| Thursday July 16th | Videos @ Livsreise | Presentations @ Mandt Sons of Norway Lodge | Classes @ Mandt Sons of Norway Lodge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:30-1:30 pm | 2017 Stevne Entertainment (V1) | The Stoughton Bunad; a Migration of Tradition (P1) | Rosemaling Presentation and Workshop (C1) $5 |
| 2:00-3:00 pm | Immigrant Voices (V2) | Gourd Carving and the Influence of My Mother, Ethel Kvalheim (P2) | Travel the World With Chocolate* (C2) $10 (2-minute walk from Mandt Lodge) Update - 5/31/26 - Class is full and closed to further registration! |
| 3:30-4:30 pm | De Som Dro Vest (V3) | Sons of Norway Mandt Lodge 5-314 at 100 Years (P3) | Traditional Norwegian Farmhouse Beer (C3) $5 |
| Friday July 17th | Videos @ Livsreise | Presentations @ Mandt Sons of Norway Lodge | Classes @ Mandt Sons of Norway Lodge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00-10:00 am | 2017 Stevne Entertainment (V4) | Early Bowl Turning in Norway (P4) | Rosemaling Presentation and Workshop (C4) $5 |
| 10:30-11:30 am | Homesteading (V5) | Rosemaling in Place: What Stoughton, WI Can Teach Students About Traditional Arts and Placemaking in Community (P5) | Temperance and Emigration (C5) $5 |
| 12:30- 1:30 pm | Stavig Letters (V6) | Letters from Ole Rockvold (P6) | Scandinavian Wine and Cheese Pairings* (C6) $10 |
| 2:00-3:00 pm | Kaskeland (V7) | Syttende Mai Royalty (P7) A Dream of Telespringar in America: Harold K. Sersland (P7-b) | Travel the World With Chocolate* (C7) $10 (2-minute walk from Mandt Lodge) Update - 6/10/26 - Class is full and closed to further registration! |
| 3:30-4:30 pm | Hjemkost Ship (V8) | Fevolden Farm: Heritage, Alpacas and Their Wonderful Fiber (P8) | Stevne Show and Tell (C8) |
* These classes will take place at a different location, see class descriptions.
● Rosemaling Presentation and Workshop, Nancy Odalen (C1 and C4)
Presentation with hands-on workshop in rosemaling. Rosemaling is a Norwegian folk art that is painted on wooden objects.
Thursday 12:30-1:30 or Friday 9:00-10:00, $5.00 registration fee, space limited.
● Travel the World With Chocolate, Brook Johnson of Yahara Tea and Chocolate (C2 and C7)
Update – 6/10/26 – This class is full!
Explore the history and worldwide spread of chocolate over the last 500 years while tasting unique chocolate along the way.
*at Yahara Tea and Chocolate, a 2-minute walk from Mandt Lodge.
Thursday 2:00-3:00 or Friday 2:00-3:00, $10.00 registration fee.
● Traditional Norwegian Farmhouse Beer, Amanda Thorstad (C3)
Norwegians have been making beer on their farms for thousands of years – as long as they have been farming! We’ll tour the country to see how climate, economics, technology, and local tradition create a wide range of beers specific to each region.You’ll learn about unique ingredients like juniper and kveik, meet some of the Hidden Folk who help out with the brewing process, hear a funeral toast, and make some informed guesses about what the Vikings were drinking.
Thursday 3:30-4:30, $5.00 registration fee
● Temperance and Emigration, Amanda Thorstad (C5)
The impacts of emigration, urbanization, industrialization, and temperance movements nearly decimated Norway’s age-old farmhouse brewing tradition. Hear from the 19th & 20th century temperance advocates and consider the changing attitudes and social norms of both brewing and drinking beer, and follow the emigrants to the new world. We will meet the farmers who continued brewing anyway, and the contemporary brewers who are keeping the tradition alive.
Friday 10:30-11:30, $5.00 registration fee
● Scandinavian Wine and Cheese Pairings, Amy (C6)
Amy will provide a brief introduction to the wine and cheese pairing experience and an introduction to Cheesers. Two white wines and two reds, chosen specifically for our group will be paired with Scandinavian cheeses for your enjoyment.
*At Cheesers, a 4-minute walk from Mandt Lodge, the classroom is upstairs with no elevator
Friday 12:30-1:30, $10.00 registration fee, space limited
● Stevne Show and Tell (C8)
Sign up for a 10-minute speaking/sharing slot and tell us about a special item, discovery, project, or endeavor you are working on.
Thursday 3:30-4:30
Registration required, slots limited
●The Stoughton Bunad; a Migration of Tradition, Caroline Benforado (P1)
Bunad for Stoughton’s Sesquicentennial was in the works for a number of years. The bunad was revealed in 1997 when the Syttende Mai royalty wore the first models ever made. Stoughton Wisconsin celebrates the early and continued presence of Norwegian folk traditions. Key people and events contributed to the development of Stoughton’s very own folk dress by building on the foundations of American rosemaling and the traditions of Norwegian folk dance. Learn how happenstance and heritage combined to become the Stoughton Bunad.
Thursday 12:30-1:30
● Gourd Carving and the Influence of My Mother, Ethel Kvalheim, Gary Kvalheim (P2)
The influence my mother had on my art through her encouragment over the years, leading me to find the art medium I wanted to persue. I will speak on the process of how my carving has developed over the past 20+ years.
Thursday 2:00-3:00
● Sons of Norway Mandt Lodge 5-314 at 100 Years, Darlene Arneson (P3)
Darlene will share some of the history, programs and activities of Sons of Norway Mandt Lodge 5-314 as they celebrate their 100th year! Darlene has been president since 2002 and has seen many changes in their lodge over the years!
Thursday 3:30-4:30
● Early Bowl Turning in Norway, Derek Brabender (P4)
Join us for a 1-hour journey into the world of early Norwegian bowl turning. See a Svarvestol (pole lathe) in action, learn about the lives of traditional bowl turners and a nearly forgotten drinking tradition.
Friday 9:00-10: 00
● Rosemaling in Place: What Stoughton, WI Can Teach Students About Traditional Arts and Placemaking in Community, Anna Rue (P5)
In Spring 2026, 23 UW undergraduate students in Dr. Anna Rue’s class Folklore of Wisconsin were tasked with documenting the semester-long artist residency of Tara Austin, a rosemaler from Duluth, MN. Austin began studying rosemaling as an MFA student at UW in 2016 and her return to campus as an artist-in-residence became the catalyst for Rue’s class to engage in a collaborative class project, examining Austin’s residency activities from the perspectives of “People,” “Product,” “Process,” and “Place.” This presentation will share how students engaged with Austin, local rosemalers, and local communities like Stoughton to understand a traditional art form and stories of Norwegian American communities that continue to honor their ethnic roots 200 hundred years after migrating to this country.
Friday 10:30-11:30
●Letters from Ole Rockvold, Sharon Bowen (P6)
Including selected passages from dozens of letters professionally translated from Norwegian, this presentation, “Letters from Ole Rocksvold,” is a mini biography of my great grandfather, Ole Rockvold, an immigrant and Civil War veteran. Ole fought for the Union at the “Hornets’ Nest” at Shiloh, was a prisoner of war, and participated at Vicksburg and in many other battles. Some poignant letters were written during the Civil War to his sweetheart, Anne, who later became his wife. A talented writer, he also wrote letters throughout the rest of his life. A person of intelligence, determination, and conviction, he went on to be a successful farmer, postmaster, and father of ten. Having helped establish the Glenwood Lutheran Church near Decorah, IA, Ole was an active participant in his community throughout his life. I wrote a book,”Letters from Ole Rocksvold,” in 2017 which I self published and is available on Amazon.
Friday 12:30-1:30
●Stoughton Syttende Mai Royalty, Gary and Ellen Smithback (P7)
Gary and Ellen Smithback, the 2026 Syttede Mai King and Queen, will talk about the unique Stoughton Festival Royalty program, what it has meant to them, and what they believe it means to the community as a whole.
Friday 2:00-3:00
●A Dream of Telespringar in America: Harold K. Sersland (P7-b)
One hundred years ago, Harold K Sersland (HK), fulfilled his dream of emigrating from Norway to America. He travelled from Hjartdal, Telemark to Minnesota. There is sparse information about his specific dance activities while growing up in Telemark, though we can infer that his dance experiences were considerable based on the frequent invitations to perform, and first place awards in kappleik activity after immigrating.
Friday 2:00-3:00
● Fevolden Farm: Heritage, Alpacas and Their Wonderful Fiber, Tom and Ginny Olson (P8)
Tom will talk about the farm and the alpacas; Ginny will talk about how fiber is processed and woven into end user products.
Friday 3:30-4:30
● Immigrant Voices (V2)
(3 short videos)-three women tell us about their experiences emigrating and living on the prairie.
● De Som Dro Vest (V3)
Vintage video from 1988 about those who went west, including video from the 100 year Sloop Restauration celebration in Minneapolis.
● Homesteading (V5)
South Dakota Public Television interviews of descendants of homesteaders with context provided by local historians.
● The Stavig Letters (Vs6)
Lars leaves for America and farms, and Knut stays in Norway as a fisherman. For over 50 years, the brothers wrote to one another, and their letters are published in a book.
● Kaskeland (V7)
Enjoy a beautiful program by the Koshkonong Prairie Historical Society about early settlers on the prairie.
● Hjemkost Ship (V8)
Learn about the Viking Ship built by Robert Asp and then sailed to Norway.