Scandinavian Fest in Proctor celebrating Nordic culture and art

The Twin Ports Rosemaling society held their 42nd annual Scandinavian Fest celebrating Nordic culture and sharing unique art. The festival took place at the St. Luke’s sports and event center in Proctor.

The Twin Ports Rosemaling society of Wisconsin and Minnesota are passionate about all things Norwegian and the artwork of Rosemaling.

Gwen Thorson, a chairperson of the Scandinavian Fest, said the COVID-19 pandemic the location of their festival. “It has previously been at the Superior Curling Club, and then we moved to the Shrine Auditorium and then to the Proctor Area Community Center,” Thorson said. “COVID interrupted us, and last year we returned to the St. Luke’s Sports and Events Center.”

However, plenty of folks gathered far and wide from the Twin Ports area to share their interests in Scandinavia. “We have 21 vendors here today outside of our group. This is a good opportunity for people,” Thorson said. “We have vendors from southern Wisconsin, Chisholm, Eveleth, Cloquet and Grand Marais and the Duluth area.”

Dave Hanson said the Scandinavian Fest is a great way to celebrate a shared cultural connection with others. “A good majority of the folks here are older, but I see some younger people here,” Hanson said. “It’s really good that they’re it’s not just the older generation. Hopefully we can have more young people that are interested in it.”

For more information about the Twin Ports Rosemaling society you can read more here. For other stories happening in Proctor you can read more here.