Vennskap Lodge 5-622
November 2009
Coming Attractions
November 10th
Vennskap Meeting
First United Lutheran Church
2401 Kohler Mem. Dr.
Sheboygan
Monthly meeting 7 PM
November 15th
Lutefisk Dinner
City Streets Restaurant
Sheboygan
Social Hour 1 PM
Dinner at 2 PM
Sheboygan Falls, Wi 53085
Volume 17, Issue 8
Col. Hans C. Heg
Writes From the War
“I have been in the Battle several times and seen a great many
men killed, and the Rebels have shot at me too, but if you arc a
good girl and Edmund is a good boy, they will not hit me, but I
will come home again...
I have got a nice warm tent, and I bought me a light stove yesterday for 5 dollars. I board together with the Doctor and am living
well...My tent has been full every day and it is hard work to get a
[chance) to write letters..I think we may have a Battle here before
long, and if you are good
Gratulerer
children, God will let me come
home again to you..”
Med Dagen!
These words are excerpts from
letters written on the battlefield as the commander of
Wisconsin 115th Division,
Hans Christian Heg, wrote
reassuring notes to his children
and wife, even though he was
suffering with the Norwegian
battlegroup of Wisconsin. Heg
was later fatally wounded as
he led his Wisconsin soldiers
against the Southern rebels in
the War Between The States.
His All-Norwegian battlegroup
was fully comprised of volunteers who fought bravely, led
by a leader who would become
a legend, honored by several
monuments and statues.
Editor: Dell Solberg
223 Hillcrest Ct
Sheb Falls, Wi 53085
([email protected])
November
Elliott Marti..(Heritage).....................5
Carolyn Bertram................................5
Rachael Loritz.(Heritage)..................7
Kelsey Pflieger.(Heritage).................9
Fred Bruechert.................................10
Ryan Jurgens.(Heritage)..................13
Norma Onsager................................17
Dave Dobbe.....................................20
Joanne Staalson-Vogt.......................21
Arthur Thomas.................................22
Matthew Marti.(Heritage)................30
December
Dell Solberg.......................................6
Dolcye Johnson.................................7
Hayley Solberg..(Heritage)................7
Joyce Loritz.......................................8
Danielle Grotbeck..(Heritage)...........9
Oyvind Hanson................................11
Megan Solberg (Heritage)...............14
Judith Block....................................15
Gordon Olson..................................18
Shirley Moen...................................22
Dorothy Jurgens...............................31
Happy Birthday!
Fra Presidenten Dick Peterson
Forty seven members and guests of our Vennskap Lodge heard a great Civil War presentation
by Don and Laurie Shawhan. We always knew of the fighting skills of the Vikings, but now
we are aware of the Norwegian and other Scandinavian men and women who served so
gallantly during the Civil War. The stories by Don were well received and many questions
were asked. The gown worn by Laurie was gorgeous. Thanks Don and Laurie for your
program.
Our Nominating Committee of Dolly Dickrell, Flare Fredricksen and Ginny Mikkelson
presented their list of 2010 Lodge nominees. There is a name for every position. My sincere
thanks to the committee and the Lodge members who have accepted the nominations. We
will have our election at the Nov. 10 meeting in Sheboygan and look forward to another great
year.
Mikk had a good idea---that our November meeting should be before our Lutefisk Dinner on the 10th instead of the
scheduled 17th. Everyone agreed with that idea. Thanks Mikk---gives us another night for needed planning.
Sure do miss our monthly Norwegian lessons. Maybe sometime in the future our ‘celebrity bell ringer’ will show up
with another lesson.
See you at our November 10 meeting.
God Bless!
Dick
At Our Next Meeting
We will discuss simple ways to put your memories down on paper. Do you remember hearing tales about your
Norwegian ancestors who braved their way to America? If you don’t preserve these stories, who will? Then, I will read
my historical fiction narrative entitled PASSAGE HOME, which is based on facts and handed down stories about my
great-grandparents, Johannes Nilsen Bjørlo and Oline Pedersdatter Bakke as they journeyed to America in 1871 from
the Nordfjørd, which is in western Norway.
by Mary Peterson
Officers Present: Dick Peterson (President), Nan
Webster (Vice President), Mary Ellen Peterson
(Serving as Secretary) and Social Director).
Sons of Norway, Vennskap Lodge
Guests in attendance: Bonnie Bur, Two Rivers,
Meeting Minutes: October 20, 2009
Don Shawhan, Manitowoc and Bev Lee,
7:00 p.m. First Lutheran Church
Sheboygan.
Manitowoc
Proceedings:
Meeting called to order by Dick Peterson at 7:00
p.m. Secretary’s minutes from last meeting are in
the last newsletter.
Treasurer’s report by Dollie Dickrell.
Other Business:
It was decided that the November meeting will be held in Sheboygan on November 10 instead of the usual third Tuesday
of the month due to the date of the Lutefisk Dinner.
Dell spoke on the upcoming Lutefisk Dinner. Sign up sheets were passed around for deserts and helpers Set up helpers
to be there at 2 PM on Saturday. Bakery should be there by 12-1 PM the day of the dinner. Wine donations and other
types of donations are desired for door prizes.
Nominating Committee reported that all offices have been filled for the coming year.
A Foundation bucket was sent around to the group for collections.
A Barnebirkie letter was read and discussed. Ski for Light letter was read and discussed.
Family Bowling Tournament must be planned soon.
Discussion was held on the New Member Recruitment that the SON is starting.
Open discussion. It was decided that instead of a librarian hauling the books around to meetings, that there will be a
place for our books at United First Lutheran Church in Sheboygan. That would eliminate lifting and transporting.
Books can be checked out there. Sonia spoke on the Script Program. Contributions from the Script program are given
out at Christmas. Cards for Dec. and Christmas should be ordered now.
Nan told that the History Channel presented information on the Kensington Rune Stone and that it was not factual, but
more for entertainment of the audience. Signe is taking orders for the Norwegian Calanders next month. They are $8.00.
Dolsey’s name was drawn for the attendance prize. She was not there. Next month it will be $10.00
Meeting Adjourned.
Submitted by Mary Ellen Peterson
“A-TEN- HUT!”
“PORT-ARMS!”
The Civil war, better known as The War Between The
States was brought to life in living color, as Don
Shawhan, known here as Sgt. Shawhan, shared his
soldierly hobby. Don has been reliving the life of a
civil war soldier for 18 years as he describes the scene
while shouldering his musket and equipment.
Don Shawhan as “Sgt. Shawhan”
A famous leader in the war that began in 1861 was a
Norwegian immigrant who served as a colonel and
brigade commander in the Union army , while fighting
against the Southern Rebels. Don shared his knowledge
of this Wisconsin Norwegian War -hero with us.
The 15th Wisconsin was called the Scandinavian Regiment, since its soldiers were almost all immigrants from Norway, with some from Denmark and Sweden. It was the only all Scandinavian regiment in the Union Army. On October 8, 1862, Colonel Heg led his regiment into its first action at the
Battle of Perryville. Despite being under fire while being driven back several miles by the enemy, the
15th Wisconsin suffered few casualties and no fatalities. However, one of those hurt was Colonel
Heg, who was injured when his horse fell.
Hans Heg,who “became the war hero of the Norwegians,
became the personal symbol of their contribution to the
preservation of the Union.”
On September 19, 1863, Colonel Heg led his brigade at the Battle
of Chickamauga, where he was mortally wounded. Brave Col.
Heg, commanding a brigade, "was shot and died the next day."
Upon hearing of Heg's death, Rosecrans expressed regret, saying
he had intended to promote Heg to brigadier general. As it was,
Colonel Heg was the highest-ranked Wisconsin soldier killed in
combat during the Civil War.
Col H.C. Heg
Don’s wife, Laurie, is
shown with her “Soldierhusband”, as she models
her gown in the typical
hoop skirted fashion.
Laurie , a member of our
lodge, sews and enjoys
wearing dresses in the
style worn in those waryears.
Thank you, Don for a very
informative and enjoyable
program!
K
ONLY
IDS
PAGE
What could possibly happen in November??
Let’s check our primstav.
This is a Scandinavian calendar stick, engraved
with images instead of numbers or runes..
Most images are of important church events.
Allehelgensdag or helgemesse
( All Saints Day)
Nov 1
In memory of all saints and martyrs.
Then, there’s Mortensmesse
( St. Martin’s Day) Nov 11
St. Martin was Bishop of Tours, France
approx from 371-400. His sign was a goose.
The custom of serving goose for mortensmesse dinner became common in the upper-levels of
society of Scandinavia. The breastbone of the goose was used to predict the winter. If the bone
had white specks, there would be snow. Brown specks meant a cold winter with little snow. If
clear, the winter would be hard!
Nov 23th was Klemetsmesse
(Clement’s Mass)
In memory of Clement I, Bishop of Rome,
said to have died in 102.
St. Clement was the third successor to St. Peter. He is
remembered for a long letter written in the year 95
reprimanding the church at Corinth for its jealousies
and quarrels. He was martyred by being thrown into
the sea with an anchor around his neck. On this day
all ships were to lie at anchor.
Karimesse ( St. Catherine’s Day) Nov 25th
In memory of the martyr of Alexanderia, killed in 305. This is a time to
The symbol is unclear,
start spinning. “Nice weather on this day means nice church candles!”
perhaps a wool carder. People In Telemark, this day was called Kari vaskar ( Kari, the washer) because
took St. Catherine’s symbol people used to wash clothes around this time for Christmas.
to be a spinning wheel and
she was often known as
Catherine converted to Christianity through a vision and denounced King
“Catherine, with the
Maxentius for persecuting Christians. Thrown into prison, she converted
spinning wheel. “
Maxentius’s wife and many of his soldiers before she was executed.
November 26th
Happy Thanksgiving!
My favorite day?
November 27th!
Mørketiden
NOVEMBER....The Murky Time!!
Darkness from end of Sept lasting until March at the North Pole!
November until January in Trømso and Vardo..
Bad News!
In Tromso, Norway, 200 miles north of the Arctic
Circle, this period of darkness is called mørketida.
From mid-November to mid-January, the sun does not
rise above the horizon. In fact, from August until mid
November, residents can count on losing 10 to 15
minutes of light each day.
This can be a very difficult time for some northern residents.
Losing the sun’s rising and falling rhythm causes confusion to
people accustomed to “morning” and “evening”.
Good News!
When Mother Nature turns down the sunlight, she sometimes switches on another light!
Aurora Boralis
which is Latin and translates into “the red dawn of the north.”
This is a phenomenon that occurs in
winter, and just north of the northern
Arctic Circle and south of the southern
polar circle.
The display usually begins in the late afternoon or in the evening
and continues with varying intensity often far into the night.
These colorful light displays are caused by a combination of
solar winds and the earth`s magnetic field. The solar wind is
a constant stream of electric particles from the sun. The solar
winds rush along the earth`s magnetic field, compressing it
and drawing it out into a tail while generating electric
currents and energy fields in the areas around the earth.
They can be all the colors of the rainbow
from blue through green and yellow to red.
Sometimes, when our winter nights are crispy cold, even we here in Wisconsin, can view the
spectacular displays of the Aurora Borealis, better known as The Northern Lights.
TABLE FOR 200!
COME AND GET IT!
Get Prepared for another great meal!
LUTEFISK!
LEFSE!
MEATBALLS!
Getting better and better!
Your table is ready!
NOV 15th 2 PM
This is the event our friends have been waiting for! We expect a full house, as usual.
Our fifteenth Annual Lutefisk Dinner will begin with a social hour at 1 PM
with an cash-bar, followed by Dinner at 2PM at City Streets Sheboygan. Ticket sales
have been brisk and everyone can expect full plates of Scandinavian delicacies, as
usual with door prizes and chances to win valuable items. Check to see if your friends
have received their ticket applications. We’ll try to squeeze them in! This is our
major fund-raiser. Let’s make it a huge success!
NOVEMBER 15TH.........CITY STREETS SHEBOYGAN DINNER AT 2 PM
Questions and Reservations.............Dell Solberg (920) 467-8134
e-mail
[email protected]
A Minnesota newspaper article tells what the
Church Basement Ladies are up to now. If you
saw their first long-running show, you’ll probably be interested in reading this. Thanks to
Judy Block for sharing.
“Next up for the Church Basement Ladies is
a Christmas show, Away in a Basement, set to
open November 5 at the Plymouth Playhouse. This show will take the ladies back to
1959, when they are preparing the familiar
bags of Christmas candy, cigar box nativity scenes, and sheet-and-bathrobe costumes for the annual
pageant. There will of course be a long discussion about which girl in the congregation is worthy to wear
the blue percale sheet and play Mary.” The article goes on to say that while the play is still being written,
60% of the tickets for the 125 shows have already been sold.
Thanksgiving
Trivia
1. Was the real Plymouth Rock cracked? T or F
(True - it cracked during the Revolutionary War while
being pried from it’s location to be put on a pedestal.)
2. Which department store was the first to hold a
Thanksgiving parade?
Montgomery Ward
In the 1990s Norway’s Fish Information Board proJ.C. Penney’s
duced this promotional sign to hang in a window. It was Gimbel’s
about 19” x 13” and printed in orange and black.
Macy’s
Loosely translated it says, “Lutefisk lovers last longer!”
Anne & Fred have landed! Their new address:
Fred & Anne Bruechert
600 Mitchell Avenue
Wisconsin Veterans Home
King, WI 54946
(Gimbel’s in Philadelphia in 1920)
3. What was the original name for the Pilgrims?
Puritans
Cowboys
Settlers
(Puritans - they wanted to purify Church of England)
A glimpse at life in Sweden...
With an abundance of forests, Sweden has the material for carving
right at hand. In earlier days an amazing number of household items
were carved out of wood. On winter evenings men would carve such
things as bowls from hollowed out pieces of root, kegs, cheese and
butter molds, bins for flour and salt, boxes and chests for storage and
kalasbyttor, which are vessels for carrying food to a wedding or funeral. When attending a funeral (you still attend funerals in Sweden by
invitation only) or a wedding, it was customary for guests to bring food
for the meal. It was a matter of pride to bring it in an elaborately
carved bowl or box. and there was silent viewing among the guests to
see how one’s own vessel compared with the others. So if your
husband’s work didn’t measure up... Think about that Marvin.
And the best country to live in is ...
A Letter from Sven....
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty
uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The
phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid!
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the
ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is
taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.
The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll
raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the
huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef,
but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig, huh?
( reprinted by request)
Norway tops U.N. quality-of-life list
while Niger finishes last
BANGKOK - Norway enjoys the world's highest
quality of life, while Niger suffers the lowest, a
U.N. agency has reported, as it released a ranking
that highlights the wide disparities in well-being
between rich and poor countries.
The annual Human Development Index, unveiled
in Bangkok by the United Nations Development
Program, takes into account life expectancy,
literacy, school enrollment and per capita gross
domestic product in 182 countries
A child born in Niger can expect to live to just
over 50 years, which is 30 years less than a child
born in Norway. The United States was listed 13th.
Oh, No!
Lena went into work one morning crying her eyes out. Her
boss asked sympathetically, "What's the matter?"
Lena replies, "Early this morning I got a phone call saying that
my mother had passed away and I feel terrible.”
The boss, feeling sorry for her, says, "Why don't you go home
for the day? Take the day off to relax and rest."
"Thanks” she replied, “but I'd be better off here. I need to
keep my mind off it and I have a better chance of doing that
here." The boss agrees and allows her to work usual. A couple
of hours pass and the boss decides to check on Lena. He looks
out from his office and sees her crying hysterically. "What's so
bad now? Are you gonna be okay?" he asks. "No!" exclaims
Lena. "I just received a horrible call from my sister. Her
mother just died, too.” (Thanks, Terry)
Computerwise....
vennskapnews.blogspot.com is our link to the
latest local news on the web.
Latest announcements.. Check it out! Save it
as a “favorite” or “bookmark.”
Happy Thanksgiving!
The Mission of
Sons of Norway is to promote,
preserve and cherish a lasting
appreciation of the heritage and
culture of Norway and other
Nordic countries,while growing
soundly as a fraternal benefit
society offering maximum
benefits to its members.