Amber Lodge, Brainerd, MN Updates

Our new member, Hanne Porter, was our speaker at our April meeting. She presented a power point story of her life growing up in Denmark, her jobs and world travels as an adult, and settling in various places in the U.S. Thankfully she ended up in the Brainerd area and is now a member of Amber Lodge. We also celebrated Queen Margrethe's 83rd birthday with balloons and birthday cake at our potluck. Members Nealna Gylling, Hanne Porter, Judy Andersen, Linda Buck, and Barb Wenschlag attended the Heartland District Convention in Des Moines the end of April. It's always great fun to reconnect with our Danish friends at this convention. Congratulations to our own Nealna for being recognized this year as Heartland Outstanding Sister for her dedicated service to the Danish Sisterhood.

Amber Lodge hosted an Aebleskiver Brunch in May at Trinity Lutheran Church in Brainerd, MN. In addition to serving Aebleskiver with a variety of toppings, we served sausages, fruit salad, juice, and coffee plus a bake and craft sale. We were fortunate to have the beautiful quilt made by Nealna Gylling for the National Convention Raffle along with the cross stitch framed deer picture and were able to sell some raffle tickets as well. Thank you to all our lodge and family member volunteers for helping make our brunch a success!! Our guests raved again about delicious Danish Aebleskiver!!

Our May outing was an anniversary celebration of our lodge with a dinner out at a local restaurant. Members and their guests had a lovely time together. Our next outing will be to Nealna's home on Gull Lake to celebrate Sankt Hans Aften in June. Always a fun time together.

We hope everyone is enjoying a lovely summer. Can't wait to see you in October at the National Convention here in our beautiful state.

Respectfully submitted by Barb Wenschlag

Danish Sisterhood Online Archival Campaign

Greetings from Committee Chair, Marcia Jante

During a recent trip to Seattle, we visited the Danish Hall in Enumclaw which is lovingly cared for by the Danish Sisterhood Lodge #75. Thanks to the Sisterhood President, Carol Ligner, we were able to tour the hall and go through the photographs and ledgers of the Enumclaw Danish Brotherhood. We read about the early days of the Brotherhood and how they invested money to purchase hay to use as insulation around the basement of the building. The ledgers told how they gave money to members who needed assistance and offered jobs to the unemployed members. We also found old pictures of my partner, Lou Nielsen’s, grandfather Laust, who was a founding member of the Enumclaw Brotherhood. These things are not any different than what we have in the Danish Sisterhood Archives. Our archives are a treasure trove of information and a walk down memory lane of our lodges and members. Our past tells a rich story of who we have become today. The donated archive materials have been preserved for viewing at the museum. Now, we want the archives to be available for your remote viewing just like I experienced in Enumclaw. Help the Sisterhood and the museum accomplish this goal.

Our Sisterhood/Museum Committee is asking you to donate as an individual member and as a lodge. As a member you can make an outright donation to our project or schedule your pledge over the next three years. Pledges are vital for the long-term campaign planning. Let the museum know you how you can help by sending in a pledge form.

The same holds true for your lodge. My lodge in Milwaukee is considering a donation this year to help meet our goal so the project can begin in January 2024. These funds allow the museum to acquire the equipment and the staff to complete the project. Our lodge is also considering making a pledge to the project by donating money annually until December 2025.

To raise money my Sisterhood Lodge #15 hosts raffles, and silent auctions three times a year. Part of the money we raise will be donated to this archival project. We are committed to preserving our Danish Sisterhood History and believe that investing in