The South Shore Press spoke with Sons of Norway, Loyal Lodge 252 Vice President Bob Johnson ahead of his 100-years-strong fraternal organization’s annual Bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 16th.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. James Lutheran Church. Having expanded beyond their Norwegian origins in the decades since its formation, Johnson says the upcoming lodge gathering will be more akin to a Scandinavian Music Festival.
Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, and Icelandic Fair staples will be featured. These include numerous different foods, such as waffles and open-faced sandwiches with salmon, sardines, ham, and their famous Goat’s cheese, and baked goods such as almond cakes, cookies, and pastries.
Perhaps the most traditionally celebrated dish on the menu: Lapskaus, a Norwegian stew made out of beef, potatoes and carrots.
“We have people coming from Riverhead and Bethpage for this stew,” said Johnson—touting that he and a large crew of members were at the Lodge earlier this week making 90 pounds worth.
Scandinavian puzzle games and 16 raffle gift basket arrangements—which will include desirable prizes such as sleds, sweaters, scarves, mittens, and a bottle of Äppleblom Whiskey—will be offered.
In citing the lodge’s history, Johnson confirms their organization bears claim to the title of oldest fraternal organization in St. James outside its churches—having celebrated their centennial this spring.
Using the High Birdians and the Sons of Italy as focal comparative examples, Johnson says the lodge was originally established “because what happens is: when immigrants come over from another land, they settle in areas where there are like-cultured individuals. People speaking their own language. Having difficulty transitioning to English can be very daunting to immigrants. And so they naturally gravitated to areas where there was a large population of people.”
A century later, Johnson, a third-generation member who will assume the title of President next year, recalls attending holiday events at the lodge as a child in the 1950s and being jaw-dropped at hearing then-members requisitely speaking the Norwegian tongue he couldn’t string six words from to form a cohesive sentence today.
On that note, he says not much has changed about the 7th Street location’s interior, but as a whole, they have expanded in membership—with a little over 200—as much as they have evolved in the community inclusivity department.
The Sons of Norway also recently participated in a “Save the Harbor” foundation, for which they “trailered” their 24-ft. Viking boat they keep at the lodge. “Next year, I’d like to get some hearty souls out there with me and we might just take it out on the water for a bit,” Johnson hopes.
The lodge will next host their Annual Holiday Glögg Party—which Johnson likens to a “Scandinavian equivalent to a Chili Festival—on Saturday, Dec. 7th, and their Christmas Ornament Exchange on Sunday, Dec. 15th. Visit loyallodge.org for more information on even more upcoming events.
St. James Lutheran Church is located at 230 2nd Ave. Johnson and his fellow Sons of Norway hope to see you there on Saturday.
“There’s a strong affinity between the Scandinavian lodge, and the church,” said Johnson, heralding the church that agreed to take over Bazaar-hosting duties about a decade ago. Many memories of that church were part of the Sons of Norway, and we hope they continue to be.”