Scandinavian Festival facts for kids
The Scandinavian Festival is a fun, four-day event held every year in Junction City, Oregon, United States. It celebrates the history and culture of Scandinavia. Even though Junction City is a small town, over 100,000 people visit the festival each year! Sunset Magazine has called it one of the best festivals in the U.S. because it feels so real and true to its roots. In 2014, the festival was even named an Oregon Heritage Tradition.
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How the Festival Began
The Scandinavian Festival started in 1961. Dr. Gale Fletchall created it to help save Junction City. Many businesses in the downtown area were closing. This happened because the new Interstate 5 highway bypassed the town, taking away most of the traffic that used to pass through on Oregon Route 99.
Dr. Fletchall wanted to find a way to bring the community together. He thought a big city celebration would be perfect. He looked at different ideas before choosing to celebrate the town's strong, but quiet, Scandinavian heritage. He talked with older Danish-American residents. Then, in May 1961, the local chamber of commerce agreed to help pay for it.
Just a few weeks later, the first community classes for Scandinavian dancing and singing began. Churches and other groups agreed to set up booths for food and crafts. In August 1961, the very first Scandinavian Festival opened. Dr. Fletchall thought maybe 2,000 people would come. Instead, 25,000 visitors showed up! Today, it is one of Oregon's most loved events.
In 2020, the festival was mostly held online because of world events.
What Happens at the Festival
Since 1961, the festival has drawn visitors from all over the country. The downtown area of Junction City turns into an old-world town for the event. Each day of the festival celebrates a different Scandinavian country. These countries are Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway.
You can see people dressed as Vikings marching down the street. There are puppet shows with traditional northern European stories. You can also see colorful costumes in a special fashion show. Storytellers share tales from Hans Christian Andersen. Folk dancers perform and even teach you some moves. Music groups play traditional songs. You can also take language classes or join the Scandia Run 10 km race.
The festival offers many tasty traditional Scandinavian foods. Some popular treats include vandbakkelser, which are chocolate-dipped yum puffs. You can also try Æbleskiver, which are like fluffy pancake balls. Other favorites are Swedish meatballs and Lefse, a soft flatbread.
Festival Booths and Crafts
The festival has many different stalls and booths. Most of them are set up along the streets. Some are indoors, offering a break from the sun or rain. Food stalls are very popular. The Æbleskiver booth and the meat pie booth are especially famous. They almost always have a big crowd waiting!
Other booths sell beautiful handmade crafts. You can find Hardanger embroidery, a type of needlework, and delicate bobbin lace. There is also tatted lace and Rosemaling, which is a traditional Norwegian decorative painting. Many booths also sell paintings, needlework, and ceramics.
Handmade Toys and More
You can also find many handmade toys at the festival. These include puppets on strings, wooden swords, and dolls. They show off toys from a long time ago that are still fun today.
The festival wants all the booths to fit the authentic Scandinavian theme. Sometimes, booth owners have had to change their designs to match the theme. For example, one year, a lemonade stand looked like a giant lemon. The festival committee asked them to change it. They tried to hide the lemon with traditional decorations, but it was a bit tricky!
