Washington Lodge won the 2023 Large Lodge of the Year for the Third District.

Fall Programs at Norway House

Saturday September 21 at 7 PM
How recent advances in Archaeology have given us a better understanding of the Viking Age. Presentation by The Longship Company.

Saturday October 19 at 7 PM
Norway and the Iditarod Race. Dr Lee Morgan talks about his experience in this iconic race and the Norwegian participation in the event.

Saturday November 16 at 7 PM
Laurann Gilbertson of Vesterheim Museum will give a talk on Norwegian Innovators and Inventors. 

Sunday December 15 at 2 PM
You and your family are warmly invited to our festive Juletrefest gala! Join us for an enchanting evening filled with music, camaraderie, and a delightful feast provided by the lodge. 

 Language Classes Resume 

The lodge offers beginning, intermediate and advanced Norwegian language classes every Thursday evening at Norway House. Our instructor is Anne-Grethe Phillips, a native Norwegian speaker with many years of experience as a certified Norwegian/English teacher. See page 9 of the January Newsletter.

GIG, Saturday July 27, 3 pm, Zoom
Effective Analysis on the Road to Proof

This presentation will not be focused on Norwegian records, but rather on analysis and problem-solving skills to enhance GIG members’ genealogy skill set. Positive proof to answer a research question is the goal of every genealogist. This presentation will discuss how proof is built and how to effectively use sources, information, and evidence. Examples and case studies will be used throughout.

Rebecca Whitman Koford is the featured speaker for July.  Rebecca Whitman Koford is a Certified Genealogist® and a Certified Genealogical LecturerSM.  She focuses on research in Maryland, upstate New York, Virginia, the District of Columbia, colonial records, military records from the Revolution through the Civil War, federal records at the National Archives (D.C.), and land records of all types. She is coauthor of the recently released NGS Research in the States series on Maryland. Rebecca served as the ProGen Study Group’s Administrator from 2015–2020. In 2021, she was Director of the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records in Washington, D.C. She served as Executive Director of the Board for Certification of Genealogists® from 2018–2024. 

To join the GIG mailing list and receive Zoom links, email Genealogy@NorwayDC.org.

Reading Circle, Tuesday, August 20, 7:30 pm, Zoom

The Other Name: Septology by Jon Fosse

The Reading Circle will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 20th, to discuss The Other Name: Septology I by Jon Fosse, the winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature. If you plan to attend, contact Christine Meloni at reading@norwaydc.org for the Zoom link.

Fosse is a prolific writer in a variety of genres, e.g. plays, novels, essays, and short stories. He is very popular around the world, but he is not particularly admired in the United States. Many of his works are challenging, and The Other Name is no exception. It is now considered his masterpiece, however, and the members of the Reading Circle have decided to tackle it. Why not join us?!

Nobel prize winner Jon Fosse The Other Name is stream of consciousness writing, and it focuses on the meandering musings of Asle, a painter who is looking back over his long life and trying to make sense of it.  One particularly interesting aspect of Asle’s life is his Catholicism. Fosse himself went from being an atheist to becoming a very devout Catholic. There have been very few Catholics in Norway since the Reformation and, for many years, it was actually illegal to be a Catholic.

Its physical structure makes this book rather difficult to read. Getting used to it may take a while. It is not divided into chapters, there are no paragraphs, and, most remarkably, there is not one single period in the entire book, not even after the final sentence.  But, if the reader succeeds in going with the flow and manages somehow to get into Asle’s head, it could be a fascinating journey that leads to valuable self-reflection 

Welcome to our Website

Are you interested in Norway Literature, History, Folklore, Genealogy, Food, or Language? Do you want to connect to your roots, study the Viking age or the Norwegian Resistance in WWII, or discuss the latest in Norwegian culture?
The Sons of Norway members in the nation's capital, representing a diversity of background and nationality, share an interest in Norwegian and Scandinavian Culture. We trust that all ages will find something of interest -- in our web site and in our lodge. We have almost 400 members. Most are from the local area of DC, Maryland, and Virginia, but we also have members from another 16 states as well as Norway, Canada, and Great Britain.

For information on membership, contact Jeff Jorgenson  at Jas_jorgenson@yahoo.com. 

To Join Washington Lodge Click Here

For other information, contact Dave Brown President@norwaydc.org .

Hint: When you push a brown button, it will open a new tab on your screen. However, if you close the tab, it will return you to the previous screen.

Cultural Skills

This fall the lodge is running a Cooking Pin Challenge.  Photograph the Norwegian treats and main dishes you cook this fall, and let’s see how many lodge members can earn a first, second, or third cultural skills pin before the end of the year!  Email culturalskills@norwaydc.org to find out more about the Cultural Skills program.