Thursday, March 22, 2012

KING AND QUEEN OF NORWAY VISIT MINNESOTA 2011

King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway came to visit Minnesota Oct 11-18, and it was their first visit since 1995. Minnesota has over 850,000 people who have at least some Norwegian ancestry. Their first stop was in Decorah, Iowa to visit Luther College which was marking its 150th anniversary and the Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum marking its 130th anniversary. Next they visited St. Olaf College in Northfield and then on to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. A church service was held on Sunday at Augsburg College in Minneapolis followed by a reception hosted by Governor Mark Dayton at the governor’s mansion featuring Minnesotans who were honored by the Norwegian government. A royal dinner was held that evening and Bjorn Hagen, my father’s long- time friend from the Norwegian Glee Club, was privileged to attend. He was very excited and proud to attend the dinner and it was a night he will always remember. The following day, the Minnesota National Guard flew the royal couple to Duluth, where King Harald re-dedicated Enger Park, which was originally dedicated by his father, King Olaf V in 1939. On the final day of the visit, the couple unveiled an exhibit at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, marking the 100th anniversary of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen reaching the South Pole. The King and Queen then flew to New York City, where they attended an American-Scandinavian Foundation conference, attended by officials and royalty from all five Nordic countries. I wanted to attend one of the functions while the royal family was in town but it proved impossible to get a ticket. I thought it wouldn’t be that difficult or I would’ve tried earlier to get tickets. It became apparent that unless you knew someone or were someone of great importance you wouldn’t get a ticket. There was very heavy protection surrounding the royal couple while they were in the U. S. most likely because of the Oslo bombing and massacre in July. It would’ve been an awesome experience and although it didn’t happen for me, I am happy for all those who were privileged to meet the King and Queen of Norway on their visit to Minnesota in 2011.

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