As this past week’s snows melt into memory, the Poulsbo Sons of Norway is once again teaming up with the Historic Downtown Poulsbo Association to bring a healthy dose of holiday cheer to town.
The Sons get an early start today as they host their annual holiday bazaar replete with handcrafted items and tummy-tempting Scandinavian goodies in the hours leading up to this year’s Julefest.
Even though, Waterfront Park is still under construction as crews from Fischer General Contracting of Poulsbo are in the process of giving the park a much-needed facelift, the annual event will go on much as it has in the past.
Miss Poulsbo 2006 Brenna Gardner-Brown will do the honor of lighting the city’s Christmas tree as crowds will casually find their way to the Kvelstad Pavilion to enjoy holiday music and dancing by the Sons many dance groups including the Leikarringen children’s dance troupe.
Then, as the winter sun slowly fades behind the tree-lined shores of Liberty Bay, Brian Davis and the rest of the Sons of Norway Vikings will begin their torchlight procession to welcome the Lucia Bride and her princesses to Little Norway for the lighting of the Julefest bonfire.
With the fabled yul log brought from the forests of the city’s Motherland, this year’s bride Claire Marlow along with the rest of the Vikings will send flames reaching into the crisp winter air as the warmth of the holiday season blazes into the North End.
To their credit, Julefest organizers haven’t complained about the less-than-ideal conditions of the park, but rather have embraced them as an opportunity to demonstrate the way things used to be. Times before the mass commercialism of the holidays when families reached across generational lines to discover the true meaning of the season.
Yes, there’s still only 22 shopping days before Sinter Klass or St. Nick or whatever you choose to call the giver of all the neatly wrapped presents under your trusty Doug fir or its synthetic counterpart, but today that shouldn’t matter.
Come one and come all to the shores of Liberty Bay to experience one of the unique holiday traditions found only in the hearts of places like Little Norway. Put aside those gift-giving anxieties for an hour or two, but bring your boots, hats, gloves and of course, your winter coat. The event will be full of merriment and joy, but with the snow and ice melting there’s bound to be a little mud as well.
