History, tradition highlight 100th Swedish Day
The entertainment was nonstop Sunday at the 100th anniversary Swedish Day at Good Templar Park in Geneva.
The century-old celebration expanded the entertainment from four to nine acts, said Marguerite Karl, who has been the entertainment coordinator for the past eight years. But it was another special guest on hand to celebrate the 100-year mark that seemed to win over the crowd most.
“We brought these Swedish gnomes for the 100th anniversary,” said Karl, of St. Charles. “They are supposed to bring good luck, and the crowd seemed very excited about them.”
The festival attracted about 2,000 visitors, said Craig Hanson of Geneva, president of Swedish Day 2011. Hanson has helped plan the festival for the past 40 years.
“It’s a festival that focuses on tradition and heritage,” he said. “I just love it. My parents are involved, and now my kids are getting involved.”
That is one of the main reasons Hanson believes visitors like Gary and Tracy Erickson of Maple Park keep coming back. The couple, who previously lived in Geneva, have been attending the festival for 13 years.
“It has a great community feel to it,” Tracy Erickson said. “I love the food and the music; it’s just great Swedish tradition.”
The couple said it is also the one time of the year they get to eat traditional food like Swedish pancakes.
The festival has other cultural traditions, like a Viking ship that has been at the festival since 1996, or the history re-enactors.
“The people are so friendly and interested in the history. It’s great to have an audience entertained as we talk about the daily lives of Vikings,” said Sharon Spanogle, a member of the Micel Folcland Inc. living history group.
There’s also the traditional maypole dance that gets everyone from kids to grandparents up on their feet.
“It’s a kind of reunion event that has multiple generations coming back,” Hanson said. “It’s great to see the familiar faces each year.”