The Chicago Area Friends of Vesterheim are pleased to host a Nordic Marketplace and Luncheon to benefit Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, in Decorah, Iowa. The event will be held on Saturday, March 26, at the Park Ridge Country Club, Park Ridge, Illinois, and everyone is invited to attend.
The marketplace opens at 9:30 a.m., and there will be plenty of Norsk merchandise, including Dale of Norway sweaters, Laurie Jacobi Original Designs in Wool, hand-painted rosemaling (Norwegian decorative painting), and acanthus carving. Accomplished artisans working in the Scandinavian tradition will demonstrate rosemaling and woodworking.
The Luncheon Program, which begins at 12:30 p.m., will feature a Bunad Celebration Show. “This year, in addition to our Marketplace, we will have a special showing of traditional Norwegian costumes, called bunads,” Evy Alsaker, co-chair of the event committee, said. “This Bunad Celebration Show includes commentary about these beautiful and interesting costumes, which will represent most of the regions in Norway. Come and hear the unique story of each bunad,” Alsaker said.
The program also will include a silent auction, raffle drawing, and an update from Vesterheim Museum’s Executive Director Steve Johnson.
delectable luncheon will be served. A special menu for school-age children, 12 and under, will be offered.
Tickets are $50 per person. The children’s menu is $25 for each child. Seating is limited. Advanced reservations are necessary and should be made by March 21. For further information, please contact Vesterheim at 563-382-9681, <info@vesterheim.org>, or check the museum’s website at www.vesterheim.org
Proceeds from the event will benefit future editions of the magazine “Vesterheim.” The museum uses the story of Norwegian Americans to explore aspects of identity and culture common to everyone. Vesterheim cares for over 24,000 artifacts, among which are some of the most outstanding examples of decorative and folk art to be seen in this country. Founded in 1877, Vesterheim is one of the oldest and most comprehensive museums in the United States dedicated to a single immigrant group. This national treasure includes a main complex of 16 historic buildings in downtown Decorah, and an immigrant farmstead and prairie church just outside the city. “Vesterheim” magazine helps make the museum collections and Norwegian-American heritage accessible to larger groups of people.
From May 1 - Oct. 31, Vesterheim is open daily, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., with hours extended until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays. From Nov. 1 - April 30, Vesterheim is open Tuesday through Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., with hours extended until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays and is closed Monday. For more information on the museum’s exhibits, activities, membership opportunities, and ways to donate, consult Vesterheim’s website at vesterheim.org, call (563) 382-9681, or write to Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, 523 W. Water St., P.O. Box 379, Decorah, IA, 52101-0379.