July 2003

A recap of the Syttende Mai 2003 celebrations at Mindekirken.

I am happy to tell you that the Syttende Mai celebration this year was a success. There were many different events to attend. I want to congratulate the Syttende Mai Minnesota committee for their planning.

The events at Mindekirken went especially well this year. It started with the Sunday worship service at 11a.m. As usual, the service was in Norwegian with flags, speeches and national hymns. The church was filled to nearly the last seat with almost 500 people in attendance. Guest preacher Inge Lønning, Vice President of the Norwegian Parliament, delivered the sermon. The guest text reader of the lessons was my brother, Lars Helge Hatlevik, from Fosnavåg, Norway. In addition to the Mindekirken choir, we also had special music by the Nordkapp Male Chorus and Norwegian opera singer Magne Fremmerlid.

After the service we had the traditional Folketog parade through the neighborhood by Mindekirken. A parade band was a great addition to this year’s event. Hopefully that can become a regular part of the Syttende Mai parade.

Following the parade, the celebration continued in the parking lot behind Mindekirken. Preparations for this day started weeks before. The newly formed Landscaping Committee dug in to ‘spruce up’ the grounds and plant colorful flowers. The day of the event found a whole army of people (too numerous to name) setting up an awning, tables, and chairs and serving refreshments. Many enjoyed the Norwegian custom of lunching on hotdogs, chips, ice cream and lemonade. We also had entertainment by Det norske folkedanslaget, Fjell og fjord Children’s folk dancers, and the Nordkapp Male Chorus.

In closing, I want to thank the organizations that sponsored the celebrations at Mindekirken: The Syttende Mai Minnesota committee, the Norwegian Consulate, City County Federal Credit Union, and Kemps Ice cream. Thanks also go to all the volunteers that made these events possible. It was a great event and I hope we can do it again next year. In fact, I heard one Norwegian visitor say that the Syttende Mai celebrations here were more Norwegian than the celebrations in Norway. To all of you, keep up the good work.

The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church ·  924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 ·  (612)874-0716