Little Sweden USA

A blog about Lindsborg

No time to record the podcast version of my weekly KSAL Lindsborg Update; here is the text.

Hello everyone,

On June 17th, Lindsborg celebrates the traditional Swedish event known as the Midsummer’s Festival with a full day of activities that you won’t want to miss!

Swedish Folk dance performances are one of the highlights of every Midsummer’s, and this year will be no exception. Every year Midsummer’s audiences are treated to dancing by the youthful Lindsborg Swedish Dancers and the adult Folkdanslag dancers. This year, some very special guests from Texas, the Norwegian Society of Texas, and Mora, Sweden, the Mora Folkdanslag, will be performing their interpretations of Swedish Folk and Scandinavian dancing. This is a rare treat, so make your plans now to be in Lindsborg on June 17th.

Of course, there’s a lot more to Lindsborg’s Midsummer’s Festival than just dancing. One of the special treats th is year is the Swedish Costume Fashion Show. The show will be held at the Bethan Lutheran Church, adjacent to Swensson Park, starting at 11 am and lasting about one hour.

The Swedish Costume Fashion show should be very interesting. A wide variety of costumes will be shown, and the dance group from Texas will participate. The goal of the costume show is to showcase how the costumes have changed over the years, and explain the various influences that drove design changes through the years.

Costumes shown will include: Lindsborg historical costumes, original Swedish costumes, a St. Lucia costume and more.

At the Lindsborg Midsummer’s Festival there will be plenty of food available from a variety of food vendors located in the park. One of the special treats at Midsummer’s is the evening Smörgåsbord meal. Don’t miss the 5 p.m. Swedish Smörgåsbord at Pihlblad Memorial Union at Bethany College. Smörgåsbord tickets will be available at the Swedish Dancers booth, or in advance by contacting the Lindsborg Chamber of Commerce.

Be sure to tune in next week for more information about the Lindsborg Midsummer’s Festival on June 17th.

No time to record the podcast version of my weekly KSAL Lindsborg Update; here is the text.

Hello everyone,

It’s a little hard to believe, but it’s less than a month until Lindsborg celebrates the fine Swedish tradition known as Midsummer’s Day. On June 17th, Lindsborg celebrates the Midsummer’s Festival with a full day of activities that you won’t want to miss!

Swedish Folk dance performances are one of the highlights of every Midsummer’s, and this year will be no exception. Every year Midsummer’s audiences are treated to dancing by the youthful Lindsborg Swedish Dancers and the adult Folkdanslag dancers. This year, some very special guests from Texas and Mora, Sweden will be performing their interpretations of Swedish Folk and Scandinavian dancing. This is a rare treat, so make your plans now to be in Lindsborg on June 17th.

Of course, there’s a lot more to Lindsborg’s Midsummer’s Festival than just dancing. In the month before the festival we’ll cover some of those additional activities, but in general expect to find good food, fine arts and crafts and lots of fun folks wearing Swedish costumes. Speaking of, if you wear your costume, and are among the first 200 paid attendees, you will receive a commemorative pin; last year’s was a nice enameled Swedish/American flag pin.

And don’t forget to bring the kids! There will be games, face-painting and more, throughout the day.

Another highlight of Midsummer’s takes place in the evening at the Old Mill Heritage Complex, down by the river. Gates open at 6:30 for the evening activities, which include the traditional raising of the maypole, followed by performances by both the local dance groups and our visitors from Texas and Mora, Sweden.

Well, I’m out of time for this week, so be sure to tune in next week for more information about the Lindsborg Midsummer’s Festival on June 17th.

Here’s the press release I’m sending out regarding this year’s Midsummer’s Day Festival in Lindsborg.

Thanks to a list provided by Ron Stamm, in addition to the normal local/regional outlets, I’m also sending this release to a number of media outlets in communities outside of Kansas that have a recognized Swedish Heritage; thanks Ron!

Press Release

Available in doc (Word), PDF and .txt formats. Please feel free to share this info with other interested parties. The address for this page is: http://www.littleswedenusa.com/archives/2006/05/lindsborg_celeb.html

CONTACT:
Mike Rodriquez
(785) 227-2928
msd06@littleswedenusa.com
http://www.lindsborg.org/midsummers.html

May 1st, 2006 For Immediate Release
“Midsummer Festival to be held on Saturday, June 17th.”

LINDSBORG, KS - Midsummer’s Day, a traditional Swedish festival celebrated worldwide, returns to Lindsborg: Little Sweden USA, the weekend of June 17th 2006. This festival, held to celebrate the beginning of summer, is one of the most popular of all Swedish celebrations. Lindsborg is proud to host this fun-filled family oriented Swedish-American festival, this year featuring special guest performers from Sweden. Now in its 35th year, Lindsborg’s 2006 Midsummer’s Day promises to be a fun-filled day for everyone in the family, so be sure to join us in Lindsborg’s Swensson Park on Saturday, June 17th!

This year, very special guests will be performing at Midsummer’s. From Mora, Sweden, the Mora Folkdanslag, a Swedish Folk dance group, will be joining the celebration. Also performing will be the Leikarring, which is a Folk dance group whose members belong to the Norwegian Society of Texas. Of course, the high school group Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers and the adult Lindsborg Folkdanslag dancers will also be performing the weekend of Midsummer’s.

On Saturday numerous local Midsummer activities will be held throughout Lindsborg - Swedish Folk Dancing, crafts, food and more in Swensson Park during the day, on to the Bethany College student union for the early evening smörgåsbord, and down to the Old Mill Heritage Square historical complex for evening Swedish folkdancing and maypole (majstång) raising. There is even an afternoon garden tour featuring a few fine Lindsborg homes for those seeking a change of pace. The day concludes with a midnight swim at the Lindsborg pool from 10pm until midnight.

Admission for the day’s events (not including the Smörgåsbord) is $3 adult, $2 children ages 4 to 12, and youth under age 4 will be admitted free. For the second year in a row the first 200 paid attendees dressed in a Swedish costume will receive a commemorative pin. This price includes the evening’s entertainment at the Old Mill.

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