It’s an unexpectedly sunny day and the youngest Norwegian dancers have taken their practice outdoors. They’re holding hands in a circle, tentatively singing along to the Norwegian lyrics. They’re practicing for Petersburg’s Little Norway Festival.
The town celebrates its Norwegian heritage with a week of traditional Norwegian dancing, food, community events, and Vikings dressed in furs. The event is always held around May 17, Norway’s Constitution Day.
Petersburg was founded by Norwegian Peter Buschman in the late 1800s, but it wasn’t until the late 1950s that the Little Norway Festival was born. Glorianne Wollen is a longtime member of the Sons of Norway in Petersburg.
“Dutch Derr, he was the President of the Chamber of Commerce for the state of Alaska. He came to town and he said ‘You have something special here, you should really promote that.” That’s where it grew from, and it continues to grow and morph,” she said.
The festival has changed and grown substantially over the years, but the Norwegian dancers are a fixture. Visitors will see kids of all ages running around in traditional Norwegian clothes or bunads.
They’ll also see Vikings and Valkyries, replete with horned helmets and cleavage and furs. The crew pretends to wreak havoc on the town. They drink from horn cups and steins and sometimes, even their own helmets. They pile into a short bus, with music blasting. What happens on the bus stays on the bus.
But the festival isn’t all partying. Each year a member of the community wins the Norwegian American award. The award celebrates someone for their dedicated service to the community. And no, the winner doesn’t have to be Norwegian – last year an Irishman won.
Chamber of Commerce Event Director Mindy Lopez said this year might be the biggest yet – there are 75 booths signed up. They’ll sell arts and crafts and food along the downtown sidewalks.
And there are new events. One, Lopez said, is the fish-holding contest.
Lopez: Whoever can hold the fish the longest is the grand winner and they win $100, as well as they get to take the fish home, if they want it.
Reporter: I’m sorry – alive or dead?
Lopez: We had the same question! I hope it’s dead. But it could be fun if it’s a live one right?
I confirmed – the fish will be dead. The event, a fundraiser for the Humane Association, has competitors holding a halibut out in front of them, above shoulder height, for as long as possible. Money from the entry fees goes to the Petersburg Humane Association.
Festival events started Saturday the 11th with the chance to explore nearby Kupreanof Island, free boat rides included. But the festival really gets going Thursday. There’s a pageant on Main Street at 5 p.m. That’s when the Norwegian Dancers perform in their bunads, and the winner of the Norwegian American of the year is announced. Afterward, it’s time for Dragkamp. That’s Norwegian for “tug o’ war.”
Festival organizer Ambre Burrell says that in the past the game was mostly locals vs. visitors – locals always seemed to win. But now she says various teams have been forming around town, and it’s anyone’s guess how many rounds of Dragkamp there’ll be. She says the rope, which is several inches in diameter, is easier to hold on to when it’s dry, but in rainy Southeast, it’s hard to find a place to dry it out. This year though, they might have found a solution. It was Julie Anderson’s idea. She’s the Petersburg Parks and Recreation Facility Organizer. Anderson said that once the rope is power washed, they will lay it on the deck of the pool.
“There’s drains so it can drip dry…cause it’s like a bazillion degrees on that pool deck,” she said.
After the Dragkamp winners are presented with their engraved goblet prizes, it will be time for the festival street dance. Burrell said this year the music will come courtesy of a seven-piece band from Seattle called the Staxx Brothers.
“They’re not brothers, she clarified. “I don’t think any of them are actually related, if we’re gonna be honest, but they are related to Bert.”
That’s Alaska Senator Bert Stedman. The band’s lead singer is his cousin. In the official Little Norway Festival schedule, the band is described as “drenched in soul, baptized by funk, with instinct that is pure Rock & Roll.”
If that’s not your idea of fun, there are lots of other options.
You can learn to bake traditional Norwegian treats, or check out the Scandinavian Style Show. If you miss that, there’s also a dog fashion show. There’s a kids fishing derby, a softball tournament, a strongman sled pull, a grocery cart race, multiple arts shows, and multiple beer gardens. And there’s the herring toss – just as messy as an egg toss, but stinkier. And you’re supposed to kiss the herring for good luck. Shortly afterward you can paw through a giant trough of shrimp at free shrimp feed, hosted by the vikings. No, there won’t be any plates available.
The festival ends Sunday with a Rotary-hosted seafood bake and barbeque. Julie Anderson says it’s her favorite event.
“It’s always fun to have to close the weekend out with that,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun to go out to the beach and see everybody out there.”
Details on events can be found in the 2024 Little Norway Festival schedule.
