Swedish Day in Geneva celebrates family, cultural traditions

Every Swedish Day growing up, Bill Torsberg would help his father, Charles, run the ice cream booth at Good Templar Park in Geneva.

A large, portable canvas-covered cooler full of ice cream from Colonial Cafe would be delivered to their post the morning of the annual festival. The Torsbergs, of Swedish heritage, would travel from the South Side of Chicago to participate in the festivities and sell ice cream to thousands of attendees.

The family tradition continued as Bill Torsberg got older, even after his father passed away in 2007. Now 73, Torsberg, of Hickory Hills, buys and stores the ice cream himself, and his children and grandchildren help him operate the booth.

"We've had a lot of fun here over the years," he said from his usual post Sunday during the 106th annual Swedish Day celebration.

It's not uncommon for the Midsummer festival to draw multiple generations of families, said Carl Gustafson, Swedish Day 2016 president. Though always glad to see new faces, he said many of the same families return year after year to dance around the maypole, enjoy live entertainment and tour a Viking ship exhibit.

The festival, organized by the International Organization of Good Templars, provides the community with a unique opportunity to learn about Swedish culture, Gustafson said, noting it usually draws upward of 800 people.

"There's a tremendous amount of tradition," he said. "It gives people a chance to learn about their heritage, which (often) ties back to traditions from their grandparents and even further back."

In addition to an arts and crafts fair, traditional Scandinavian food and the Swedish Day store and bakery, this year's event featured live music from a children's choir and from the ABBA Salute tribute band.

Visitors could also tour traditional Swedish cottages, called stugas, which are used as summer homes in Scandinavia - a concept familiar to Geneva resident Marisa Lewis. Her family owns one of the cottages on the Good Templar Park grounds.

Having participated in several Scandinavian events at the park in recent years, Lewis, who is engaged to be married this summer, hopes to carry on the tradition by eventually purchasing a cottage of her own.

"We live in Geneva, but this is our getaway. We say it's Geneva's hidden gem," Lewis said. "It's like a big family around here."