It was an evening filled with celebration, toasts, rosemaling and lots of Norwegian food: On January 16, about 150 Sons of Norway members and prominent figures from the community gathered to commemorate our 125th anniversary.
As you entered the lobby of our headquarters, you were welcomed by Sons of Norway staff, an abundance of balloons, a fjord-themed photobooth, and the noise of celebration trickling down the hallway. Members shared stories with one another, kids experimented with rosemaling, and as for the rest—well, they were busy enjoying Norwegian waffles, krumkake, and our large assortment of Norwegian-inspired food.
In the crowd was a former International President, along with local government officials, business partners, headquarters employees and many long-term members of the organization, all elated to be part of this important milestone. As our CEO Eivind Heiberg clinked his glass to toast the last 125 years, the room grew quiet and attendees’ eyes were filled with excitement. Eivind toasted our founding members, our partners, and everyone in the crowd for making this such a wonderful occasion. Following Eivind’s toast was a video greeting from Norwegian Ambassador Kåre Aas congratulating Sons of Norway for our 125 years of accomplishments, as well as a toast from Gabrielle Gerbaud, the executive director of the Minnesota Trade Office.
We wrapped up the night with a raffle drawing and awarded one of our guests with the grand prize: A weekend getaway valued at $500, sponsored by the Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau. The lucky winner had traveled all the way from southern Minnesota to celebrate with us on a cold and snowy January evening!
From everyone at Sons of Norway headquarters, thank you so much for making this possible. It is your dedication to Sons of Norway, and your commitment to helping us grow, that has allowed us to reach this incredible milestone and celebrate 125 years!
See more pictures from the event here.