Midsommar 2013 is in the books!  A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who helped make it possible.  And for those who attended, we hope you enjoyed the food, fun, and performances.  We look forward to seeing you next year!

Recap:

Dalesburg Midsummer Festival

Friday, June 21, 2013

Thank You for Midsommar 2013 !

Tack Så Mycket !

(Thanks So Much !)

Have A Good Summer !

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Overview/Recap:

Dalesburg Lutheran Church celebrates its 144th annual Midsommar with history, music, fun and food on Friday, June 21, 2013. Valkommen! All are invited to share a day in the beautiful countryside near Vermillion, Centerville and Beresford.

The festival dates back into the late 1860s, when settlers from Dalarna County of Sweden came to Southeastern South Dakota. Along the way, these pioneer families founded Dalesburg Lutheran Church, about 10 miles north of Vermillion, and started a Midsommar celebration tradition. Today, the festival features the efforts of three traditionally Swedish country churches in the area, Dalesburg Lutheran, Dalesburg Baptist and Komstad Covenant.

Poster:

Our full schedule and details are available by downloading our 2013 poster (PDF, 2MB).

Schedule for 2013:

Friday, June 21, 2013 – Dalesburg Midsummer Festival

Featuring!

• Sioux Valley Singers – Eighty Men from Sioux Falls, Canton and Sioux City.
• Viking Invasion – Skjaldborg – Viking Re-Enactors from Omaha – Council Bluffs (  www.skjaldborgedu-tainment.com/LivingHistory/SKJALDBORG.html )
• Swedish Folk Trio Bjärv (www.bjarv.com)

Programs at 2:00 and 7:00.

Smörgåsbord Supper from 4:30 to 6:30

Sunday, June 23, 2013 – Sunday Worship

Service at 9:00 a.m. on June 23 at Dalesburg Lutheran Church.

Contact Information:

Be sure to join us for the 2013 Dalesburg Midsommar Festival on June 21, 2013, at Dalesburg Lutheran Church, for more info call Ron Johnson, 605-253-2575 or rjohnson <at> bmtc.net

Looking for past information?  Download our 2012 poster (PDF, 1.2MB)

Don’t make lunch or supper plans for Thursday, May 23rd. The Clay County Historic preservation Commission will hold its annual gathering at the W. H. Over Museum.  We enjoy getting together with friends and guests to delve into our past material culture, and invite all with an interest in local history to join us.

The makings of a princely sandwich will be provided during the noon hour, including bread from red Wagon Bakery, and greens from the greenhouse at the Heikes family farms.  An assortment of juices will be offered, along with home baked cookies.

Jim Wilson will start with a presentation on historic brick and show samples from the recently razed Danish barn and Bob Hansen, the accomplished traditional mason from Yankton will provide his expertise.  The mid-afternoon program will be an informal and evolving discussion of the role of trees in our development of this landscape with expert explanation by noted expert. Dr. Molly Rozum.  She will focus on why and how various kinds of trees came to appear on the plains.  There will be discussion of lumber milling technology featuring local experts Gene Hawkins and John Erikson.  There should be an opportunity to look at and actually use an historic tool or two.  The audience has been carefully seeded with a range of expertise, which should result in a fascinating free-wheeling discussion.

We will be joined by representatives of the South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office.

Joe Reiser has been persuaded to cook an evening meal for us – his barbecue is the real thing.  And then at 7:00 Pm Jim Stone will give us an update on his ongoing survey of historic barns of Clay County – and unveil a half-inch scale model of a barn that he has just completed.

A sense of place is especially important when so much of our culture is homogenized and disposable, and a community event focused on developing that solid foundation is a valuable opportunity.  Don’t miss this one.  A free, informative and fun community event.

For further information contact Jim Wilson at whitewilson@msn.com

NOTICE!  This event has been cancelled.. more details will be posted as they become available including any rescheduling of the event.

Joel Karlsson from Sweden at the National Music Museum in Vermillion – Friday, February 1, 2013 <cancelled>

Monday, November 12, 2012 in Beresford.

Luncheon and Annual Meeting of Dalesburg Scandinavian Association.

For details and to make a reservation, call Connie Richards (605-763-5128).  Free Lunch!

Swedish Meatballs

June 22, 2012 at 4:30pm serving begins at Dalesburg Lutheran Church for our annual Midsummer Festival and Smorgasbord.  We serve until 6:30pm.

Our Evening program begins at 7pm.  Come enjoy an evening of Community Heritage.

Our May 2012 newsletter is available online for you to read!

Click here to view or download the newsletter.

Mark your calendars for the Midsommar 2012 Celebration!

Join us on June 22 for all the festivities.

2012 Season Opener for the Hub City Ball Diamond !

Tuesday, May 29, 2012 in the evening.

For information contact Joan Huot.

Tell Your Younger Relatives and Friends!

Did you know that Dalesburg has a connection to the Titanic?

Survivor John Johnson was on his way to Dalesburg on the Titanic. In later years he became known for this as John “Titanic” Johnson.

The Argus Leader recently did a story on Mr. Johnson in which our own Ron Johnson (no relation) provided them with additional background information. You can read the Argus Leader article here:

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012304160013&nclick_check=1

A relevant portion regarding Dalesburg:

Through the years, Ron Johnson of Clay County has collected documents and stories about John “Titanic” Johnson, who survived the disaster at age 14. Ron Johnson shared some of those items at the party. John Johnson was coming from his native Sweden to join his sister and father in South Dakota. “I’m not related to him,” Ron Johnson said. “But I’ll tell his story as long as I can.”

Should the link go away, here is the article in its entirety:

It may have been the 100th anniversary of one of the greatest disasters in modern history, but it was remembered Sunday with style.

About 170 people turned out to mark the sinking of the Titanic for dinner, drinks and re-enactments. Many were dressed in period costumes, or at least the costumes worn by wealthy first-class travelers and crew members.

The event, sponsored by Sioux Falls in the World, also served as a fundraiser for the South Dakota Symphony.

“We’ve been working pretty steady on it the last two and half months pulling it together,” said Larry Ort, Sioux Falls in the World’s chairman. Ort was dressed as Capt. Edward John Smith, who went down with his ship.

The event started with 150 tickets, but demand was so high it was expanded to 170, said Mike Saba, who played J. Bruce Ismay, the president of the White Star Line, who survived the disaster.

Paul Thompson played the part of Charles Lightoller, the highest ranking officer on the ship to survive the disaster. Lightoller was a critical witness during the subsequent inquiries who later served in the British Navy during World War I. In World War II, when the British were attempting to evacuate their Army from France, Lightoller piloted a small craft to help save men stranded at Dunkirk.

“He was generally considered to be a heroic and exemplary person,” Thompson said.

The family members of three survivors came from out of state for the event. Mike Fedorchak came from Bismarck, N.D. His great-grandmother, Thelma Thomas, was aboard the Titanic with a contingent of Lebanese family members who were immigrating to the United States.

After an iceberg sliced open the ship’s hull, Thomas got separated from Fedorchak’s great-uncle, who had Thomas’ infant. Thomas got on a life boat; the great-uncle got the baby on another lifeboat, but he himself perished, along with other members of the family.

“I think we lost nine or 10 family members that night,” Fedorchak said.

Through the years, Ron Johnson of Clay County has collected documents and stories about John “Titanic” Johnson, who survived the disaster at age 14. Ron Johnson shared some of those items at the party. John Johnson was coming from his native Sweden to join his sister and father in South Dakota.

“I’m not related to him,” Ron Johnson said. “But I’ll tell his story as long as I can.”

The Titanic was a big story for a lot of people in the Dakotas, Ron Johnson said, because so many people living here traveled in the northern Atlantic Ocean. And these weren’t the wealthy first-class passengers; they were, like John Johnson, riding in third class.

“We had a very high immigrant population from Scandinavia and Germany, and they traveled on those boats,” he said.

After the accident, John Johnson was put up in a first-class New York hotel, Ron Johnson said. His sister went there to find him but couldn’t at first because she was searching in third-class hotels. He joined the family in Clay County.

Reprints of the book History of the Swedes Who Settled in Clay County, South Dakota and Their Biographies by August Peterson (1947) are now available.

Learn more and order..