Viking games highlight Norwegian-Americans' gathering

Ancient Viking games highlighted the Aug. 1 meeting of Sons of Norway Polar Star Lodge 5-472.

A luncheon and games at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Montgomery marked the Norwegian-Americans' first indoor, in-person gathering since March 2020.

After skattejakt, an indoor, 10-item treasure hunt, outdoor games were kubb (wood baton toss), lutefisk toss with plastic codfish and a fjordhest stafett horse relay.

Barb Johnson of Yorkville, lodge cultural director, coordinated the games played by teams of three to six lodge members. She said, "In honor of the 2021 Olympic games, we hosted the Polar Star Viking Games 2021, Viking-inspired challenges."

Polar Star resumed monthly in-person meetings in April with a parking-lot party that observed pandemic protocols.

The lodge meets on the first Sunday of the month at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Montgomery. A potluck luncheon is at 1:30 p.m.

Prospective members are invited. E-mail barbjjohnsonb@aol.com for more information.

Polar Star is among 400 Sons of Norway lodges in the United States, Canada and Norway. With over 57,000 members, it is the largest Norwegian organization outside of Norway.

Founded in 1895, the nonprofit fraternal organization represents people of Norwegian heritage in the United States and Canada. The organization includes in its mission the promotion and preservation of the heritage and culture of Norway and other Nordic countries and to provide life insurance and other financial products to its members.