LS A V em TI Th i S Y in M FE WA ER R M NO M N SU I e:
There is a pirate excursion for children to take part in, where 12 passengers go out in a wooden boat with the aim of finding a treasure.
A cultured family festival on coastal trading post Families are coming together for yet another celebration of coastal culture at Hopsjødagene (the Hopsjø Days) in Norway, where local suppliers, artists and craftsmen are gathering for two days packed full of fun. By Line Elise Svanevik
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Photos: Einar Brendboe
As a former trading post, Hopsjø, near Melandsjøen on Hitra, Trøndelag, boasts a long history of being a place people would travel to from all over Europe with various goods. “It was a trading station where, originally, people would come to trade things like fish for flour or homebrewed alcoholic beverages,” explains CEO of Hopsjø, Millan Skjærbusdal. In 1989, an extremely passionate local man by the name of Tor Bugten decided to restore and rebuild the estate with help from private donations and volunteers in the surrounding areas. The whole place was restored through voluntary work and donations in 1990, and it was during this 90 |
Issue 101
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June 2017
time that they also created the very first Hopsjødagene. “In the first few years, they didn’t even have proper stalls; it was often just a table with an umbrella over,” explains Skjærbusdal. “There were people playing accordions, local dances and wooden boats, and the stalls were held by local craftsmen and wood carvers and women who knitted woollen socks.” Fast forward to 2017 and Hopsjødagene is a collaboration between the restaurant Traktørstedet Landstrykeren, Nattseilerne (the night sailors) and Hopsjøen’s friends. It promotes local food, drink and
crafts, with several activities to keep the family busy for the entire two days.
Free for the public Since the very beginning, Hopsjødagene was primarily concerned with the enjoyment of children and families. “For Bugten, who created it, it was very important that the coast and culture centre was going to be for everyone, and that’s a legacy we’re trying to preserve,” says Skjærbusdal. “Admission is free – the only things that cost money are the concert on the Friday and the pirate boat on the Saturday.” Held in week 29 for the past 28 years, this year’s festival will take place on 2122 July. Skjærbusdal explains that the origin of the chosen date is tied to the trading seasons: “150 years ago, there wasn’t a week 29, as we call it now, but the big trading days were often in the be-