STAY TUNED! This page reflects the 2017 event.
2017 Featured Entertainment
HARALD HAUGAARD / HELENE BLUM BAND FROM DENMARK
“the master fiddler and the absolutely crystal clear voice form Denmark” Two of Denmark’s finest artists come together to perform traditional and contemporary Danish music with great passion and virtuosity. Beautiful old Danish ballads are gently blended with flashy, impossibly pretty fiddle tunes and it’s all presented to the audience with great passion and presence. Haugaard has established himself as one of Denmark’s finest musicians. His compositions are present and original as he draws on the deep roots of the rich Danish musical tradition he grew up with. Blum has thrilled audiences throughout Europe and from Canada to Japan with her intensely expressive, Chrystal clear voice. Her artistic focus embraces both traditional roots and innovation. Using ancient songs and ballads as a base, she reinvents them with contemporary expressions and mixes them elegantly with her own compositions. The Haugaard / Blum Band also consists of three fantastic back-up musicians who all are soloists in their own right: Kirstine Elise Pedersen on cello, Mikkel Grue on guitar, and Sune Rahbek on percussion. Haugaard runs fiddle schools in Germany and Wisconsin each summer and is artistic director for the Folk Baltica Festival in Northern Germany. Both Haugaard and Blum were recently named by the Germany government as ambassadors for the European Year of Cultural Heritage. The Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival is thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity to all festival goers to hear these world class musicians from Denmark. Performances in the arena 6 PM, Friday, June 16 10:45 AM, Saturday, June 17 12:30 PM, Saturday, June 17 2:15 PM, Saturday, June 17 10:30 AM, Sunday, June 18 1:30 PM, Sunday, June 18 
ASTOR STREET OPRY - SHANGHAIED IN ASTORIA
Now in its 32nd season, SHANGHAIED IN ASTORIA, is part-vaudeville, part-soap opera, and part 1950’s style Hollywood musical, all combined into a fun and entertaining look at traditional local cultural folklore, including immigrant cannery workers from Scandinavia. What originated as a celebration of Astoria tradition has become a tradition itself and you don’t want to miss it! Catch Shanghaied cast members performing their olio acts in the beer garden at festival on Saturday. Performances 1 PM, Saturday, June 17 - beer garden 3 PM, Saturday, June 17 - beer garden 5 PM, Saturday, June 17 - beer garden 
LEIKARRINGEN OF PORTLAND DANCERS
“Leikarringen” means circle or round dance. The priority of this group is the preservation of Nordic culture. LEIKARRINGEN OF PORTLAND is open to youths ages 4 and up. New dancers begin each year while some have danced for fifteen years or more. This long dance tradition is rich with tunes and steps from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and even Estonia. Dances are generally fast-paced and a recent addition to Leikarringen has been their own group of musicians who perform on traditional instruments. LEIKARRINGEN is led by Christie Stilson and Darcy Andrews and is sponsored by the Daughters of Norway and Norske Runddansere. Performances: 11:45 PM, Saturday, June 17 - arena 3:15, Saturday, June 17 - arena 
NORDIC VIKING DANCERS
Astoria’s own dance group includes dancers from second grade to adults. The NORDIC DANCERS are the youngest group and several members are performing at their first midsummer festival. Experienced teen-age dancers make up the VIKING DANCERS but several fathers also participate . This group is always open to new members! Parents of dancers and former dancers and adults interested in Scandinavian folk dancing form the SCANDIA DANCERS. The Nordic Viking Dancers are led by Kevin Ladd and Bev Hoofnagle. Performances 7 PM, Friday, June 17 at Queen’s Coronation 10 AM, Saturday, June 18 - arena 3:30 PM, Saturday, June 18 - arena 11:30, Sunday, June 18 - arena 
RYAN PHILLIPS
RYAN PHILLIPS grew up in Astoria and learned to play accordion at home and in the community. Catch him in the dining area of the Exhibit Hall during breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. 
VASA YOUTH GROUP
The littlest dancers at the festival come from Portland and will perform at the festival on Saturday. This group of Swedish dancers is led by Christine Smith. Catch them leading the dancing around the Midsummer Pole and performing in the arena. Performances: 12 noon, Saturday, June 18 - dancing at the Midsummer Pole on the front lawn 1:30 PM, Saturday, June 18 - arena |
AALLOTAR
“a transatlantic collaboration using Finnish and Finnish-American music as a starting point for an original 'chamber-folk’ style” Ancestors of Sara Pajunen and Teija Niku lived within hours of each other in western Finland - speaking the same language, playing the same music, living the same culture. In the late 19th century, Pajunen's ancestors emigrated to northern Minnesota; Niku's family remained in Finland. Today, they explore a common heritage in Finnish folk music, even as they create new sounds that reflect their contemporary cultures and various interests. Pajunen is a violinist, and Niku and accordionist; their lithe instrumentals and beautiful vocal harmonies in both Finnish and English demonstrate how gracefully traditional and modern folk music can speak together. Niku has performed at the Astoria Scandinavian Festial in prior years as a member of the Polka Chicks and Karuna. Performances: 5 PM, Saturday, June 17, Exhibit Hall 6 PM, Saturday, June 17, Exhibit Hall 10:30 AM, Sunday, June 18, special music during the church service, Exhibit Hall 12:30 PM, Sunday, June 18, Arena 2:30 PM, Sunday, June 18, Arena 
ARRIVAL, Canada’s ABBA Tribute Band
One performance only! Extra charge applies. 7:30 PM, Saturday, June 17. Doors open at 7:00 PM. ARRIVAL ticket includes festival admission after 5 PM. How do you celebrate 50 years of successful Scandinavian Midsummer Festivals? In a BIG way, for sure, so that’s why we’ve invited ARRIVAL, Canada’s Tribute to ABBA to do a special performance at 7:30 PM on Saturday evening, June 17. “Dancing Queen,” “Mama Mia,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “Knowing You, Knowing Me” - all your favorites will be included. This 50th Anniversary Special Event requires a special ticket: $15 general admission; $25 reserve seating. The concert ticket includes admission to the festival after 5 PM. Come for dinner and the concert! If you arrive before 5 PM, you will need to purchase a festival admission wrist band good for all three days. Arena doors open at 7 PM and the concert starts at 7:30 PM. There will be a public dance with live music by Scandinavian Country immediately following the concert. Ticket pre-sale will be available soon. Check back for more information later. The original ABBA band formed in Stockholm in 1968 and went on to win the Eurovision song contest in 1974 giving Sweden its first triumph in the contest and becoming the most successful group to ever take part in the competition. ABBA were the first group from a non-English-speaking country to achieve consistent success in the charts of English-speaking countries and to spawn ABAA tribute bands around the world. The original band dissolved in 1982 but will reform for an upcoming project in 2017. In the meantime, we have convinced Canada’s top ABBA tribute band to come to the 2017 festival. Playing hundreds of sold out live shows, Canada’s ABBA tribute band ARRIVAL has a sound and stage show that has been honed and fine tuned to such a degree that they have many times actually been mistaken for the real ABBA. The crowd loves to sing along with ABBA's famous and well known tunes during ARRIVAL's exciting high energy live stage show. Come to the Clatsop County Fairgrounds on Saturday, June 17, and relive the magic of “Dancing Queen,” “I do, I do, I do, I do, I do,” ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You,” and “Mama Mia” just to name a few. 
Scandinavian Country
Returning for the Queen’s Ball on Friday evening after the Coronation will be local favorite Coreen Bergholm and her band, Scandinavian Country. Coreen learned to play accordion in an immigrant community in North Dakota and now spends winters performing around Yuma, Arizona, where she met Ken, the tuba and trombone player. This is the band that plays the local favorite dances like the Varsouvienne, the Butterfly and the Irish Waltz as well as polkas, schottisches, waltzes, and hambos. They even play the Chicken Dance and the Hokey Pokey! Performances: 8-10:30 PM, Friday, June 16 - Queen’s Ball in the exhibit hall 9-11 PM, Saturday, June 17 - Scandinavian Ball in the exhibit hall 
The Squeezer and the Geezer
Coreen Bergholm learned to play accordion in an immigrant community in North Dakota and now spends winters performing around Yuma, Arizona, where she met Ken Presthus, tuba and trombone player. This duo is back after an absence last year and we know you will enjoy their music and shenanigans in the beer garden. Performances: 2 PM, Saturday, June 18 - beer garden 4 PM, Saturday, June 18 - beer garden 
VIKING ENCAMPMENT BY THE EMPIRE OF CHIVALRY AND STEEL
The EMPIRE OF CHIVALRY AND STEEL specializes in the recreation of the culture of the Middle Ages, including the art forms, events (feasts, tournaments, ceremonies and wars), and combat arts from that period. The purpose of this nonprofit educational corporation is to study (and teach the general public) ideals and history from 800 AD to 1650 AD within the geographical boundaries of Europe and to provide an organized effort in the collection, interpretations and distribution of historical data through publication and demonstration. Empire of Chivalry and Steel participants will open their Viking Encampment to the public on Saturday and Sunday and provide demonstrations of Viking sword fighting and amour making on both Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Encampment OPEN: 10 AM - 6 PM, Saturday, June 16 - outdoors 10 AM - 4 PM, Sunday, June 16 - outdoors Demonstrations: 1 PM, Saturday, June 17 - Viking Demonstrations - outdoors 2 PM, Saturday, June 17 - Chainmail Making - outdoors 3 PM, Saturday, June 17 - Loom Demonstration - outdoors 12 noon, Sunday, June 18 - Loom Demonstration - outdoors 1 PM, Sunday, June 18 - Viking Demonstrations - outdoors 2 PM, Sunday, June 18 - Chainmail Making - outdoors |