. She has been in the school s plays since middle school. This year she was able to get the lead in The Phantom of the Tollbooth. She played the main character named Max (above). Yes, she played a boy and did an awesome job. She has also been drawing since an early age. She is currently taking art lessons from a local artist Deb Meyer from Browntown, She plans to further her education in graphic design. In addition to the two pictures here, she also Alyson created Chenowith House for her friend Andrea who lives there. Baby pot belly pigs for her Aunt Mandy is one of Alyson s art projects. did the artwork for her Aunt Heidi's wedding announcement this summer. Alyson and Isaac Wild once worked on a skiing project in our Norwegian Kids Club. Alyson skied the Birkie at Hayward and still goes there each year to watch the younger kids ski. #
Page 5 of 6 Ostestaden News Stoughton s 48 th annual Norse Afternoon of Fun will be Sunday, February 10 th at 1:30pm at the high school. Along with the Norwegian Dancers will be royalty, Hardanger fiddle players, a food sale, and raffle. Admission is $6.00 at the door. We would like members to suggest programs or entertainment. Perhaps you have traveled or have a skill you could present. Call Maren Nelson at 325-3248 or Mary Erickson at 523-4773. Gratulerer med Dagen! (Happy Birthday) January 1 Jeannine Cowell 3 Beverly Blumer 3 Robert Johnson 4 Jeff Bergum 5 Jerome Wild 6 Ria Arndt 16 Maren Nelson 23 Ruth Mueller February 12 Gerald Thompson 20 Joyce Morell 24 Marilyn Bahe 24 Doris Kegl Don't forget to drop a dollar in the Birthday/ Anniversary can for your Birthday or Anniversary. This pays for supplies plates, cups, coffee, juice, etc. Save used stamps from your Christmas cards for Tubfrim. to help handicapped children and youth in Norway. Cut about ½ inch around each stamp. Bring stamps to any meeting and give to Ancil Norland. Lefse Clinic Please donate Viking magazines. Do you save your old Viking magazines? You can give them a second life. President Maren Nelson would like to distribute them to business offices. Learn to make Lefse January 18 9:00 11:00 am Grace Lutheran Church Rsvp: 325-3248 Geoff Fortytwo, son of member Jean Busker, constructed a Thor costume and rounded up a merry band of Viking followers for company (ipass in California) Halloween festivities. They won first prize in the group costume category.
Sons of Norway Ostestaden Lodge 5-642 Jean Busker N3563 Aebly Rd Monroe, Wisconsin 53566-9186 Maren Nelson, President 608-325-3248, paulmarennelson@tds.net Paul Nelson, Vice President 608-325-3248, paulmarennelson@tds.net Frank Ackerman, Counselor 608-934-5682, oakleyautomotive@tds.net Jean Busker, Secretary, Editor 608-325-2439, jean@jeanbusker.com Helen Miller, Assistant Secretary 608-325-4777, hlmiller@wekz.net Mary Erickson, Membership Secretary 608-523-4773 Bill Bethke, Treasurer 608-325-4842, wdbethke@tds.net Marsha Wilhelms, Social Committee 608-966-3327, marshaannette@yahoo.com Ancil Norland, Social Committee 608-968-3465 Amber Ingvoldstad, Cultural Com. 608-426-6090 Elaine Bethke, Publicity 608-325-4842, wdbethke@tds.net Greg Ragan, Fraternal Benefits 1-800-442-4146, gregragan@aol.com Our Mission Statement: 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 provide quality insurance and financial products to our members. Newsletter Jean Busker, Editor Bradley Goplen, Photographer Sons of Norway Ostestaden Socials the 2 nd Thursday of each month with a light lunch at 6:30 PM and program at 7:00 PM Monroe, WI 53566 Halling dancers Feb 10 in Stoughton