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

Fall Programs at Norway House

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

Saturday October 19
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
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 

We are delighted to announce a brand new beginning Norwegian class, along with intermediate and advanced classes, starting Thursday, Sept. 5 at Norway House. The beginners’ class will start “from scratch,” so it is for people with very limited to no experience with the language. Classes will meet every Thursday at 6 pm (beginning), 7 pm (intermediate) and 8 pm (advanced). Lodge members pay a discounted fee of $15/class. Non-members pay $20/class. Students are welcome to stay for other learning levels on the same night for no extra charge. Students only pay for the nights they attend.

Beginners don't need a textbook. Instead, our instructor will use the new edition of last year’s book, På vei, displayed on the TV screen and visible to everyone. She will also provide handouts based on the text.

Intermediate students will continue where they left off before summer break, using the 2012 edition of På vei (blue book), starting at chapter 10 level A2.

The advanced group will consist of fluent/advanced learners for conversation about news and a variety of articles and topics.

Our talented instructor, Anne-Grethe Phillips, is a native Norwegian with many years of experience as a certified Norwegian/English teacher. She was born and raised in Norway, where she lived until moving to Virginia nine years ago. She graduated from the University of Oslo and has worked as a high school teacher in both Norway and the US. She is now a professional language instructor in Washington, DC. Anne-Grethe is looking forward to helping everyone enjoy their studies. As an added bonus, she is a fantastic professional baker and frequently brings treats for the class!

Questions? Email Anne-Grethe at anne@speaknowlanguages.com

Lodge Meeting, Saturday, September 21
New Insights about our Viking Ancestors 

Join us as we continue our collaboration with The Longship Company, Ltd., a non-profit educational organization renowned for its exceptional presentations and Viking ship excursions. Dr. Leonard Leshuk, the organization's president, will delve into recent archaeological discoveries that shed new light on Viking history. His discussion will explore how these findings alter our understanding of Viking sailing, navigation, medieval climate, and ocean currents. By integrating these new insights into the broader historical context, Dr. Leshuk will offer a deeper appreciation of Viking exploration and hint at future discoveries. Recent research has challenged long-standing historical narratives, revealing that Viking seafaring and colonization activities began earlier than previously thought. New evidence from Norway, Iceland, and Ireland suggests that Vikings may have ventured into the Azores and engaged in more extensive exploration than once believed

Pot Luck buffet starts a 5 PM.  The Meeting starts a 7 PM

Reading Circle, Tuesday, October 15, 7:30 pm, Zoom

The Northern Lights: The True Story of the Man Who Unlocked the Secrets of the Aurora Borealis by Lucy Jago

The Reading Circle will meet at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, October 15th, to discuss The Northern Lights: The True Story of the Man Who Unlocked the Secrets of the Aurora Borealis. 

From the inside flap of the book: "Here is the true story of an eccentric genius held captive by the allure of celestial splendor; of brushes with death on the remote snowcapped mountains of Norway and in the unforgiving, war-torn deserts of Africa; of the rival who cheated Birkeland of a Nobel Prize; and of the brilliant discoveries Birkeland made before his suspicious death in Japan in 1917. Meticulously researched and passionately wrought, The Northern Lights offers an enlightening account of the science behind one of nature's most spectacular displays and a revealing glimpse into the mind of one of history's most passionate and ill-fated scientists." 

Jolene McNamara will lead the discussion. If you plan to attend, contact Christine Meloni atreading@norwaydc.org for the Zoom link.

Hitler’s Northern Utopia

We will delve into Hitler’s plans to transform Norway into a “model Aryan society.” Between 1940 and 1945, German occupiers turned Norway into an extensive construction site. This largely forgotten initiative aimed to expand the Greater German Reich beyond the Arctic Circle and reconfigure the Scandinavian country into a “racial utopia”. 

Hitler, along with his architect Albert Speer and other Nazi leaders, was captivated by plans to create ideal cities and a scenic superhighway stretching from Berlin to northern Norway. In her book “Hitler’s Northern Utopia”, Despina Stratigakos provides the first comprehensive history of Nazi efforts to establish a Nordic empire that would enhance their perceived genetic superiority and realize their vision of a new Viking order. 

This Zoom talk will take place on Sunday, September 29, at 3 PM Eastern Time. For Zoom information, please contact Bill DeRoche at Programs@NorwayDC.org

GIG, Saturday, September 28, 3 pm, Zoom

From Norwegian Coast to American Prairie

The meeting will be based on a case study that traces a Norwegian immigrant to the US back to Norway, starting with emigration from Møreog Romsdal in 1887. The case study is drawn from the book A Guide to Norwegian Genealogy, Emigration, and Transmigration by our speaker, Liv Marit Haakenstad. Advice will be given on where to start with US sources, what clues you could find, and how to use those clues to trace your family in Norwegian sources. 

Liv Marit Haakenstad is a Norwegian author, speaker, and professional genealogist. She is an Accredited Genealogist® (AG®) in Norwegian genealogy and an Accredited Genealogist Lecturer (AGL She has a master’s degree in nonfiction writing from the University of South-Eastern Norway. Her website is www.studygenealogy.com. To join the GIG mailing list and receive Zoom links, email genealogy@NorwayDC.org.

Submitted by Alexis Steen, Genealogy Interest Group Co-chair genealogy@NorwayDC.org.

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.