Scandinavian Midsummer Festival - Estes Park, CO

Celebrate Midsummer in Estes Park
A celebration of the powers of nature and rejuvenation of life.

June 28th & June 29th, 2008
A magical Scandinavian weekend welcoming the Summer Solstice
Song, Dance & Music.

SCANDINAVIAN MIDSUMMER FESTIVAL

Schedule of Events

Entertainment

How to get there

Scandinavian
Midsummer
Festival

Largest Midsummer Festival in Colorado

Estes Park, Colorado
June 28th & June 29th 2008

What is Midsummer?

Scandinavians celebrate the summer solstice, the longest sunlight day of the year, with a festival of light, flowers, food and music. The summer solstice celebration has it's roots in Pre Christian practices and is a day when the spirits of nature join the human community to rejoice in the long days of summer. Midsummer was originally a fertility festival with many customs and rituals associated with nature and with the hope for a good harvest in the Autumn.

People gather to sing and dance around the festive May Pole, women wear a flower wreath on their heads and some people dress in traditional folk costume. It is a time to escape to the country to spend a relaxing time in nature. A time to connect with friends and family and exuberantly honor the joys of life.

When is Midsummer?

June 28, 29 2008

While the traditional day for Midsummer is June 21, the summer solstice, Estes Park will hold its celebration on June 28th and June 29th. Events will run from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm each day. Admission is free.

Photo courtesy of John Eberly
Copyright 2001

Where to go

Photo courtesy of John Eberly
Copyright 2001

The Festival takes place in Bond Park, in downtown Estes Park. Located in the center of town, at the intersection of Elkhorn and Macgregor (on the main street).

CLICK HERE FOR MAPS
Bond Park, downtown Estes Park / Denver Airport (DIA) to Estes Park

What to Expect

This is a wonderful family event, with something to interest every age. Entertainment runs continually throughout the day, with dancing by various folk dance groups, and live Scandinavian music performances. There is always a chance to join in and dance along.

Expect plenty of food and craft booths to interest and entice.

Dancing around
the Maypole
Photo courtesy of John Eberly
Copyright 2001

FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT

2008 - SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Lindsborg Swedish Folkdanslag
One of the long-standing traditions of the Estes Park Midsummer Festival, the Lindsborg dancers return again with their wonderful dancing and audience leadership.

Lindsborg Folkdanslag is making their 14th appearance at the Estes Park Midsummer Festival. This group of Swedish folk dancers and musicians is based in Lindsborg, Kansas, a town knicknamed "Little Sweden, USA."

This traditional folk dances come primarily from Sweden, with few from Denmark, Norway, and Finland as well. Most dances are choreographed variations of the polska, waltz, schottis, hambo, polka, and engelska. Some are danced in lines, others in a circle, or couple-wise. Dances and games for the whole family are a major part of a Swedish Midsummer so Lindsborg Folkdanslag will lead and teach traditional Swedish "around the maypole" dances, just as you'd find in Sweden today.

Lindsborg Folkdanslag has become a frequent performer at folk festivals and special events - both Swedish and American - throughout Kansas and the region. In addition to performing here in Estes Park annually, they have danced in nearly every county in Kansas, plus states throughout the Midwest. They were in Sweden in 1994, the only year they did not come to Estes Park.

Join us as Colorado's Fjellborg Vikings takes you to a time of raids, wars, exploration and cultural change influencing much of Europe, England , Russia, even reaching the Americas. In the tradition of educational reenactors, Fjellborg Vikings presents a Viking tent village with demonstrations of various skills including textile arts, blacksmithing and carpenter work. Though out the event our warriors will be giving demonstrations of live combat using sword, axe spear and shield.

When you visit our village you'll have a truly hands-on experience by studying museum quality reproductions of Viking chests, tools, carvings, weapons and armor. Viking age reenactors will provide insights of the home life, merchant trade routes and conquests of the greatest expansion of European culture, unequaled until the time of Columbus.

Fjellborg Vikings camp site and warrior competitions provide great family fun and educational experience of historical Scandinavian culture of the classic Viking age.

Carnelian

Carnelian plays traditional Scandinavian folk music. Kristen Demaree and Bevin McLeod have a musical friendship which was born out of the Boulder Spelmanslag, led by Sharon Gillespie who started teaching her violin students Scandinavian folk music in the 1980's. Both Kristen and Bevin have travelled to Sweden, in addtition to learning from Swedish and Norwegian fiddlers who have travelled to Boulder. While a spelmanslag is a large group of fiddlers, it is tradtitional to play the music simply in pairs. The history of Swedish folk music shows that it has been carried on through long term musical friendships, andCarnelian reflects this tradition. They will be playing for open dancing, and for listening pleasure.

Texas Leikarringen

The Norwegian Society of Texas Leikarringen was organized in 1975, as a part of the newly formed NST. Our purpose is to preserve, promote and enjoy our heritage as we pass along the music, dance, and traditions of our ancestors to our children and grandchildren. We designed our bunader in1988 prior to our first trip to Norway, using a Nordic costume pattern, of cotton fabric, and embroidered wildflowers of Texas. We have exchanged visits with the Rakne Keikarringen from near Oslo, Norway visiting them in l988 and l998 and hosting them for three visits to Texas. We perform at festivals across Texas and performed at events in North Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Colorado. We perform Scandinavian dances, mostly Norwegian, which have choreopgraphed "tur" patterns.

RON TOMOCIK

Ron Tomocik from Denver is Icelandic and has participated with his accordian for all of the 15 years. He teached Scandinavian music and dancing across the country at various events and schools. He leads each of the National anthems for the opening ceremonies.

Sponsors:

Saturday, June 28th
9:30	Raising of the Midsummer Maypole
10:00	Opening Ceremonies
10:30	Lindsborg Folkdanslag
11:15	Fjellborg Vikings
11:30	M & M Dancers
11:45	Texas Leikarringen
12:15	Carnelian
1:15	Lindsborg Folkdanslag
2:00	M & M Dancers
2:15	Fjellborg Vikings
2:30	Carnelian
3:30	Texas Leikarringen
4:00	Ron Tomocik

Sunday, June 29th
10:00	Church Service
10:45	Lindsborg Folkdanslag
11:30	Boulder Scandinavian Dancers
12:00	Fjellborg Vikings
12:15	Texas Leikarringen
12:45	Spelmanslag
1:15	Lindsborg Folkdanslag
2:00	Fjellborg Vikings
2:15	Boulder Scandinavian Dancers
3:15	Lindsborg Folkdanslag
4:00	Ron Tomocik
5:00	Raffle Drawing

Boulder Scandinavian Dancers

Boulder Scandinavian Dancers have been performing dances from Scandinavia for over 35 years. Their dances are primarily from Norway and Sweden, with a smaller number from Denmark and Finland. The dancers enjoy performing both lively set dances (circles or squares) and Scandinavian couple dances characterized by continuous flowing turns. The folk costumes of the group reflect authentic traditions of dress from various regions in Sweden and Norway. The group is based in Boulder and includes dancers from the Boulder-Denver metro area.

They perform to music provided either by the Boulder Spelemannslag or by musicians who are also dancers in the group. BSD’s musicians play fiddle, Swedish nyckelharpa, cittra, and durspel (a traditional Scandinavian diatonic accordion) – and they also sing to accompany dancing.

The group performs at various places throughout northern Colorado, including the Georgetown Christmas Market, Denver International Airport, and Oktoberfest on Denver’s Larimer Street.
BSD sponsors an annual dance and music workshop in the spring, with teachers from Sweden and Norway. BSD also sponsors Scandinavian dance classes, held every Monday evening at the Pearl Street Studio in Boulder.

Boulder Spelemannslag

The Boulder Spelemannslag is a group of young musicians led by Sharon Gillespie. Musicians start training with the group at the age of 10, and learn by ear to play Scandinavian dance music on folk instruments and in the appropriate folk styles. Many alumni of the group return whenever they can to play during vacations and holidays. The Spelemannslag frequently plays for performances of the Boulder Scandinavian Dancers. They have a long-standing tradition of playing at BSD’s annual Scandinavian Christmas dance in Boulder.

For information, contact:
Erica Rice, (303) 442-7689 re: performances
Nancy Ellinghaus, (303) 499-7262 re: dance classes

Sharon Gillespie, (303) 443-0658 re: Boulder Spelemannslag

CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information please contact us via email at: info@estesmidsummer.com