A few yards from a large blue and white windmill Thursday morning, a woman in a long skirt and an elaborately embroidered vest got her Swedish pancake stand ready for the day’s customers. With a ribboned garland keeping her blonde hair out of her face, she diligently spread lingonberry jam on pancakes, seemingly unaware that a brood of Vikings was marching down the block.
Hostile takeover in a quaint Swedish hamlet? Not exactly.
The Vikings were leading a parade down 6th Avenue in Junction City, officially kicking off the 47th annual Scandinavian Festival.
For a long weekend each summer, the Scandinavian Festival celebrates Nordic culture with food, crafts, live music, performances and demonstrations. For four days – Thursday through Sunday, each of which honors a different country: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden – Junction City temporarily becomes a Scandinavian village.
“I like how the downtown is transformed into a whole different world,” said Taryl Perry, executive director of the Junction City-Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce. “I like how it brings everyone together.”
Junction City was once a common stopping point for travelers driving north on Highway 99, but with the construction of Interstate 5, the city was no longer on the way to Portland and lost a lot of traffic. Residents, many of whom were of Danish descent, worried about their hometown becoming a ghost town.
Led by Dr. Gale Fletchall, a group of locals then came up with the Scandinavian Festival, both to honor their Danish heritage and to attract people to Junction City.
It worked, according to Perry.
“I think it put us on the map,” she said. “You’ll hear, ‘Junction City, home of the Scandinavian Festival.’ We’re a thriving community now and we’re thankful that the festival did that for us.”
With a population of roughly 4,500, Junction City is a small community, but during the Scandinavian Festival’s four days, the city’s population grows exponentially. Every summer, nearly 100,000 people attend the cultural events, including puppet and costume shows, craft demonstrations, and folk dancing and language workshops.
Barbara Coon of nearby Cheshire has been looking forward to the Scandinavian Festival.
“The dancing, the atmosphere, the colors, the costumes, all of that – it’s just a lot of fun,” she said, wearing a floral dress, calf-length apron and a tykkimyssy, a traditional Finnish hat that somewhat resembles a cross between a yarmulke and a bonnet.
Countless musical performances – including Sogn og Fjordaneringen, a colorfully-garbed group of dancers from Norway – are also sprinkled throughout the weekend.
“I have a 13-year-old who’s in the children’s dancing group, so that’s a big draw,” Coon said of her favorite part of the Scandinavian Festival.
Her second favorite part is the food, particularly meatballs from Frikadeller. One of the festival’s many food booths, Frikadeller is right near the big windmill, which is located in the center of the festival and serves as an information booth.
In addition to the meatballs, some of the more popular Scandinavian fare are aebleskivers, hollow pancake balls typically eaten with powdered sugar or jam; funnel cakes; and anything from Ol Haven. Located at 7th Avenue and Holly Street, Ol Haven is a traditional beer garden, the proceeds from which will benefit community service projects in Lane County.
There are also various craft booths boasting a wide variety of Scandinavian items, including clothing, art, woodworking, hand-blown glass crafts, books, jewelry, homemade soaps, and even puppets and weathervanes.
Area athletes and anyone looking to burn off the popular vandbakkelser, chocolate-glazed, vanilla-filled cream puffs from Denmark, may also be interested in the 10-kilometer Scandia Run (or the less competitive 4.4-mile walk) Saturday afternoon. Race profits will go toward Junction City High School’s track facilities.
With so many attractions, a seasoned festivalgoer like Festival Administrator Sue Gabriel, who has been working on Scandinavian Festivals for 20 years, can’t pick a favorite or one thing in particular to look forward to.
“I’ve done this for so long that it changes all the time,” she said. “I like the crafts, I love the food and the entertainment is great. To pinpoint an answer is difficult because I enjoy all of it.”