velkommen TO THE NORWEGIAN CANADIAN CLUB
NEWS & COMING EVENTS
Friday Lunch starts up Sept 19
Come join us at Friday Lunches that are open to all members and friends of the Scandinavian Centre. We meet upstairs (lift available) in the cosy Viking Room.
The lunches operate Fridays, between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., and offer a cup of soup, open-faced sandwiches, coleslaw, dessert, and coffee, for $10.00/per person (pay cash at the door). All profits support the club and programming at the Centre. If you’re planning on coming with a group of more than four people, however, please contact Janet at least 5 days in advance, at jac2@mymts.net
Scandinavian Pavilion features immigration stories
The Norwegian Room embraced the theme of immigration during Folklorama Aug. 10-16. We looked at Norway-to-North American movements from 1825 to the present, including a surge of Norwegians to the prairie provinces in the early 1900s.
We also featured our Crossings 200 Journeys Map, which shows the actually paths taken by ancestors or ourselves. We will continue the Crossings 200 initiative at least through 2025; believe it or not, documentation of Norwegian immigration to Canada is rather sparse. We hope to use our collected data and stories to bolster this information gap.
If you’ve not yet filled out and returned Journey Map information for your Norwegian ancestor or your own migration to Canada, please do! To get a form to add the information to our project, please request one through NorwegianCanadianClub@gmail.com
NCC to honour leif erikson at OCt 5 brunch
Speaking of early migrants to what is now Canada, our Club will feature a Leif Eriksson theme at our hosted brunch at the Centre, Sunday Oct. 5. The Norse explorer led a group of Vikings (from Greenland) to the area known as L’anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, circa 1000 AD. We’ll have our Journeys Map on display and forms available.
Brunches run from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Prices are $20 for adults, $10 for children ages 8-12, and free for kids, ages 7 and under. Reservations are required by noon on Friday, Oct. 3, to sccreservations@shaw.ca In your reservation, please provide your name, number and ages in party and estimated time of arrival.
volunteer opportunities
The Norwegian Canadian Club seeks volunteers to serve in an informal ad hoc capacity. General areas you could help in include planning monthly, annual and/or special events, like Folklorama, or helping with communications and/or archives. Volunteering with the NCC is a fun way to learn more about Norwegian history and culture, both in Winnipeg and in Norway, and meet like-minded folks.
For more information, please contact Martha at NorwegianCanadianClub@gmail.com
coming events:
Lutefisk and Meatball Dinner, Saturday, Nov. 1, 6 to 9 p.m. Reservations required by Oct. 24 to Janet at jac2@mymts.net
Norwegian Language Classes
Instructor Richard Castro is offering Norwegian language classes. For more information, email Janet at jac2@mymts.net or call 204-889-2714.
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HISTORY
The NCC was founded in 1985. It was preceded by other Norwegian cultural organizations in Winnipeg which date back to 1912. Our membership is open to all. Some members are natives of Norway, claim Norwegian ancestry or have married into the culture, while others are simply interested in learning about Nordic life. We promote mutual interest in Norway and support of its language, food, and culture, to the community Winnipeg and environs.
The Norwegian Club meets the last Thursday of the month at 7 p.m., either for an executive meeting or for a general program on cultural topics, called Kosi Kveld. During the cold, dark winter months, we may switch in-person cultural activities to Sunday afternoons, as scheduling allows.
CELEBRATIONS
In May, the NCC hosts Syttende Mai celebrations, the annual Norwegian Constitution Day on May 17th. We have celebrated Syttende Mai on May 17th since 1912. The event features music, a children’s dance performance and traditional food, like lefse-wrapped hotdogs!
Our club hosts an annual Lutefisk Dinner every November. While many prove their might by actually eating lutefisk, we also have Norwegian meatballs for those who prefer a different taste. A live performance by some of our club members is always a great treat and the songs never fail to ring out through the main hall at the Centre.
In January, when possible, the NCC hosts a version of Juletrefest the traditional Norwegian celebration of singing Christmas songs around the tree.
The NCC participates in the main events of the Scandinavian Cultural Centre, including the The Viking Feast, the Annual Christmas Market and Café, the Children’s Christmas Party, and Folklorama.
‘Koselig Kveld’ - The Norwegian Club uses this name for its social evenings that focus on building community. The name ‘Koselig Kveld,’ (or Kosi Kveld) as created by Randi Tollefsen, translates into “nice evening,” but “nice” in the sense of happy-to-be-here-with-you. The dictionary says koselig (KOOS-uh-lee) means “cozy,” but the word really expresses a deeper concept in Norway. All are always welcome!
2025 BOARD MEMBERS
President: Martha Helgerson
Vice President: Selma Parsons
Secretary: Elaine Lochhead
Treasurer: Marj Grevstad