STAY TUNED!  This page reflects the 2017 event.

Saturday, June 17, 2017

MIDNIGHT SUN BREAKFAST served by Scandinavian Café of Vancouver, WA
7-11:00 A.M., Exhibit Hall
Buffet: Norwegian Jarlsberg egg cake, Finnish Pyttipannu (Scandinavian pan-fried scramble of potato, onions, sausage & egg), Swedish pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries, Norwegian Rommegrot (sour cream porridge/pudding with cinnamon and sugar), Lefse (fresh off the griddle), Scandinavian cheese, Shrimp and salmon lox, Fresh assorted breads, Fruit, Fresh baked Danish pastry, Coffee, OJ, water.  $10.00 (Kids 6 and under: $5)

RUNNING OF THE TROLLS sponsored by Columbia Memorial Hospital
8:30 A.M., Walluski area
The Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival is pleased to announce the 13th Annual Running of the Trolls.  Join us for a walk or run in the beautiful Walluski countryside.  Proceeds from the race will benefit the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival Association Scholarship Fund.  Registration is available online or at the festival.  Check-in is from 7-8 A.M. on Saturday in the Main Entry Hall.

BOOTHS
9:00 A.M.-6:30 P.M., Arena
Visit the midsummer vendors to find specialty Scandinavian items and handcrafted treasures.  Many booths offer Scandinavian food items for your dining and snacking pleasure.

ENTERTAINMENT
10 A.M.-5  P.M., Arena
12 noon -6 P.M., Beer Garden
There will be live Scandinavian themed entertainment on two stages throughout most of the day.  Pick up a festival program at the the admission table or view one of the posted schedule to find your favorite band, singer, or dance troupe.  The Harald Haugaard Helene Blum Band from Denmark will entertain three times in the arena.  The show varies each performance so try to catch them all. The Astor Street Opry will entertain three times in the beer garden with oleo acts from Shanghaied in Astoria.

EMPIRE OF CHIVALRY AND STEEL VIKING ENCAMPMENT
10–6:00 P.M., Outdoors
The Empire of Chivalry and Steel will hold an open house in their Viking encampment outdoors south of the Arena.  Costumed reenactors will demonstrate crafts, tournaments, armor making, and combat arts from the culture of the Middle Ages.
TUG OF WAR
10:30, Outdoors by Midsummer Pole
Teams of eight will vie to be champion. Participants must be in good health and sign a waiver.
 
BEER GARDEN
11 A.M. - 11 P.M.
Astoria Brewing Company will present a selection of award-winning handcrafted microbrews and a limited menu.  The Astor Street Opry will present its standing-room only show of olio acts from “Shanghaied in Astoria” at 1, 3, and 5 PM.  There will be additional live music with The Squeezer and the Geezer (Coreen and Ken) in the afternoon.

BARNEFEST
11 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.; Arena
Young festival attendees can participate in children’s activities in the Barnefest area.  This area is staffed by volunteers from Tongue Point Job Corps Center, the Nordic Viking Dancers, and by parents.  Children under 12 need to be accompanied by an adult.   There are inexpensive games (fishing, wheel spin, plinko, golf and bean bag toss), face painting and a raffle.  Puppet show at 1:30 P.M.: Ivar, the Short but Brave Viking by Annie Jacobsen and The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen; puppet show  at 3 P.M.: Ivar, the Short but Brave Viking by Annie Jacobsen and The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Christen Asbjornsen.

OPTOG - FESTIVAL PARADE
11:30 A.M., festival grounds
Miss Scandinavia and her court, costumed dancers and entertainers,  representatives from the Scandinavian lodges, and family groups will assemble in the dining area of the Exhibit Hall and then parade through the arena and festival grounds to the outdoor stage for the Flag Raising and Midsummer Pole ceremony.

FLAG RAISING followed immediately by
MIDSUMMER POLE RAISING
12 Noon, Outdoor Stage
Come and hear the national songs of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden while Miss Scandinavia and her court assist in the pageantry of the raising of the flags of these Scandinavian countries.  Follow the Queen and her court to the Midsummer Pole while local men (and volunteers!) skillfully raise the Midsummer pole.  Jorgen will play tunes for ring dancing lead by Christine Smith and the dancers from VASA Youth of Portland.  (In case of rain, flag raising will be moved to the Exhibit Hall.)

KUBB EXHIBITION AND TOURNAMENT
1-3 P.M., in front of the MIDSUMMER POLE
Here’s your chance to participate in a new activity at the Midsummer Festival! Kubb is pronounced “koob” and  is a yard game of Scandinavian origins which has been played for about 1,000 years. Each year there is a world competition in Gotland, Sweden. The game is played between two teams with up to six people per team and consists of throwing baton-like pieces to knock over the blocks of the opposing team.  Blocks that have been knocked over become guards for the remaining blocks. Each team throws six batons per turn. Once the guards are knocked down, the block is out of the game. Once a team has no targets, they knock down the king, who has been in the middle of the field the entire game. Prematurely knocking over the king is immediate loss.  This game is much easier to play than picture in your head!  Please show up at 1 P.M. on Saturday in front of the Midsummer Pole to join a team and be part of the Kubb exhibition.  No prior skills are required.  All are welcome.

PARADE OF COSTUMES
1 P.M., Exhibit Hall
Are you curious about the lovely costumes worn by representatives of the Scandinavian countries?  Come and hear them explained in a fashion show with live models.

AEBELSKIVER EATING CONTEST
2 P.M., Exhibit Hall
How many aebelskiver (Danish donuts) can you eat in five minutes with your hands behind your back? The champion will win an aebelkiver’s pan and recipe. Participants must be in good health and sign a waiver. 18 and older.
 
SCANDINAVIAN COURT AND DANCERS REUNIONS followed by CAKE RECEPTION
2-4 P.M., Exhibit Hall
Were you a Junior or Senior Scandinavian Princess or Crown Bearer? Our 50th anniversary special activities include Court Reunions and photos of the reassembled courts. We hope you’ll join us.
Did you dance with the Nordic, Viking or Scandia groups in the past? Can you remember Dudlepska and Little Man in a Fix? If not, it doesn’t matter. Come to the Dancers Reunion and socialize with your former dance partners. Afterwards, there will be reunion dancing on the arena stage with the current group of dancers. Kevin will call, in case you forgot. There will also be dancing for the general public on Friday and Saturday evenings of the festival. Bring your dancing shoes to this year’s 50th anniversary festival.

VIKING DINNER served by Scandinavian Café of Vancouver, WA
4-7:00 P.M., Exhibit Hall
Buffet: Danish Pork Roulade (Danish style pork roast rolled with apricots and prunes), Danish Ham with Cream Sauce, Swedish Meatballs in Brown Cream Gravy, Medister Polse (Norwegian Pork Sausage), Braised Red Cabbage, Janneson’s Temptation (a traditional Swedish casserole made of potatoes, onions, pickled sprats, bread crumbs and cream), Garden Salad, Danish Smørrebrød (Open-Faced Sandwiches), Shrimp and Herring Salad , Nordic Cheeses, Fresh Baked Bread and Crisps, Cream Filled Pastry Shells drizzled in Dark Chocolate, Cookies and Pastries, Soda, Coffee & Bottled Water. $15.00 (Kids 6 and under: $7)

ARRIVAL, Canada’s ABBA Tribute Band CONCERT
7:30 -9 PM, Arena, doors open at 7 PM
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.
Ticket Pre-Sale at the Liberty Theater Box Office will start soon.
 
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 BALL with SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRY
9-11 P.M., Exhibit Hall
Local favorite Coreen Bergholm will return with her band Scandinavian Country to provide music for dancing. Dance the Chicken Dance and Hokey Pokey and the locals’ favorites – the Butterfly and the Varsouvienne.  It’s your turn to participate and dance a waltz, schottische, polka, snoa, humppa, or other favorite Scandinavian dance.  There will be an occasional tango or hambo for the experts.  Join the dancing or watch the dancers and listen to this great music.