Annual music competition part of Swedish Days in Geneva

Clad in a bright pink organza dress, Rebecca Moy of Naperville intently practiced her violin piece in the foyer of Geneva High School on Saturday morning, as dozens of other young musicians and their parents streamed past her.

Eleven-year-old Rebecca was among about 1,200 young competitors who took part in the 42nd annual Granquist Music Competition held during the annual Swedish Days festival, which started Tuesday and runs through today.

“I get nervous when I’m waiting,” Rebecca said. And when she’s playing for the judges? “It just feels like you’re just playing at home,” she said.

The music competition was established in 1970 by the late Herb Granquist and featured instruments ranging from piano to percussion and even the accordion, said JoAnne Granquist, his former wife. “It’s important for all children to have an outlet for their music education,” she said.

Clarinet teacher Keunjin Jung of Hoffman Estates agreed. “Practice and performance are different. Usually students need to have that tension (of performance) to improve their skills.”

Jung’s pupil, 13-year-old Janet Kim, had just placed first in her category after playing a piece by Mozart. “I like sharing my music for other people,” Janet said.

Nearby in downtown Geneva, the Swedish Days extravaganza was in full bloom with a Swedish village, a carnival, a book sale, a basketball tournament and, of course, Swedish food.

Six-year-old Beckett Nash of Naperville said he really enjoyed playing “kubb,” a Swedish game whose object is to knock out your opponent’s wooden blocks by throwing wooden sticks at them. Beckett’s grandparents, Harry and Kathy Lyon, moved to Geneva from Libertyville in October. “It’s fun. We’ve been having a good time. We live close by so we just walked over for the last three evenings,” Harry Lyon said.

Next to the kubb game, made by Harry Edwards of Batavia, was an assortment of booths that displayed various Swedish artifacts, including wooden horses handcrafted by Elgin resident Ted Bowman. “It’s a good idea — it’s fun to see the different people,” he said.

Jill Kadlec of Aurora visited the festival two days in a row, and on Sunday she perused a display of shoes on sale. “My favorite is the sidewalk sales,” she said.

Her 16-year-old niece, Sydney Symons, an incoming junior at West Aurora High School, said the event is a way to connect with her roots. “I like coming here because my dad’s side of the family is Swedish. It’s good to embrace the culture,” she said.

Today, a parade will take off at 1 p.m. from Center Street and Anderson Boulevard to the train station on Third Street. It will continue south on Anderson and turn east onto State Street before it turns on Third Street.

For a complete schedule of events, visit the website, genevachamber.com/swedishdays.html.