| June
22, 1903 the Varden Lodge of Sønner av Norge was founded.
"Varden" means "beacon" or "lookout," and is also a masculine
name."Gyda"
is the ninth century princess who first
had a vision of a united kingdom of Norway. The Gyda
Døtre av
Norge was established two
years later in 1905. The Gyda Lodge merged with the Varden
Lodge in 1951, to be known as The Gyda Varden Lodge #21. See
the Centennial web page (klikk på mus å
se HUNDREÅRSDAG
siden).
VIKING
MAGAZINE ONLINE:
Flip
though digital versions of Viking, from November 2009 to the
current issue. On the Sons
of Norway home page, click on Viking Magazine Online.
Be sure to log in
as a member to view the whole issue.
FUND RAISING:
Through
fund-raising projects, lefse baking, and the fantastic
support of members and the community, Gyda
Varden has engaged in
unlimited cultural, social, and charitable activities. Within
our lodge a sunshine committee
seeks to cheer the sick and bereaved with flowers or a sympathy
card, and each June an impressive
service is conducted to honor the memory of departed members.
Gyda
Varden contributes through fundraisers sponsored by the Sons
of Norway Foundation,
and has benefited from the Humanitarian Fund, which began
in 1997 in response to the Red River Flood.
---1. Disaster relief.
---2. Outreach grants for the
lodge.
------------ (see
Officers page)
---3. Scholarships for
Norwegian-American education exchange.
------------(see
Jr.
Lodge page)
Gyda
Varden is looking forward to providing aid
for the handicapped by supporting the
TUBFRIM PROJECT. E-mail John
Schaffer to receive
credit. --Klikk
på mus
or
or for information.
With
your used phone cards&
stamps the lodge provides medical aid for children
in Norway because we give them a
"new" value. "Several hundred handicapped children
benefit from the fund raised by TUBFRIM
-- every year!" |
TUBFRIM was established in Nesbyen in
1928. Postmaster Ditlef Frantzen took the initiative to collect
and sell used stamps to fund a better quality of life for
handicapped children and youth and to support tuberculosis
research.
The Gyda Varden Lodge supports many other
commitments, including Trollfjordeng
Language Camp, a scrapbook, and the Nordic Initiative,
among others.
May 17 everyone
is invited to celebrate Syttende mai at the Gyda Varden Lodge.
Noon Lunch: 11 am -2 pm we'll be serving smorbrød,
rømmegrøt, lefse, søtsuppe, riskem, bløtkake,
flatbrød. Afternoon coffee: 2 pm - 4 pm and entertainers
will be performing.
---------------------
LODGE MEETINGS:-
-
(see
calendar)
We
invite you to come to a lodge meeting. Through the years,
lodge members have discovered intangible friendships fostered
when enjoying traditional Norwegian activities together, including:
literature and history -- Norsk Lese Lag (book club), Norwegian
language classes, rosemaling, wood carving, genealogy research,
ethnic programs, pancake breakfasts, chili suppers, corn feeds,
lefse baking, bløtkake demonstrations, pot-luck meals, tours,
and celebrations. The meetings contain some business content,
but also some youth-oriented cultural and social events. In
recent years the lodge has developed a friendship with a sister-lodge
in Norway, the BIRKEBEINER
group from Lillehammer. The senior officers are listed on
the Sister
Lodge page.
With a bit of joy & vanity, Gyda
Varden hopes you will join with us and celebrate the heritage
and culture of Norway and other Nordic countries around the
North Sea. We think of each member, as when one thinks of
a brother who has been lost and forgotten but found again
in discovering a beautiful source of identity.
Click to hear the Norwegian
National Anthem. (klikk
på mus).
-
-
-
- Ha
en god dag! - 
|