The 93rd annual meeting of the Norwegian Slooper Society of America was held in Norway, Illinois on October 7th, 2018. 154 people attended including the Stoughton Norwegian Dancers.
The current board and guests honored the previous board members for their 25 years of service to the Slooper Society. Pat Hayes, Wes Hougsted, and Lou Wise were each presented with a certificate acknowledging and thanking them for their many years of service.
Vesterheim Gold-Medalist knife maker Perry Straw had a wonderful display of his beautiful creations. Additionally, Perry also represented the Friends of the Viking Ship and he took great pride in explaining this historically important ship.
Dale Goodman briefly spoke on the significance of the Sloopers, the foundation of the Norwegian Slooper Society of America in 1925, and the upcoming bicentennial celebration of the Slooper’s arrival in America in 2025.
The Stoughton Norwegian Dancers stole the show with their entertaining and engaging presentation of traditional Scandinavian folk dance and authentic Norwegian bunads. The group of Stoughton High School School Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors put on quite the show and even managed to teach the Sloopers some new dance moves.
The main program this year featured Bill Injerd, the “unofficial” historian of the Slooper Society. Bill presented an engaging audio-visual presentation on, “Norwegian-Americans and World War One” in celebration of the end of that war 100 years ago on November 11, 1918. Thank you to Bill for his hard work and dedication to preserving the rich heritage that binds us together… the Norwegian-American experience.
We enjoyed the company of some special guests. Børge Wermundsen and his companion Inger Johanne Flaata joined us from Oslo. The couple are on a 4-week tour of the midwest in a rented motorhome. In addition to beautiful Norway, Il they have already visited Decorah, IA and plan stops in Sioux City, Pierre, Bismarck, Minot, Fillmore, Grand Forks, and Minneapolis. God tur Børge and Inga!
The annual election of Board Members was held. In addition to preserving the current Board consisting of Steve Southcombe (President), Kirk Mies (Vice President), and Renée Mies (Secretary), we are excited that three new additions were made to the Board. Erin Kauffman joins as the newly appointed Treasurer and Jan Rosdail-Aegerter and Dale Goodman were appointed as Board Trustees. Thank you for your willingness to serve!