Bremerton Sons of Noway - Oslo Lodge 2-35
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Things to Do

Membership in Oslo Lodge 2-35 allows you to participate in a wide variety of events.

 

Ting å Gjøre

THINGS TO DO

 

SCHEDULED GATHERINGS

  1. All Members Welcome - Please check your monthly newsletter for possible changes in the schedule.  And bring an interested guest.

  2. Monthly Lodge meetings: We at Oslo Lodge are committed to being safe during this global Covid-19 pandemic. Lodge meetings are usually held on the third Saturday of the month at noon, but are subject to heavy change.

  3. Business Board meetings: Tuesday before the lodge meeting at 5:00pm to review & discuss the business portion of the lodge.  All welcome.

  4. For every lodge event the following task positions need to be filled:  Organizer, Publicity help, Decorators, Hall set-up, Kitchen details, Welcoming group, Entertainment provider, Scullery, & Clean-up. Everyone is more than welcome to join any of these groups.  You’ll enjoy meeting more people and you’ll know more about the lodge.

  5. Technical Expertise.  The technical world surrounds us and the lodge always needs expert help.  Our lodge is on the web and facebook – and always need help maintaining them.  We may be into the ‘old’ Scandinavian traditions and customs but we want the latest technical advantages to present and publicize it.

  6. Lodge Leadership Positions.  We elect up to 24 Lodge Officer positions and 4 Ladies Club Officers.  The many positions offer comradeship and involvement.   If management is your style, help us out!   There are also a number of assignments, committees and projects to become involved with at the lodge.

EVENTS YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS!  

And there is always more to come! 

  1. Candlelight Service Ceremony honoring our deceased Brothers and Sisters.  A beautiful dedication to those we’ve lost in the previous year.  Always the first lodge meeting in January.

  2. Syttende Mai Program celebrating Norway’s Constitution Day during the week of May 17th at our lodge meeting. 

  3. Local Parades:  Our Ormen Lange Viking Ship has a dragon-head snorting smoke to the delight of the spectators of the local community parades. Join in waving to the crowds - members and family welcome to help getting the ship ready and riding/walking in the parades.

    A. Armed Forces Day Parade, Bremerton: Longest running Armed Forces Parade in the U.S. Held on the 3rd Saturday of May in the morning.

    B. Viking Fest, Poulsbo: Viking Parade held on Saturday during Syttende Mai week. Usually held the same day as Bremerton’s Armed Forces Day Parade, but in the afternoon.

    C. 17th of May Parade & Festival, Ballard of Seattle: Always on Syttende Mai/May 17 usually in the early evening.

    D. Whaling Days, Silverdale:  Held on 4th Saturday in July.

  4. Our annual Norwegian/American Picnic is usually held 2nd Sunday of July at Jarstad Park in Gorst. The lodge provides hamburgers, hot dogs, all the trimmings, punch, and water.  Members are requested to bring something to complement the meal –baked beans, salad or desert.  

  5. Veterans’ Day.  We honor our many past and present military personnel in November.  There is a lot of pride in this lodge for those who have served or are serving.

  6. Decorating the Church Fellowship Hall for the Julefest.  Our Christmas decorations are a delight for everyone.  Right after Thanksgiving we meet to trim the trees and add the sparkles. Everyone’s invited.

  7. Julefest (Christmas Party). This event is a Jule-time highlight for all ages with Norwegian traditions and our very own Julenisse (Santa Claus). 

    - Scandinavian-American potluck beginning about 2pm

    - Winning name(s) drawn for Sons of Norway Foundation Fundraiser

    - Lucia Bride Celebration of Lights – with our lodge queen, princess, and prince

    - Julenisse brings treats for all the children

    - Singing and dancing around the Christmas tree

  8. Your Birthday.  Every month we celebrate each member’s birthday at the lodge meeting by having them donate a dollar to the kitty.  How did that happen?!?!  But it’s fun! 

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Trollahugen ResorT

Full resort privileges, located near exit 62 off I-90, 10 miles east of Snoqualmie Summit. More info at www.trollhaugensofn.com.

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District 2 Activities

Members are always welcome. Some of the events include District 2 Cross-Country Ski Race, Border Festival in Peace Arch Park, Steak Fry, Golf and Bowling Tournaments, and many more. More information can be found at sonsofnorway2.com.

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Sons of Norway International

Offering locations, events, connections to other lodges and programs throughout the United States, Norway, and Canada.  More information can be found at www.sofn.com.

  • Grants for members and lodges

  • Outreach opportunities, fundraisers, & products.

  • A bank of leadership and cultural information

  • Financial benefits for members to include:

    • Various types of annunities

    • Life Insurance

    • Long-term care insurance

    • Medicare supplements

ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF!

  1. Cultural Skills Medal Program.  Receive a medal for your hobbies!  www.sofn.com has all the details of 14 (plus 5 for children) traditional and contemporary Norwegian/American skills where you earn medals at no charge.   Projects include: Norwegian Cooking, Reading books by Norwegian-American authors, Collecting Stamps, Rosemaling, Genealogy, Hardanger, Hand-knitting and Weaving, Norwegian Language & Culture, Chip, Ornamental & Figure Carving, Folk Dancing, and Norwegian Music & Musicians.

  2. Sports Medal Program.  Receive medals by challenging yourself to better health! www.sofn.com  has all the details of four exerciseprogramsdesignedforallages including the Walking Program (Gangmerke), Sports & Fitness Program (Idrettsmerke), Skiing Program (Skimerke), Bicycling Program (includes stationary bike) (Sykkelmerke), and Swimming (Svømmemerke).  There is no charge for this program. PS: You can ready yourself for Bremerton’s West Sound Senior Games in July!

  3. Trollhaugen Adult Heritage Retreat.  Enjoy a relaxing weekend at our wonderful Trollhaugen Resort in the Cascade Mountains learning many Cultural skills and eating lots of wonderful food. Oslo Lodge offers scholarships to defray costs.  The retreat is usually held in September.  Scholarship applications are available from the lodge scholarship committee.

  4. Our Al Blomlie Library includes the latest copies and traditional books, videos, tapes, & CDs on the Scandinavian cultural dress, customs and holidays, geography & travel guides with maps, immigration, How-to Skills including knitting, weaving, Hardanger, & handiwork with patterns, rosemaling, woodcarving, genealogy, cookbooks, music & folk dancing, and great fiction and nonfiction for your reading and learning enjoyment.   Check out our beautiful library cases built by Tom Tonge.

  5. Bring your postmarked stamps for Tubfrim to benefit Norwegian handicapped children and your non-perishable foods for our local food drives.  Please, never throw away canceled stamps; stamps from any country in the world can be used. Just cut or tear the stamps off the envelopes, leaving a slight margin (approx. 1/2 inch) to keep the perforation intact. Damaged stamps (damaged perforation, edges etc.) are worthless and are to be thrown away. We are also happy to receive stamp collections, old envelopes, covers and postcards. If envelopes, postcards etc. are more than 50 years old, then please do not cut off the stamp, but send us the whole envelope/postcard!

ESPECIALLY FOR OUR YOUTH

  1. We offer positions for our Oslo Lodge Royalty. Our youth can hold the positions of Lodge Queen, Princess, and King or Prince. Our Lodge Royalty participate in a number of events to include parades; e.g., Syttende Mai. Applications are available from our lodge leadership.

  2. Scholarships:

    • The Gordon Memorial Fund offers scholarships for Oslo Lodge members and descendants of members, ages 9 to 15, to attend one of our 3 district heritage camps, Trollhaugen near Easton, WA. Nidaros by Gearhart, OR, and Normanna near Arlington, WA, during the summer months.

    • Sam Fitz Sr. Scholarships are available to OsloLodge members, children, and grandchildren for college tuition.  We try to offer as many as scholarships that we can.  Applications are available through our Scholarship committee.

    • Other scholarships available are through our District 2 office and our International office www.sonsofnorway2.com & www.sofn.com. Heritage and Unge Venner’s are eligible for some of these scholarships.

  3. Heritage Members:  Children and grandchildren of lodge members, 15 years and under can become Sons of Norway members with no dues.  A membership application must be completed.

  4. Unge Venner (“Young Friends”) Members: As of 2018, Unge venner members (16-23) are no longer free; they must pay regular dues or be part of a family membership. This age group can vote, hold office, and serve as a delegate to conventions.