Hanne Sjøborg and Henry Storgaard’s home in Cantley was the ideal setting to celebrate a Nordic Midsummer’s Eve (or St. Hans in Norwegian and Danish, Juhannus in Finnish - it goes by many names.) The photo above shows the wonderful bonfire Henry had prepared with the help of their dog Olaf. Although the weather did not co-operate (it started drizzling at around 5:30 and never really stopped until after 9:00), a wonderful evening with lots of great food was enjoyed by the 50 or so people who came out anyway.
Pølser (European-style wieners) had been located at the Costco in Kanata after a fair bit of trouble and persistence. It was definitely worth it for the many Nordics who seldom get the chance to indulge in that particular treat. And a variety of wonderful salads and fabulous desserts (including an authentic Nordic-style sponge cake layered with whipped cream and strawberries, as well as an“Waleskringle” baked personally by our President Karin Birnbaum) added to everyone’s pleasure.
Huddling together to keep dry gave us a chance to chat a little more than we probably would have otherwise. Olaf the labradoodle also mingled politely among the guests, pausing now and then to bestow his bright green ball on a lucky recipient for a quick game of toss and fetch. And to cap the evening off, Vice-president Trygve Ringereide and The Finnish Singers with guest musician Matti led a cheerful sing-a-long in at least three of the Nordic languages.
It was a very auspicious start to what we hope will become an annual event. Many, many Next year for sure Henry and Olaf’s hard work preparing the bonfire will not be wasted!