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The name Doug Warne may sound familiar to many of you. After all, he serves on the Sons of Norway Foundation Board of Governors and is the voice behind the Seattle-based radio show “Scandinavian Hour,”which he has hosted for 55 years. Today, Warne is the proud holder of a St. Olav Medal, bestowed by His Majesty King Harald V in recognition of his outstanding service in promoting relations between [...]

The phenomenon known as “Northern Lights” is most commonly seen in the northern hemisphere of our planet between the months of October and March. The lights are described to be magical, dramatic and utterly dazzling.  If you are fortunate enough to experience the display, you’ll see a ray of dancing greens, yellows, violets and reds; on a rare occurrence, you could even spot some oranges and whites. Here are [...]

Flashback: It’s the glory days between the World Wars, when King Haakon and Queen Maud maintained a handsome and complete royal stable of horses along with all the trappings of the day. Carriages, harnesses and other tack, a shoeing forge and even infirmary stalls were part of the state-of-the-art facility. The Royal Stables included an equestrian arena and viewing gallery. Thirteen grooms were housed on site, attending to all [...]

Photo Credit: visitnorway.com Norway’s most famous play, Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, celebrates its 150 year anniversary in 2017. The drama, which paints the vibrant and outrageous adventures and misdeeds of Peer Gynt, was finished on October 14, 1867, while its stage premiere opened exactly one month later. To mark this milestone anniversary, Norway has been celebrating all year, both on and off stage. In June, Akershus Fortress outside of Oslo [...]

Margaret H. O’Leary, Associate Dean for Humanities and King Olav V Chair of Scandinavian-American Studies at St. Olaf College, was awarded the rank of Office of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit on September 16. Norwegian Ambassador to the United States, Kare Åas, conferred the award. O’Leary received the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit due to her continuous commitment to strengthening ties between Norway and the U.S. O’Leary spent [...]

Historical linguist Dr. Jackson Crawford has studied dozens of languages, but what captured his imagination early on was Old Norse, the language of the Vikings. His popular YouTube channel features videos about Norse gods and heroes. He also was a consultant on Old Norse for movie and television projects, including Disney’s “Frozen.” Check out Viking’s November issue and see more from the interview below. Interview by Bradley Anderson Your [...]

Kick off Thanksgiving week with a Nordic-inspired breakfast and the exquisite choral music of the VocalEssence Singers, a national force in its genre for nearly three decades! The Nordic American Thanksgiving Breakfast, coming up on Tuesday, November 21, is pleased to present this local musical treasure, under the direction of Philip Brunelle, as the Nordic community and esteemed speakers celebrate the importance of freedom, faith, family and friends. The [...]

Did you know that Norway, a country with just over five million people and a population slightly larger than that of South Carolina, directly supports nearly half a million jobs in the United States? These jobs are found in all states and span a diverse range of economic sectors. “Norway Creates Jobs in the United States: Norway’s Impact on the American Economy,” a new report released by the Royal [...]

You don’t have to visit Norway to indulge and delight in the best of Nordic cooking. Norsk Høstfest imports top-notch Norwegian chefs to lead the menu creation at En To Tre (presented by Sons of Norway, where members enjoy a special discount). How does jaeren (grilled tenderloin with spinach, onion, beets and cognac sauce) appeal to you? How about herring with aquavit on bread with fennel salad? Or tender [...]

This year, Norway unseated Denmark as the happiest country in the world, ranking first in the 2017 World Happiness Report. Read more about why Scandinavia is the world’s happiest region in the September issue of Viking magazine. Here, we asked three Norwegian leaders the question: “Why do you think Norway was able to earn the number one spot in the UN rankings, which define "happiness" as well-being and life [...]

Did you know that your investment in your future financial health not only helps protect your family's financial security but has far reaching, positive effects for the greater Sons of Norway community? In the spirit of celebrating Life Insurance Awareness month this September, we're sharing our new infographic which explains how purchasing our life insurance and annuity products helps build a strong financial future for you and your Sons [...]

While walking down the grocery aisle of your favorite store you’ve likely studied labels and dates, noting the shelf life of the items you put in your cart. But, what if all the items in your store were past their labeled prime? Oslo’s unique Best Før supermarket looks much like other Norwegian grocers, except all of the items lining its shelves are beyond their sell by dates and signage [...]

There aren’t too many tasks one can complete in just five minutes, but that’s how fast  Norway’s newest cable car attraction will take you 3,300 feet above sea level to the top of a mountain. Billed as one of the steepest cable cars in the world, the Loen Skylift in Loen, Norway transports 35-40 guests per cable car from the Fjord station on the Nordfjord to the top of [...]