Community Corner
Midsummer Festival Brings Scandinavian Culture to Life
Celebrate summer with Scandinavian traditions at Vasa Park Resort in Bellevue. Admission is free, but people are encouraged to bring nonperishable items to donate to Northwest Harvest
Celebrate the beginning of summer in the traditional Scandinavian manner with a Midsummer Festival, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at in Bellevue. The privately-owned resort, nestled in an idyllic setting on the southwest corner of Lake Sammamish, has hosted the annual Swedish family event for more than 80 decades.
In Scandinavian culture, the beginning of summer is marked with a big outdoors party with food, music, dancing and games. Swedish, Norwegian and Danish immigrants came to the Northwest in the late 1800s and early 1900s when logging and fishing were primary industries. While Ballard has the reputation as capital of local Scandinavian culture, numerous Eastside communities were populated by Northern European workers. Indeed, several saw mills in the area only hired men who spoke Swedish.
Members of the local Skogsblomman Lodge (a Swedish cultural and social organization) will be serving a Swedish Pancake breakfast for $8 a person. The menu includes ham, coffee, juice and Swedish pancakes. Swedish pancakes are a thinner, slightly sweeter version of a pancake, more similar in texture to a crepe than the thicker American breakfast favorite.
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At 12:30 p.m. the traditional Swedish Midsummer program begins with dancing and singing. The highlight of the program is the maypole wrap dance. Participants dance and weave colorful ribbons around a tall maypole or flagpole.
Family and children activities throughout the day include pony rides, cotton candy and a bouncing toy area for children. There will be children’s races and games at 2 p.m. in the camping area.
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There will be a beer garden, a Swedish Coffee Garden offering coffee and baked goods, grilled salmon, hamburgers and hotdogs and the Scandinavian version of a hot dog on a stick – meatballs served on a skewer.
Vasa Park has a playground and waterslides and swimming areas that will be open during the festival.
For more information about the Midsummer Festival or about Vasa Park Resort, go to www.vasaparkresort.com.
If you go
Midsummer Festival Schedule
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 19
9 a.m. to noon - Breakfast
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. - Bingo
11 a.m. - Start of family activities throughout the day
12:30 p.m. - Traditional Swedish Midsummer Celebration
Free admission but please bring donations of nonperishable food items for Northwest Harvest