Nordic Fest at Luther College

Free Shuttle Service between downtown Decorah and Luther’s campus

Luther Pick-up & Drop-off Location: Dahl Centennial Union – 700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101

Downtown Pick-up & Drop-off Location: Decorah Bank & Trust – 202 E Water St. Decorah, IA 52101

Shuttles will run continuously within the hours specified below:

Thursday, July 25: 4 pm – 8pm

Friday, July 26: 8 am – 8pm

Saturday, July 27: 8am – 8pm

Thursday, July 25

Oneota Marketplace – Dahl Centennial Union Bldg, main level – 7:30 am -2:30 pm

Downtown Decorah  Pølse Booth: 5:00 pm -7:00 pm 

Friday, July 26

Oneota Marketplace – Dahl Centennial Union, main level – 7:30 am -2:30 pm

Downtown Decorah Pølse Booth: 10:00 am -9:00 pm 

Luther Norwegian Meatball Supper – Dahl Centennial Union, Cafeteria – 4:00 pm -7:00 pm

*Tickets and Walk-in Purchases Available

Tickets are for sale at the door.  Online ticket sales have ended.

Saturday, July 27

Oneota Marketplace – Dahl Centennial Union, main level – Hours: 7:30 am -11:00 am *Parade starts at 10:00 am*

Downtown Pølse Booth 10:00 am – 9:00 pm

Sunday, July 28

Nordic Fest Brunch – Dahl Centennial Union, Peace Dining Room, upper level – 10:00 am-1:30 pm

*Ticketed Event Only

Tickets are for sale at the door.  Online ticket sales have ended.

Thank you for representing Luther College in the Nordic Fest Parade! We can’t wait to see you there!

• Date: Saturday, July 27
• Meeting time: 10 a.m.
• Meeting location: East Main Street (between Montgomery Street and Sumner Street), Parade Position #20 

We will take a group photo before the parade starts at 10:30. Get ready to smile with your Luther friends!

Route: The parade will follow Water Street until turning right to end on Mill Street. When we reach the end of the parade route we will continue on past Heivly Street towards the parade exit in order to not hold up other parade participants or regular traffic.

*If you need a respite during the parade, you will be able to ride in the Luther golf cart. This year, we will also have the Luther Bus participating in the parade.

RSVPs are welcome, but not required.

Gausta is perhaps the best-known of the Norwegian-American painters, born in Telemark, Norway (1854), he emigrated to America with his family, settling on a farm near Harmony, Minnesota. Gausta entered Luther College in 1872 but left for Norway three years later on a stipend provided by the community of Decorah under the leadership of U.V. Koren. He returned to Decorah and taught at Luther College during the 1886-1887 academic year. There are almost 60 paintings by Gausta in the Fine Arts Collection, and a sampling will be on view in the Dahl Union Gallery.  Additional Gausta paintings can be seen in Peace Dining Room.

Gallery, Dahl Centennial Union, main level – Hours: 8am – 10pm daily

Peace Dining Viewing, Dahl Centennial Union, upper level – Hours: 8am-10pm Thursday – Saturday

Gausta, Young Mother

The Luther Book Shop will be open during Nordic Fest

Thursday, July 25

• 8:15 am to 4:45 pm

Friday, July 26

• 8:15 am to 6:30 pm

Saturday, July 27

• 10 am to 3:30 pm

Sunday, July 28

• 10 am to 1 pm

Two local authors, Carol Hagen and Nick Preus will be at the Luther College Book Shop Friday, July 26^th from 4-6pm offering signed copies and showcasing their newest titles with Scandinavian topics.

Carol Hagen’s new book, How Many Kransekaker?! introduces young readers to this traditional Nordic confection.  Readers spanning generations will cherish the story of Ella and her brother Aksel gathering in Grandma’s kitchen to prepare a kransekake – a “wreath cake.”  Carol has teamed up again with award-winning illustrator Kari Vick in a new kitchen adventure for these familiar characters from her first book, What’s in the Rømmegrøt?!, which will also be available.

Nicholas Preus, professor emeritus of English at Luther College, and Kari Grønningsæter published This Boundless Ocean, a re-telling of 22 year old Ninna Saanum’s (Kari’s grandmother) and her journey sailing around the globe in 1913-1914 on a full-rigged Norwegian ship.  Ninna’s journal and photographs tell the story of surviving a terrible North Sea storm, crossing the Pacific, and returning up the Atlantic, not knowing that World War I had started and that the ocean was a war zone.

Luther will again offer on-campus housing to Nordic Fest attendees.

Thank you for your interest in Nordic Fest housing.  As of July 24— On-campus housing is sold out.