Memorial Day

 Memorial Day.  A time to honor ancestors and heritage.  We did both on the weekend of May 26, 2018.  We placed flowers on the graves of our parents, remembering with love and joy their influence on our lives.  We also spent a day at the Ephraim, Utah, Scandinavian Festival.  Although Dave and I have no close relatives who lived in Sanpete County, where so many Mormon Scandinavian immigrants settled, we both have Norse blood running in our veins. 

 Dave and I both love small town parades.  There were just enough Vikings wielding axes and wearing horned hats to support the "Scandinavian Days" brand.

 But this is Western America, so there were also jeeps and trucks bearing festival royalty from each tiny town in the region.  Miss Moroni reigned.

 Dave and I were not above chasing into the road to pick up taffy and tootsie rolls tossed from the passing floats.

 A definite crowd pleaser--shaggy men and their shaggy dog.

 Scandinavian Days hosts an antique car show.  Some of those cars burned a lot of oil.

 An essential part of the show was all the government vehicles in town parading down the street, blowing their sirens and flashing their lights!  Fire trucks, ambulances, police, and the mayor, too--who could ask for more?

 We meandered a few blocks east to the Snow College campus, where food, craft stalls, a pioneer reenactment, and all-day entertainment awaited us.

 I wished I had enough allowance left to buy a real Norwegian bentwood box.

 I was not as excited about a concealed weapon handbag.

 I've never worried too much about bonfire survival, but maybe I'm naive....

We bought plates of Swedish meatballs, served with red cabbage and cucumber salad.  I got ideas for my next ethnic dinner.

 The strawberry marzipan cake was delicious.

 The BYU Folk Dancers sent a contingent dressed in Norwegian finery to perform and teach the crowd to dance.

 And there was bluegrass music, as well, which grew out of the culture of my ancestors, the Scots-Irish, who settled in the "hollers" of Appalachia.

 The entertainment highlight was Peter Breinholt, whose son, Nate, graduated with Jono from Olympus High this weekend.  Peter has the "sound" of James Taylor, who is a special favorite with Dave and me.  We thoroughly enjoyed Peter's performance.

 Norwegian flags adorned the stage.

 I met a cousin, Uncle Dave's granddaughter, Susie.  She is the daughter of Dick and Jane Calder.

 I love historical encampments and reenactments.  A spot on the Snow College campus was reserved for craftsmen showing life in Sanpete County in pioneer days--from the 1850s, when Sanpete County was settled, to 1900.

 Like most festivals, Scandinavian Days was dog heaven.

 Dave and I took a bus tour of historical places around Ephraim.  We enjoyed the guide's stories, as well as the jaunt through the cemetery and past many Queen Anne-style homes.  He told about one Sacrament Meeting when the bishop asked "Brother Peter Jensen" to stand up.  Half the men arose!

 After the tour was over, we walked to our car past pioneer homes with antique cars parked outside.  Dave paused to peer into the motors of those old cars and marvel at how easy it was to see what was inside and even to tighten things up with a wrench.  The motors of today's cars are a complex web of technology.

And finally, back home.