7 Lag Stevne (2001)
Rapid City, South Dakota
South Dakota School of
Mines and Technology
Was held July 12-15,
2001
News from the 2001 Sju-Lag Stevne
("sju" = seven, "lag" = a team or organization, "stevne" = meeting)
Reported by Earl O. Knutson
The 2001 stevne (Norwegian
for "meeting") has come to a close. The stevne is the annual event where
Sigdalslag joins with six other lags (thus "sju", or seven) to celebrate
the Norwegian part of our heritage. This year the stevne was held July
12-14 at the School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, SD. In years
past, the stevne has been held at Decorah, IA and Wahpeton, ND, among other
places. In 2002 it will be held at St. Olaf College
in Northfield, MN.
The stevne was attended by
nearly 500 persons, including about 100 from Norway - an unusually large
turnout from there. Sixty members of Sigdalslag attended. WE were pleased
to count five Norwegians among that group. They were: Torstein, Bjoerg
and Per Helge Skalland; Olaug Skalland; Gunhild Bergan, who are affiliated
with Sigdalslag.
The genealogists of the seven
lags brought their reference books and microfilms, which were available
to the attendees for two days. This "genealogy room" is a popular
annual feature of the stevne. Also there were 17 hour-long classroom lectures
on various topics in Norwegian-American genealogy, another popular annual
feature.
On Friday, two busloads of
stevne attendees visited the scenic Black Hills.
The
day-long tour included stops at the Mammoth Site in the south Black Hills,
Custer State Park, and the Crazy Horse Memorial. The last stop was Mt.
Rushmore, where we had entertainment before dusk and the lighting ceremony
after dusk.
On Saturday morning the seven
lags held their separate business/cultural meetings. Fifty persons attended
the Sigdalslag meeting. The agenda included the election of officers, a
report on finances, a discussion and vote on bylaws changes, a videotape
from last year's Norway trip, an emigration skit and singing of Norwegian
songs.
We should not forget the
Thursday night entertainment: a folk dance troop, a story teller, a young
lady who played the Norwegian (Hardanger) fiddle, and a complicated but
fun line dance.
The grand finale was the
Saturday evening banquet
and the Saturday evening entertainment. Performers were the group called
Skålmusik and the farmer/singer/songwriter Chuck Suchey.
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