On Nov. 18, the Sons of Norway Lethbridge Lodge will celebrate its 40th anniversary at the LSCO.
This special milestone marks four decades of fellowship, cultural traditions, friendship, and community.
Members, friends, and guests are warmly invited to join in commemorating the lodge’s rich history and celebrating the connections that have brought its members together over the past 40 years.
Guests are encouraged to wear their traditional bunad or lodge vest in honour of the occasion and the cultural heritage that makes this celebration so meaningful.
Come and enjoy a meal, get your photo taken with soccer player Erling Haaland’s life-size painting, and be entertained by a Norwegian dance troupe.
Magna Goerke from the 40th Anniversary Planning Committee is fairly new to Lethbridge, but is deeply in love with Norway and likes to promote the culture in the community.
The Sons of Norway do some non-profit work, have put trees in Legacy Park and Henderson Lake Park, and promote opportunities for people to learn more about the culture.
“Alberta has a lot of people from Scandinavia,” Goerke noted. “They’ve been here so long. They’ve forgotten they’re Scandinavian because the ancestors came over like 200 years ago.”
According to Goerke, it’s cool to see some of the names around Lethbridge and southern Alberta that are Scandinavian. “I take it as a personal mission to find out and give them some information about their culture.”
“I’d like to teach the language at the Southern Alberta Ethnic Society, maybe some of the foods and stuff like that because I’m first generation Canadian. My father’s from Norway,” Goerke added. “But the people here, you see a lot of Andersons, Petersons, and Olsen. There’s so many Scandinavian names around. I’m shocked we don’t have more people showing up.”
Goerke believes that with people celebrating their own culture, it gives other people permission to celebrate theirs. “I think that’s great.”
Most of the Sons of Norway membership are seniors, but Mayor Blaine Hyggen is scheduled to attend the event.
“He’s Norwegian. Hyggen means pleasant, which is pretty cool,” Goerke explained.
The event kicks off at 12:30 p.m.
For more information, visit online at lethbridgesonsofnorway.ca.
