We have had the following activities in the past and would like to have them in the future. Are you interested? Contact Jeff Jorgenson President@NorwayDC.org

Cooking and Baking

Music Appreciation

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, please contact Linda Hestvik linda703@aol.com 

To join the Washington Lodge click the "Join Our Lodge" button under the Picture at the top of this page. 

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.

 Syttende Mai (17th of May)

The Norwegian Embassy and local organizations celebrate Norway’s Constitution Day, Syttende Mai (17th of May) every year with a picnic at Carderock Recreation Area in Potomac, Maryland (directions). This year’s picnic will be Saturday, May 17 1-3 pm. Enjoy free hotdogs, ice cream and popcorn under picnic pavilion. There will be games for the kids and music by the Rockville Brass Band. A keynote speaker will address the crowd followed by a flag-filled parade around the picnic area. 

Please RSVP so that food can be  adequately planned: www.norchamdc.org/events/syttende-mai-picnic-in-the-park- 2025  One of our jobs is handing out popcorn (we bring a popcorn machine!). It’s great fun. If you’d like to help at the picnic please email VP Linda Hestvik at VP@NorwayDC.org. Or just stop by and enjoy the celebration. There is more information on Page 19 of the May Newsletter. 

Since the lodge will be busy with this event and the Embassy Open House (below), we will not hold a regular meeting this month. Watch for information on our summer picnics, starting in June.

Embassy Open House, May 3 

The Norwegian Embassy is participating in Washington's Around the World Embassy Tour which takes place one week before the E.U. Embassy Tour. Come out to enjoy the beautifully remodeled building and garden. Our Lodge is helping the Embassy at this event with various tasks like counting guests, managing traffic flow, and manning a SON info table, etc. We especially need help in the afternoon. If you can lend a hand, contact Christine Knight at peterk1092@comcast.net. Parking is limited so taking Uber from a Metro station might be your best bet. The Embassy is at 2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC. For more information see “Around the World Embassy Tour” on https://eventsdc.com/passportdc.

Crossings 200

The arrival of the Restauration in New York Harbor on October 9, 1825, marked the beginning of documented Norwegian American history. Our Lodge is excited to join the broader Sons of Norway community — along with the Norwegian Embassy, The Norwegian American newspaper, the Norwegian American Historical Association, and other organizations — in celebrating the bicentennial of this historic event.  The Crossings 200 Committee will coordinate our observation plans. If you're interested in helping out, please contact Bill DeRoche at Programs@NorwayDC.org.

Restauration played a central role in what is widely considered the first organized emigration from Norway to America. On July 4, 1825, the sloop departed from Stavanger with 52 passengers on board—many of them Norwegian Quakers. It is likely that several of these emigrants were also part of the Haugean movement, a Lutheran revival inspired by Hans Nielsen Hauge. Led by Cleng Peerson, the group arrived in New York City on October 9, 1825, after a three-month journey across the Atlantic.

Their voyage was later chronicled in Amerika-boka (The America Book, 1838) by Ole Rynning. Due to its small size, the Restauration exceeded the legal passenger limit under American maritime laws. This led to a steep fine, confiscation of the ship, and the arrest of its captain, L. O. Helland. However, President John Quincy Adams intervened on November 15, issuing a pardon that released both the captain and the vessel, and canceled the fine. The passengers, often referred to as "Sloopers," eventually made their way to their first settlement in Kendall, Orleans County, New York.