Geneva's Swedish Days a tasty tradition

I'm as big a fan as anybody of a hot dog and roasted corn, with a fresh fried funnel cake for dessert.

But when at Swedish Days festival in Geneva, it's the Swedish Sampler for me, from the folks manning the United Methodist Church of Geneva booth.

Cold ham with dill sauce; kottbullar (meatballs); and korv (sausage), with a side of pressgurka (cucumber salad) and dessert of and hindbaerkager (raspberry ribbons).

Even though the sausage is made at Ream's Meat Market in Elburn, “You can't buy it,” said church member Sharon Reed. The recipe, which includes potato, belongs to the church.

The 70th annual festival enjoyed warm, sunny weather Saturday afternoon.

The Methodists weren't the only ones slinging Swedish fare. Members of St. Peter Catholic Church baked 4,000 cookies in the last week for their cookie-and-coffee booth. And Graham's Fine Chocolates and Ice Cream made its usual lingonberry ice cream floats, featuring the somewhat tart fruit that is a staple in kitchens in Sweden.

Of course, there were restaurant food booths with non-Swedish Geneva favorites (garlic crab pasta from Chianti's for example); and booths from other nonprofits, with the roasted corn, beef sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, lemon shake-ups and the like.

Games, entertainment

Singers and bands entertained on the Kane County Courthouse lawn, at beer gardens, and at Swedish Väst.

In the Vast tent, costumed musicians and dancers did their traditional thing. A DJ playing ABBA songs provided an anachronistic contrast to the members of the Friends of the Viking Ship that were helping kids make cardboard shields and try on helmets and chain-mail neck guards.

The Swedes' Viking forebears were tough, if the legend surrounding the lawn game of kubb being played outside the tent is true.

The game involves wooden blocks (kubbs), some of which are set up in a back row; batons; and a taller wooden block called the king. In essence, your team tosses the kubbs for placement, tries to knock down all of the other team's kubbs, then knock down the king. It's kind of like crossing horseshoes and bowling.

Supposedly “They (the Vikings) would play this after a battle,” using skulls as kubbs and thigh bones as batons, said Dennis Allen of Batavia.

Allen plays with the newly formed Energy City Kubb club on Tuesday nights at the Moose Lodge in Batavia.

The club was started by another non-Swede, his friend George Sloan of Batavia, who read about a tournament in Wisconsin, thought it sounded interesting and started playing the game with neighbors last year. A new session is starting in July, and Aug. 31 it will host the first Illinois Kubb Championship. More information can be found on the group's Facebook page.

Swedish Days wraps up Sunday, including a parade at 1 p.m. from Anderson Boulevard and Center Street to State Street, then south on Third Street.

For a schedule of events, visit genevachamber.com.