Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin

Scandinavian Midsommar Celebration

Sunday, June 21, 2026, 11 AM – 2 PM

Heidelberg Park by Bavarian Bierhaus

700 West Lexington Blvd., Glendale

The time has changed

To ensure we can enjoy the Scandinavian Music and Folk Dance the time for the event will be moved up 2 hours. The Midsommar celebration will start at 11 am and end at 2 pm on Sunday June 21, 2026. The reason for the change is that Bavarian Bierhaus is also having a Fathers Day Celebration at Heidelberg Park, with a large German band, Alte Kameraden playing from 1 PM to 4 PM. So, by changing the time we can avoid interference of different music playing at the same time.

The activities will be the same, only the timing a little different from what was originally planned. Please find the program below

Bring your own lawn chairs, and join us for a FREE event of fun at our Scandinavian Midsommar Celebration. If you can, bring additional flowers and greens for decorating the Majstång.

Come celebrate Midsommar the Swedish way Sunday, June 21, 2026 from 1 – 4 p.m. Heidelberg Park by at Bavarian Bierhaus, 700 West Lexington Blvd., Glendale

• Help decorate the Majstång (Midsommar pole) with greens and flowers.
• Join in the procession to raise the decorated pole, and then dance around it.
• Make a flower crown to wear.
• Enjoy traditional Swedish folk music and Scandinaviann folk dances.
• Learn the game of Kubb, known as “Viking chess.
• Special activities and crafts for children.
• Learn about early Swedish settlement in Wisconsin and our Swedish Genealogy Research Group

Bring your own lawn chairs, and join us for a FREE afternoon of fun at our Scandinavian Midsommar Celebration. If you can, bring additional flowers and greens for decorating the Majstång.

Bierhaus staff will provide a variety of food, including Swedish items, for purchase in the Park.   Note: No food may be brought into the Park.

For further information:  Visit us at www.sahswi.org or email us at swedishamericanhistoricalwisc@gmail.com

Fika meeting on May 16, 2026 at 1:30 PM at Martin Luther Lutheran Church, 9235 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee.

If you have not been to Bishop Hill, the May Fika Meeting is a chance to learn about this historical community from the Award-winning Author Martha Bergland and her Husband Jim Uhrinak

Today, Bishop Hill is recognized for its historical significance, with several structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a National Historic Landmark. Visitors can explore the village’s rich history through museums, galleries, and cultural events that celebrate its Swedish roots. Bishop Hill remains a vibrant community that honors its past while continuing to thrive as a living historical site.

Swedish Trivia

In our March Fika meeting we started a Swedish Trivia program to refresh our knowledge of topics related to our common interests. The theme for this set of questions is “Early Swedish Immigration”, and at this time there are 5 questions;

Swedish Trivia

After the presentation enjoy traditional Fika the Swedish way. And as always – If you bring a dish to share, it is very much appreciated.

The next FIKA meeting is Saturday, March 21, 2026, starting at 1:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall, at Martin Luther Lutheran Church, 9235 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee located just east of the Milwaukee Zoo.

In the January 2025 Fika meeting Cookie Anderson talked about Swedish Authors, she reviewed 14 different writers from the 18th century to the present. The presentation was very well received. Cookie is back, this time the topic of her presentation is Swedish Film, including information about the most famous Film Directors and Movie Makers, and information of the movies they directed.

Cookie also had an idea to include Swedish Trivia in the Fika meetings, 10 questions that everyone participating could answer before the Fika meeting, and then we would quickly review the answers at the Fika meeting. So, for March 21 meeting you can get the questions through the following link. This is all voluntary and with no specific rules, but if you participate, you may end up with a small price.

March 21, 2026, Trivia

After the presentation and reviewing the Trivia questions enjoy traditional Fika the Swedish way. If you can, bring a dish to share. Do you have a favorite Swedish recipe you want to share? If so, bring it and we can add it to the website Swedish Food Heritage page.

Come to the first SAHSWI Fika meeting of the new year scheduled Saturday, January 24, starting at 1:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall, at Martin Luther Lutheran Church, 9235 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee located just east of the Milwaukee Zoo.

Program: Somewhere in England by Sherry Engstrom

Somewhere in England is the title of the story Sherry will present. It is a story, show-and-tell and narrative of her two Swedish-American parents and their WW II love letters and resulting 70 year marriage.

Sherry is a retired adjunct professor of Humanities and Communications. In retirement she is a writing coach. She gives classes and workshops on creative writing and memoirs, especially helping elders write and tell their life stories. She is also a residential pet and house sitter and volunteers in her community, Lake Geneva.

After the presentation enjoy traditional Fika the Swedish way. If you can, bring a dish to share. Do you have a favorite Swedish recipe you want to share? If so, bring it and we can add it to the website Swedish Food Heritage page.

The first SAHSWI Fika meeting of the year is soon coming up. We can then greet each other God Fortsättning. In Sweden, at this time of the year the common greeting when seeing somebody is “God Fortsättning” meaning “Wishing you a good continuation of the new year”. (You wish people “Gott Nytt År” (Happy New Year) on New Year’s Day.)

The Fika meeting is scheduled Saturday, January 24, 2026, starting at 1:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall, Martin Luther Lutheran Church, 9235 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee located just east of the Milwaukee Zoo

Writer and Speaker Sherry Engstrom will present the program, a unique, immigration story she titled “Somewhere in England”.

After the presentation enjoy traditional Fika the Swedish way. If you can, bring a dish to share. Do you have a favorite Swedish recipe you want to share? If so, bring it and we can add it to the website Swedish Food Heritage page.

It was the morning of December 14, temperatures outside were extremely cold, we looked forward to the Lucia celebration inside the beautiful Fox Point Lutheran Church. Then it happened, there was a gas leak at the church, the event had to be cancelled or rescheduled. Through quick actions from the Church, Lucia Program Director Stina Lemery, and SAHSWI volunteers, everyone involved or invited were notified, and new plans had to be established for a new date.

On Sunday December 28 Lucia could be celebrated without a hitch. Most of the participants in the Lucia program were able to join, and overall, about 80 people attended the event.

After a final rehearsal, the program could begin with the procession led by 2025 Lucia Madeleine Franke, followed by attendants, Leighton Ehrengren, Kenzie Klagmann, Ida Knox*, Ella and Emilia Lemery, Mila Leon, Thea Quealy, Villa Sjöberg, Layla Gallo, Starboys Camden Ehrengren, Joseph Kaltenberg*, Olof Knox*, Gingerbread men Arlo Ehrengren, Eli Kaltenberg*, Nora, Isla and Wilam Thode-Edström, and Little Santas Astrid and Oskar Erkander*, and Nova and Orion Balistreri. (* missing due to re-schedule)

The Lucia program was directed by Stina Lemery, the Lucia Story and Song was introduced by Swedish School Teacher Amanda Balistreri, and the Piano was played by Matt Byczynski. The Lucia program included 9 well known Swedish Christmas songs, starting with Sankta Lucia and ending with Stilla Natt sung both in Swedish and English (Silent Night). The Lucia Crown includes 5 candles, and for each of the candles a poem was read by the program participants both in Swedish and in English and the candle was lit.

• THE FIRST CHRISTMAS CANDLE – Leighton Ehrengren
  • När första ljuset brinner, står julens dörr på glänt, och jubel psalmen klingar i helig tid advent. 
  • When the first Christmas candle is burning, we know Christmas is close by.  
• THE SECOND CHRISTMAS CANDLE– Mila Leon 
  • När andra ljuset brinner, vi höra löftets ord, om Konungen som kommer med frälsning till vår jord. 
  • When the 2nd Christmas candle is burning, we hear the promise of old that a Savior is coming. 
• THE THIRD CHRISTMAS CANDLE – Olof Knox
  • När tredje ljuset tändas i kulen vinter tid. Vi höra himlens klockor, som ringa fröjd och frid. 
  • When the 3rd candle is lit, we hear the bells of heaven wishing all peace and goodwill 
• THE FOURTH CHRISTMAS CANDLE – Joseph Kaltenberg  
  • Vi se i fjärde ljuset en stjärna underbar, som ger åt livets gåtor ett evighetens svar. 
  • As the 4^th candle is lit, we see a beautiful star with promise to all of life eternal. 
• THE FIFTH CHRISTMAS CANDLE –   Ida Knox 
  • Sist julens lilla tomte med gran och juleljus, nu önskar juleglädje och frid i hem och hus.
  •  At last the little Christmas elf with Christmas tree and lights, is wishing all a joyful and blessed Christmas. 

After the Lucia program Fika was served in the Fellowship Hall including coffee and Juices and cookies and pastries, a Cinnamon Kringle from O&H Bakery, 7 different cookies from Åsljunga, Sweden, Brownies shaped like a Gingerbread man baked by Kerri Ehrengren, and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

The final activity of the day was the traditional Dance Around the Christmas tree based on traditional Swedish song and dance.

We like to thank everybody involved and coming to the Lucia celebration ensuring this wonderful Swedish tradition is maintained. Our sincere thanks to Stina, Amanda and Matt and all the children for a beautiful perfect Lucia program, to Pastor Bill and Operations Director Kelly Price for having us at the church and for all the help and support, Kerri for all the preparations of the Fika, Wendy Pelsis and Joann Kreimendahl for serving the welcome table, Bev Wenzel for preparing printed programs and sign-up sheets and everybody that was helping with the setup, takedown and cleanup of the Fika.