Syttende Mai – a Norwegian Folk Festival

My royal sisters and I took the 3 hour drive all the way  to Westby, Wisconsin to celebrate Syttende Mai – a Norwegian Folk Festival held on May 16-18.  We attend this festival in honor of Dan Swenson and his family – he was born and raised in Westby. After we checked in at Vernon Inn in Viroqua, Wisconsin, we headed to Borgens Café (the local hangout) to have dinner with the Swensons and other friends.  There was even a surprise birthday party for Dan’s sister, Elaine.  It was very cute and cozy and the food was great! The next morning we had a Norwegian breakfast at a local church. There was a lot of different foods and new stuff to try – herring, salmon, cheeses. They even had these really cute heart-shaped waffles! After breakfast we went Amishing through the beautiful countryside.  The bakeries, greenhouses, spice shop, etc. were something special, as were the Amish families running them.  We were even visited by a roaming goat who started chasing my little sister. She was a little scared, but later thought it was fun to pet it.  Our countryside trip ended with a trip to Down a Country Road – a cute little “town” full of gift shops.  My favorite shop there was the ice cream shop. Yummy! After visiting the shops, we went back to town and enjoyed the festival!  They had tents set up everywhere for shopping and games.  I kind of liked the bouncy house =)  That night was spent in the community room of the inn with my royal family and others.  We played games and made alterations to our parade dresses.  We had loads of fun!!  The next morning my family and I went to breakfast at the Viroqua Family Restaurant where the food was really good, and then back to the inn to get ready for the parade.  Before we attended the pre-parade Royal Tea, my royal sisters and I took our “mamarazzi” around town for some pictures.  We met lots of new royalty (especially from Wisconsin) and exchanged lots of buttons at the Royal Tea! It was time to head to the float and wait in line-up.  What a gorgeous day for a parade!!  I think I can speak for everyone and say we all had a great time!

 

 

 

 

 

Valeri Marlowe

Inver Grove Heights Junior Princess 2014