Event to be held Dec. 7 at Vining Community Center

The Sons of Norway Leif Erikson Chapter will be hosting its annual Nordic Christmas Dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are requested by contacting Chuck and Barb Olson by Dec. 1 at (218) 282-0332 or (218) 282-0406. If no one answers leave a message and someone will return the phone call. 

The dinner includes the lutefisk with butter or gravy, meatballs, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetable and an outstanding  dessert crafted and served by Chef Hans and his team from Hans Hus of Elbow Lake. 

Following the dinner Nordic Christmas songs, tunes and dances will be presented by the “Swedish Trio,” which features singer and instrumentalist Ross Sutter, pianist Marya Hart and nyckelharpist Cheryl Paschke. The nyckelharpa is a keyed string instrument native to Sweden.

Instrumentalist Art Bjorngjeld sings comedy and along with his wife, Mary Bjorngjeld, as his Nordic dance-partner, are special guest performers.  Art grew up playing Norwegian dance tunes with his family, plays fiddle and accordion and is well-known for his comic songs sung with a good Norwegian accent.  

The Swedish Trio entertains around Minnesota and beyond  for events  during the year, and for the past  20 years have performed a popular Christmas show called Julglädje at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. At the show they  play a rollicking collection of Scandinavian and American holiday tunes that  evoke the feeling of standing around the family piano. 

The show will culminate with a singalong featuring familiar Scandinavian Christmas songs and a carol or two led by the musicians. 

Leif Erikson, Sons of Norway of Vining, hosts the event each year as the culmination of the year’s programs and events and will focus on the food and entertainment of the Nordics at Jul time. 

The evening has been made possible by grants from the Sons of Norway Foundation. Along with performing with Leif Erikson’s Jul dinner, the grants have made possible an assembly for students at Henning School  on Dec. 8, and also at Battle Lake School on Dec. 7.

Leif Erikson’s tradition for sharing the Christmas spirit is to give donate cash or check at the table in a small bag.  The donations will be given to the Fargo-Moorhead Haiti Mission in which volunteer doctors and nurses travel to Haiti each year aimed at performing surgeries for children born with cleft palates.  

These children are often hidden in the house, not allowed outside to play nor to go to school as this birth defect is an embarassment to the family and considered a curse.

The event is limited to a total of 90 guests to allow space for serving and entertainment. If the limit is reached names will be placed on a waiting list in case cancellations are made.   

For reservations,  more information about the dinner, Leif Erikson, Sons of Norway and membership for the group, contact Chuck or Barbara Olson at (218) 282-0332 or (218) 282-0406.