1941  1942  1943  1944  1945  1946  1947  1948  1949  1950 

1951  1952  1953  1954  1955 1956  1957  1958  1959  1960 

1961  1962  1963  1964  1965  1966  1967  1968  1969  1970 

1971  1972  1973  1974  1975  1976  1977  1978  1979  1980

1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990

1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000

2001  2002  2003 2004 2005 2006

Sweden Day Past

Looking back at the history of Sweden Day gives us a fabulous glimpse into the feelings, the spirit and the thoughts of those who have inspired and carried on this tradition. The information that follows has been gleaned from various Sweden Day booklets and material preserved for our use. I hope that you will enjoy this trip through time.

.  .  .  Compiled by Peter Norrman

1941 (1)   The first annual Sweden Day was held in 1941. To date I have no booklet or information on this event. If you have written information on the 1941 event, please contact me by email at norrmap@hotmail.com if you can share the info for inclusion in this site.

1942 (2)    The second annual Sweden Day was held on June 28, 1942, at Schmidt's Farm, Scarsdale, N.Y.

The event was sponsored by The Swedish Glee Club, Lodge Oscar II, No. 54, S.F. of A., The Scandinavian Workmen's Singing Society and The Swedish-American Athletic Club. The Chairman of the Sweden Day Committee was Ralph A. Pearson.  

Mr. Pearson's greeting from the original 1942 program book is shown here. 

Reading through these pages gives a most interesting perspective on the event and its time in history.  At the bottom of each page are little clips . . . "Remember Pearl Harbor" . . . "Keep 'em flying" . . . "Buy U.S. War Bonds" . . . "Give to the USO" . . . "Help 'Wings for Norway.' "  The last words suggest the very strong patriotic feelings of Swedish Americans for their neighbors who stood up to the onslaught of the Nazi invasion.  Remember, this was war time and this was the Great World War.

We see the early years of a great Swedish American celebration. Take a look at the next page in the 1942 booklet. This shows a "partial" list of committee members. 131 persons.  Boy, couldn't we use that many "attendees" at some of our more current events.

Do you recognize any names?? Look closely.

I saw a few familiar names . . . Persons who were old friends of my parents . . . Persons who were very active in the Swedish American community.

By the way, does anyone remember SCHMIDT'S  FARM??  I recall an entertainer standing on one finger way up on top of a sphere atop a high pole. Does anyone remember that?

Gathering to perpetuate the traditions of our Swedish heritage in the Summertime is vividly expressed in the celebration of "Midsummer."  This is as true today in Sweden as it ever was in the past.  In winter, daylight lasts from about 9:00 am to approximately 3:00 pm. The rest of the time being very dark.  At midsummer (in 2003, that would be on June 20), in Sweden the sun barely goes down by 11:30 pm and raises back up at about 2:30 am. . . A perpetual full season of sunshine.

It stands to reason that Swedes want to celebrate outdoors as much as possible to make up for the dreary winter. Hence the great outdoor activity at Midsummer. In the 1942 Journal, Midsummer is described this way:

A tradition that has continued for over 60 years has been to honor an individual or couple at the Sweden Day event. In 1942, the honoree was Col. Hans Lagerloef.  A biography and listing of all honorees can be found by clicking on   HONOREES.

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2005 (65)     A truly beautiful day with a few clouds in the sky and temperatures in the high 70's marked this year's SwedenDay. Kenneth H. Johnson, President of the SwedenDay Committee presided over the event while Jeanne Widman acted as Mistress of Ceremonies for the Luncheon and the Main Program.

The Luncheon was attended by members of the Committee, the "Couple of the Year," Peter and Karin Norrman, and friends and family of the Norrman's.

2006  (66)  Great weather greeted guests and visitors to Sweden Day 2006. This year marked the first time that an "organization" was honored at the event. The Swedish Folkdancers celebrated their 100th anniversary and became Sweden Day's "organization of the year."

2007  (67)   Beautiful weather for Sweden Day 2007. Our honoree was our Chair Person, Elaine McGrath. Her many years of involvement in the Swedish American community has certainly earned her the honor of being Sweden Day Woman of the Tear 2007.

2008  (68)