Norwegian State Secretary Liv Monica Stubholt delivers the opening speech at the 15th Annual Norway Day Festival this weekend, May 5-6, 2007, at Fort Mason – San Francisco. Bay Area Norwegian companies support the event.
An opportunity to hear the Norwegian State Secretary Liv Monica Stubholt (Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) will present itself at 11am this Saturday as Stubholt officially opens the 15th Annual Norway Day Festival at Fort Mason’s Herbst Pavilion. This year’s Festival features its usual Run For Arctic Awareness 10K run on Saturday morning, along with many cultural activities involving great Norwegian food, beverages and entertainment. Special attention is being paid to the younger festival-goer this year with unique activities just for kids. Visit www.norwayday.org for more information including performance schedule information.
According to State Secretary Stubholt, the Norway Day Festival portrays Norway as an attractive and reliable partner in the international arena. This is especially relevant here in California, where cutting edge technology and entrepreneurship has brought the state to the forefront on issues such as climate change research and environmental protection. "This festival shows how Californians and Norwegians share goals and ambitions", stated Stubholt."
Notably, three Norwegian businesses located in the Bay Area are supporting this year’s Festival. Trolltech, a successful Norwegian software company with US headquarters in Redwood City, Calif., will co-sponsor the children’s entertainment together with Nordic Naturals, a Norwegian natural health products company based in Watsonville, Calif. Nordic Naturals produces the largest line of fish oil products available today, and is known for its expertise in developing new technologies for improving taste, purity, and the molecular structure of fish oils. Norwegian global software company FAST, highly successful in the Enterprise Search field and with Bay Area offices in Novato and San Francisco is also a Festival supporter.
Other Norwegian companies participating include Statoil, Jarlsberg and Scandinavian Airlines.
At noon on Saturday kids can participate in The Nordic Berries Troll Stroll, a kids foot race held inside the festival pavilion. An all day children’s drawing contest will be held on both days, together with sing-a-longs and storytelling presented by the Scandinavian School of San Francisco.
Festival-goers will be able to indulge in a wide selection of Scandinavian delectables including Norwegian chocolate, a variety of cheeses, open-faced sandwiches, homemade waffles, krumkake, cookies, norwegian hot dogs wrapped in lompe. Tastings of Norway’s national drink, Aquavit will be on hand, as will be great Norwegian beer and wine.
Just announced for the Festival, The Oakley Arctic Challenge has recently produced an amazing film, The 2007 Oakley Arctic Challenge, which will be shown for the first time in the Bay Area at Norway Day this weekend. Check out the world’s best snowboarders including the legendary Terje Haakonsen and his pals break the world record for highest air out of a quarterpipe. To reach this goal, Norwegian rocket scientists helped determine the speed, G Forces, and transition needed for a rider to jump higher than ever before.
What: The 15th annual Norway Day Festival
When: 5-6 May 2007
Where: Herbst Pavilion, Ft. Mason - San Francisco
Info: http://www.norwayday.org
For more information about the Festival , contact: Arne Morkemo, ph. 415-987-8055.