Syttende Mai Home

About
Syttende Mai

Syttende Mai literally means
the Seventeenth of May…

Syttende Mai (or the 17th of May) marks Norway’s declaration of independence and is a celebration of the 1814 signing of Norway’s constitution and independence from Sweden. This day is also called Constitution Day and National Day and is a great spring festival in Norway.

The celebration of this day began spontaneously among students and others from early on. However Norway was at that time under Swedish rule (following the Convention of Moss in August 1814) and for some years the King of Sweden was reluctant to allow the celebrations. After 1864, the day became more established, and the first children's promenade was launched in Christiania, in a parade consisting only of boys. It was only in 1899 that girls were allowed to join in the parade for the first time.

Spring Grove, Minnesota has been recognizing founding fathers and honoring our Norwegian-American heritage since 1973 with an annual city celebration. Since then, the celebration has seen many changes but continues to emphasize the pride in our Norwegian ancestry through the ageless traditions of art, dance, food, clothing and congregation.

Planning a visit to Spring Grove? Looking for something new to do? Check out these links:

Spring Grove Community/EDA

Bluff Country Artists Gallery

Ye Olde Opera House
Summer Musical

Spring Grove Herald

Doc’s Blue Moose
Restaurant & Ice Cream Shoppe

Spring Grove Digital Cinema

www.yourlocal.coop

www.springgrove.k12.mn.us

www.springgrovemn.com

www.bluffcountry.com

springgrovemnheritagecenter.org

Check out other media:

http://www.midwestweekends.com/plan_a_trip/history_heritage/ethnic_towns/spring_grove.html

Thanks to the Spring Grove Herald newspaper for the photos and news content throughout this website. See more articles on the 2013 Syttende Mai on the Herald’s website at springroveherald.com.

Spring Grove

Syttende Mai

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May 17 - 18 - 19, 2013

Remember to pick up your Syttende Mai button!

Pick up your 2013 Syttende Mai button at: A Gift to Gab, Doc's Blue Moose, The Corner Store, Kwik Trip (Spring Grove location only), Merchants Bank
(SG location only), Mulqueen's Hardware, Red's IGA, Solie Services,
Spring Grove City Hall, Spring Grove Communications, Spring Grove American Legion and Yah Sure You Betcha Shoppe.

Children 2 years old and under will not need a button; anyone ages 3 and up should purchase one this year as the button will get children unlimited rides in the children’s area.

Buttons are $10 each, but remember, a button purchase also enters a person into a cash raffle with the drawing on Sunday, May 19, 2013, after the Rømmegrøt Eating Contest, which begins at 3:30 p.m.

Button Design by

Nicole Rogich

Congratulations to Pat “Red” and Deb Longmire and their staff for being selected as this year’s business to be featured on the collectible souvenir. Check out the story about Red’s IGA/Hometown Market online at the Spring Grove Herald’s website (click HERE for the link) or pick up a copy of the Syttende Mai Sentinel at area businesses or the Herald office.

Congratulations to Pastor Zane Anderson this year’s parade marshal for the 2013 Syttende Mai Grand Parade at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 18.

Check out the story about Zane online at the
Spring Grove Herald’s website (click HERE for the link) or pick up a copy of the Syttende Mai Sentinel at local businesses.

Souvenir features Red’s IGA

Red’s Hometown Market/IGA has been chosen as
the souvenir for the 2013 Syttende Mai Celebration.

“I thought it was pretty nice,” Pat “Red” Longmire,
store owner, said. “The souvenir looks nice.”

Souvenirs are available for $14 at Spring Grove
Communications before Friday, May 17. Any
remaining souvenirs will be for sale at the Syttende
Mai Hus during the celebration.

The souvenir was designed, cutout and rosemaled by Peter and Berthana Wirth, who have been making the collectible items for the committee for many years.

The Spring Grove Lions host Dad’s Belgians Waffles each year during Syttende Mai. Stop by the Fest Building between 7:30 and 10 a.m. to get a plate of the best waffles around!

Syttende Mai will be hosting children’s games/events at the lower Fest Building Grounds on Saturday and Sunday.

“This is just for fun,” Sue Barker tole the Herald when she was interviewed recently. “I don’t know if they have it any other place or not.”

As organizer for this year’s Syttende Mai eating contest, Barker said a new dish was in order for this year.

“We wanted to change it up and get something different. We didn’t want to just do the same thing.”

This year, the Syttende Mai committee will be hosting the event themselves. It won’t be a sanctioned eating contest like last year’s Lutefisk competition.

There will be three categories (ages 5-10, 11-17 and 18-up) with up to 10 registrants per class. The venue is the Fest Building. In the 5-10 age group, cash prizes are $30, $20 and $10 for first, second and third. The 11-17 age group will earn prizes of $50, $30 and $15. In the 18-up class, prizes are $60, $40 and $20.

Learn more about rømmegrøt at the Herald’s website by clicking HERE.

How much rømmegrøt can you eat?

Enter the contest and find out!

In the foreground is a container of melted butter to pour on the freshly made rømmegrøt served each year at the Norwegian Food Stand. How much can you eat?

The newly crowned 2013 Syttende Mai royalty was announced Saturday night, May 11.

Shown in the front row are: Little Miss 2nd Attendant Tiffany Michels, Little Miss Ava Olerud and Little Miss 1st Attendant Brianna Johnson.

Back row shows: 2nd Attendant Laura Johnson, Queen Kendra Prahl and 1st Attendant Kaitlin Bratland.

Honorees for this year's Syttende Mai celebration are:
Mest Hoyaktet Dam, Kari Rud; Business Person of the Year,
Dean Ellingson;
King of the Trolls, Roger Lunde; and Honorary Norwegian Dianne Romie.

They were announced May 11 during the Blast-Off Banquet at the Fest Building. And with that, the Syttende Mai celebration is officially underway!

Royalty and honorees recognized Saturday night

Photos courtesy of Spring Grove Herald/Marlene Deschler