By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
NEW SWEDEN — Hundreds came out this weekend to celebrate the annual Midsommar Festival in New Sweden, but none came farther than the celebration’s honored guests, the Orust Folk Dancers from Orust, Sweden.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Members of the Orust Folk Dancers were a tremendous hit at the annual Midsommar Festival in New Sweden. Shown here dancing around the maypole are, from left, Anki Gillbro; the twirling dance duo of Solveig Tillander and Leif Sandersson; Stellan Hermansson, playing the violin and Kerstin Bjurstam playing the accordion.
Twenty-seven members of the dance group crossed the Atlantic to celebrate Midsommar in New Sweden and as much as the crowds they drew enjoyed their talented folk dancing and company, it seems that New Sweden has made an impression on the group from Orust.
“As I said before, it’s wonderful to be here,” said dance leader of the Orust Folk Dancers Anki Gillbro during the last Midsommar dance event on June 24. “but it’s also a little sad because soon we’re going back … but I won’t think about that,” she said abruptly, “Our best time is now.”
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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet Amala Peterson, right center, hops in the air while dancing with Oliver Peterson to the song, “we are the musicians.” As explained by Director of the New Sweden Little Folk Dancers Brenda Jepson, Amala is shown jumping up from playing the bass clarinet to play the flute. |
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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet New Sweden Little Folk Dancers Ethan Edgecomb and Emily Gendreau spin themselves around the dance floor during Midsommar on June 24. |
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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet For those who’ve wondered what Folk Dance fighting looks like, this is it. Shown above, Hans Palm and Lars-Goran Larsson insult each other while fighting over two ladies. |
“Long, long after our mosquito bites have stopped itching, we will talk about this day and say ‘Oh, remember when we were dancing in Maine, in New Sweden?’” she added.
During the three days of Midsommar events, the Orust dancers performed multiple times for eager crowds and even took the time to impart their folk dancing knowledge on willing participants.
Like so many others who embraced the Swedish culture during Midsommar, Emily Anderson of Woodland donned the traditional braided and looped pigtails under her Midsommar floral hair wreath on Saturday afternoon. She watched with her sister, Amy, as the Orust Folk Dancers spun and wove about the recently adorned maypole with precise choreographed movements that span centuries.
Emily and Amy have been attending the festival since they were kids, and like many in the area, Emily remembers performing with the New Sweden Little Folk Dancers — a group of kids who perform Swedish dances every year during Midsommar.
“I think, now that I’m a little older, I like watching the Swedish dancing more than participating,” she said with a big smile on her face.
Genealogy aside, everyone was invited to be Swedish during Midsommar and embrace the culture — 12-year-old Dianna Poulin even took the time to braid her sister’s doll’s hair to reflect the traditional Swedish style.
Of course, those with Swedish roots are often drawn back to New Sweden to celebrate Midsommar, like Lyda Littleton of Island Falls, who attended the event with first-time festival-goer Janice Fournier of Old Town.
Lyda’s father was from New Sweden, and every year her family would attend the festival.
“I like the connection and the feel of [Midsommar],” she described. “We always kept up our heritage; my father would tell stories and it’s always been very important to keep the attachment.”
Lyda said that the Smörgåsbord was always one of her favorite Midsommar activities, “but I love the dancing around the Maypole and seeing the costumes,” she said, “and I like seeing that people want to support it.”
As it was Fournier’s first visit to Midsommar, the event made quite an impression on her.
“It’s wonderful,” she said.
Seemingly a Midsommar tradition, it was another precipitous weekend for the festival.
“One of the last songs that the [New Sweden Little Folk Dancers] dance to is called, in English, “Now we have Sunshine” or “Now it’s Summertime; we can only hope!” joked Master of Ceremonies Dan Olson during the June 24 “Sunday in the Park,” (held this year in the New Sweden School gym). “We’re glad we can be inside today, the weather’s a little shaky, but that’s typical for Midsommar, both in old Sweden and New Sweden.”
Special recognitions were announced during Sunday’s event at the school, which Olson referred to as the culmination of the festival’s events.
It was announced that Jesse Sandstrom was named the recipient of the David and Edwina Anderson Award.
“The Best description of Jesse, from what we gathered, would be ‘always willing to help and always volunteering,’” said Janice McDougal, a member of the award’s board.
Gerald Nelson, 76, was also recognized for his volunteerism and giving spirit, particularly when it comes to the Midsommar Festival. Brenda Jepson, director of the New Sweden Little Folk Dancers, described how last year’s festival was held with a heavy heart as the longtime volunteer became very ill and was taken to Bangor for immediate medical attention.
“We were told we might never see him again,” Jepson said. “Well he’s Swedish, and much too stubborn for that, so here today we have with us our good friend Gerald Nelson.”
The audience sang a Swedish song in honor of Nelson’s upcoming birthday, and sang it again for special guest Tage Larson as well.
Taking the trip to New Sweden with his friends in the Orust Folk Dance group, Larson just recently turned 90 and the audience celebrated with him by singing the birthday song in Swedish.
“[Tage] is a rare craftsman,” Olson described, explaining that the instrument Tage makes is called a keyed fiddle in English. “I am told that Tage has made 333 key fiddles.”
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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet It was a highly skilled and highly comedic dance performed by Orust Folk Dance Group members Hans Palm, Lars Goran Larsson, Katie Palm, Tage Dahlqvist, Solveig Tillander and Leif Sandersson that depicted why a man should never try to court two women at the same time. Shown above, the “amorous” Hans Palm vies for the affection of both Katie Palm, at left, and Solveig Tillander, at right. The skit played out with Hans getting in a folk dance fight with Lars over the two ladies; while the two men were “fighting,” Leif and Tage entered and whisked the ladies away. |
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet From left, sisters Amy and Emily Anderson sport the quintessential Midsommar hair wreaths as they watch the Orust Dance Group from Sweden dance with local audience members. |
