As you may have heard, the last couple of days of the Royal visit to Minnesota have brought very big news for Sons of Norway.
On Sunday, at the Grand Dinner in Minneapolis, King Harald V gave a speech about his personal bonds to the United States and his fondness for the U.S. and Minnesota in particular. In that speech he actually took time to refer to Sons of Norway by name (the only organization specifically recognized in his speech). He said:
"And I am grateful to the Sons of Norway and the many other organizations that preserve Norwegian heritage and traditions. Norway looks to its Sons and Daughters in the United States as a bridge between our two cultures."
If that weren't exciting enough, the next day he went to Duluth for a rededication of Enger Tower, took time from his busy schedule to visit the Nortun Sons of Norway lodge! The lodge had spent much of the last year preparing for this event and spent $50,000 to update the lodge and get it ready for Their Majesties. During the invite-only event, King Harald V and Queen Sonja were treated to special remarks from our International President, Dan Rude and a musical performance by Arna Rennan. Then Their Majesites were escorted around the room and introduced to the 60 lodge and International Board members. In fact, if you click here, you can see video of His Majesty King Harald V, walking and talking with our International President as they arrived at the lodge.
There is also a great photo series, which can be found here, showing King Harald V and Sons of Norway officers/members together.
This was a very exciting event for Sons of Norway and its members in Duluth who worked so hard to make the event possible. If you know a member from Nortun lodge, make sure and congratulate them on their efforts!
Check back later for more about the Royal Visit and Their Majesties opening of the Cold Recall exhibit.