30 Sept to 4 Oct  2008  Norsk Høstfest, in Minot, ND is North America’s largest Scandinavian Festival, celebrating its 31st year in 2008  "Tens of thousands of people attend the event annually to celebrate and partake in the Scandinavian culture and entertainment. Over 200 internationally recognized artisans, craftsmen and chefs participate. The experience is an eclectic array of contemporary and traditional. The cuisine as well as the clothes, art and jewelry are authentic, fine quality and exquisitely Nordic."  Looking forward to next years' September 30 - October 4, 2008.

18 Oct  2008 Nordic Fiddle Workshop and Concert:
From their Press Release: Folk Music Workshops Feature
The Nordic Fiddle Fusion Band - Frigg
HANCOCK, MI – At Folk Music Workshops at the Finlandia University Finnish American Heritage Center (FAHC), and in conjunction with their North American tour, the seven members of the Nordic fiddle fusion band Frigg will share their skills on a variety of instruments.
The Frigg music workshop is Saturday, October 18, 2008, 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the FAHC. Participants can join Frigg on stage at the historic Calumet Theatre later the same night, and at the Crystal Theater in Crystal Falls, Mich., Sunday, October 19 at 2 p.m. CST.
Frigg is a multitalented Finnish-Norwegian group of seven young musicians who play fresh Scandinavian folk fiddling accompanied by fretted instruments, upright bass and endless energy. The style they represent is a mixture of Kaustinen (Finland) and Nord-Trondelag (Norway) — traditions flavoured with a taste of Americana and Irish folk music.
Kaustinen, a cluster of villages on the slow-winding River Perho in the western Finnish region of Ostrobothnia, has long been famous for its fiddlers. But, largely as a result of the innovative influence and success of Kaustinen band JPP (the acronym derives from "Järvelän Pikkupelimannit") and the teaching by that band's Mauno Järvelä of all the kids in the area who want to learn, the standard of playing, tune writing and arranging has increased even further, and rapidly, over the past few years.
The band Frigg is at the crest of this new wave, full of fresh ideas and taking the next leap forward for Finnish fiddle music. The members of the band include Esko Järvelä, Alina Järvelä, Antti Järvelä, Petri Prauda and Tuomas Logrén. Playing both ordinary and Hardanger fiddle are brothers Gjermund and Einar Olav Larsen, from Verdal in the central Norwegian region of Trøndelag. The kinds of instruments you'll see and hear in their concerts are fiddles, bass, mandolin, cittern, Estonian bagpipes, guitar and dobro.
Advance registration for each of the workshops is required. The cost of a workshop is $15.

Frigg is on tour in October in the Upper Peninsula. Tour stops include:

October 17 – NMU University Center, Marquette, Mich.
October 18 – Calumet Theatre, Calumet, Mich.
October 19 – Crystal Theater, Crystal Falls, Mich.

Oct/Nov 2008 learn to bake Norwegian food/lefsa

7th December 2008 Julefest

Past 2008 events:

20 January 2008 Last day to submit your ancestry info to be included in the book "Norwegians in Michigan" Michigan State U Press. They want info about Norwegians who immigrated to Michigan. Click here for page 1 and page 2 of the form to fill out. For more info, contact Dennis Darling, Pres of the Askeladden Lodge of Kalamazoo.

9 February 2008 Michigan Tech Winter Carnival Torch Light Parade down Mt Ripley & Fireworks. The Sons of Norway, Ulseth Lodge members have reserved a room on the campus of MTU to view the parade and fireworks from the warmth of the Chemical Sciences Building. That is building number 19 on the campus map here: www.mtu.edu/tools/map.html We will meet and socialize starting at 7:30pm Saturday in second floor room 208, the Chemistry Learning Center. Bring a Norwegian desert snack or cheese/crackers etc and watch this spectacular event!

Feb 23, 2007 The National Sons of Norway co-sponsor the Barnebirkie, a race for over 1,300 children during the famous annual Brikebeiner cross country ski race in nearby Hayward/Cable, Wisconsin as a tribute to the original Birkebeiner ski marathon  to save the infant future King of Norway in 1206. Our Ulseth Lodge is asked to send cookies to give to the children as they finished the race. Local members, Richard & Nancy Imm volunteered at the race and delivered our cookies again this year.

17 May 2008 Saturday, Syttende Mai !!  Celebrate Norway's National Independence Day! We will host inspirational speaker Frida Waara talking about her Artic & Nordic Adventures! Exhibits will start at 10am; lunch smorgbord from 11-1; Frida's talk at 1pm at Finlandia's Portage Campus, 200 Michigan Street, Hancock. Volunteers are needed to help with this Ulseth Lodge sponsored community event; please contact Nancy Imm for details.

June 8th: We are having our "2nd Sunday of the month" meeting this Sunday, June 8th at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Hancock. We will have a social beginning at 6:00pm (bring goodies to share), meeting at 7 and a Norwegian movie at 8pm. Please come for any or all of this!

21 June 2008 Saturday, Scandinavian Midsummer Fest in Marquette celebrating the summer solstice; longest day. Events run from 10am to 10pm at the Presque Isle park in Marquette. This is a really fun event starting with a May pole raising, live Scandinavian entertainment all day, including the 3pm bunad parade, tents of Scandinavian arts/crafts & demos, good food, big bon fire at the end of the day etc.We will not have a table for the Sons of Norway, Ulseth Lodge this year, but hope to next year, so please attend this fun event this year to see what it is all about. We have been invited to participate by bringing our bunads to wear for their National Costume parade across the stage at 3pm on Saturday. A brief description of the costume and its origin will be helpful for use by the narrators during the program. Organizers for the National Costume Show are Leenamari Bowers and Dorothy Beckman. Call 906-228-9190 for more information, and to be in the show.

24, 25, 26 July 2008 Thursday, Fri, Sat Nordic Fest in Decorah, Iowa. In 2008, Nordic Fest will celebrate its 42st anniversary. Since 1967, over 1.5 million visitors from throughout the country have attended this festival. "This Summerfest with Nordic Neighbors" begins with Thursday night opening ceremonies, followed by two full days of fun activities. The whole family will enjoy delicious food, traditional crafts with live history, a colorful outdoor parade, lively entertainment, an indoor Bunad parade, the Saturday night torchlight parade and fireworks and so much more!