DSS News November 2022

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President’s Corner

Danish SisterhoodNews

www.danishsisterhood.com

Volume 75, Number 11

Published

Christina Sallee, National President

I hope you are all enjoying fall wherever you may be.

We had our semi-annual Board meeting which was a day longer than usual due to us having to go over the By-Laws and Constitution just like you have done, or will do, in your lodge.

It has come to our attention that some lodges thought they had to come up with By-Laws changes, and that is certainly not the case. You should only submit By-law changes if your lodge feel it is appropriate for change or clarification. The lodges can certainly keep the By-laws as they are.

As your Delegate selection should have taken place by now, and I hope you sent the information to National Secretary Glenda Madrid. We need the Delegate selection to be completed and turned in, so we can continue our Convention planning.

This was our first in-person Board meeting with new Vice President Nealna Gylling and new 2nd Trustee Anna Nielsen. We have previously discussed and agreed that VP Nealna Will continue being in charge of the scholarships and other duties she previously held, and 2nd trustee Anna will take on social media, website updates and other duties as assigned. It was great to meet Anna face-to-face and we are all very excited to get to work together.

Vice President – We had 4 applications for the Betty Hansen scholarship and none for the Elizabeth Garde, Olga Christensen and Mildred Sorensen scholarships. As the 4 applicants qualified, funds were awarded without having to send them to the scholarship judges. We had 4 applications for camp grant which were also awarded. We would like to see some Continuing Education grant applications, so if you have completed a class or workshop since August consider applying, see specific requirements on the website. Treasurer - While the Nationals accounts are overall healthy, we did see a loss in our scholarship accounts due to the current market. However, the trips to Denmark continues to be a successful fundraiser for the Sisterhood, and should be continued.

We are aware that our most recent financials have not been posted in the newsletter, and this is due

Continued on page 4

Honorary Member Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

(Dansk

DANISH SISTERHOOD NEWS (USPS 148-200) is published monthly by the Supreme Lodge of the Danish Sisterhood of America. Office of publication at 1557 Oak St. Solvang, CA 93463. Periodicals Postage Paid at Rochester, MN.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DANISH SISTERHOOD NEWS, 1557 Oak St. Solvang, CA 93463

EDITOR: Lauren C. Nielsen (507) 206-9099 Email: editor@danishsisterhood.com

Articles for publication in the Danish Sisterhood News must arrive to the Editor no later than the 1st day of each month previous to publication.

Subscription: Members $12 (US) Non-Members $20 (US)

Officers of the Supreme Lodge

National President: Christina Sallee, Lodge #81 16116 SW Deline Ct, Beaverton, OR 97007-3425 (503) 928 4494 president@danishsisterhood.com

National Vice President & Scholarship Chairman: Nealna Gylling, Lodge #186 1474 Floan Point Rd, Brainerd, MN 56401 612-390-1374 vicepresident@danishsisterhood.com

National Secretary: Glenda Madrid, Lodge #177 1557 Oak St. Solvang, CA 93463 (805) 448-7631 secretary@danishsisterhood.com • glenda_madrid@hotmail.com

National Treasurer: Linda Brooks, Lodge #21 8402 Winter Berry Dr., Castle Rock, CO 80108 303-905-9934 treasurer@danishsisterhood.com

National Trustee & Butikken Chairman: Linda Holz #102 4400 EP True Pkwy Unit 47, West Des Moines, IA 50265-5615 (515) 225-0951 trustee1@danishsisterhood.com

National Trustee & Website Chairman: Anna Nielsen #20 (262) 412-4482 trustee2@danishsisterhood.com

National Trustee, Membership Chairman: Karen Vig-Keathley, Lodge #4 109 South First Street, Itasca, IL 60143 708-715-0071 trustee3@danishsisterhood.com

National Past President: Sindy Mikkelsen, Lodge #126 2938 Sweet Grass Lane, Santa Rosa, CA 95407 (707) 755-0260

National Historian: Donna Christensen Thomas, historian@danishsisterhood.com

Copyright 1946-2022 by the Supreme Lodge of the Danish Sisterhood of America, All Rights Reserved.

Velkommen

In this Issue

Lauren C. Nielsen, Editor

Dear Sisters,

Snow has already graced us with its presence here in Minnesota, even if it didn't stick around very long. It sounds like more is on the way--in some ways I'm ready for it and others I can't believe how fast the summer and fall went by!

I've been quite busy at work this year and with additional projects outside of work. We have put our garden to bed for the year and are already starting to plan what to do with it next year. I recently got engaged, so wedding planning is also in the works. And of course, the holidays are going to be here very, very soon!

I was lucky to get to see my sister in October while she was visiting Minnesota for the National Sisterhood Board meeting and heard that the entire Board had a great time! She recently joined the Board as Interim Trustee and is already posting a lot of great content on the Sisterhood's social media pages and website! Make sure you take a look!

I'm looking forward to seeing many of you at the Convention next fall and to welcome you all to Minnesota. Fingers crossed we get some lovely fall weather.

I hope you're all doing well and having an easy time planning out your Danish dishes for the upcoming holiday season.

Until next time,

Lauren C. Nielsen, Editor editor@danishsisterhood.com

On the Cover

Title: Horne Labyrinth

Courtesy of: John Rudisill, Des Moines Lodge #102

Labyrinth on the grounds of Horne Kirke in Faaborg Denmark. This was a stop on the 2022 Sisterhood Denmark Tour.

Do you have a photo that you’d like to see on the cover of the Danish Sisterhood News? Send in your submissions and yours could be featured next!

Photographs must be high resolution and should be accompanied by a short description of the photo’s content. Photos from Danish events, Sisterhood meetings, travels around Denmark, Danish culture and more are all great topics. Send photos to: editor@danishsisterhood.com

Continued from page 2

to circumstances outside of our control. We are inquiring about this, but it is truly not up to the Board, so we all must wait.

Secretary - This year we had 2 lodges close (Lodge#84 Newark, NJ and Lodge#179 Vancouver, Canada). We are saddened to hear of both closures and want you to know that we are all here to support your lodge, so if you need help do reach out. The last two years have been tough on many lodges and returning to in-person meetings are very important for most lodges especially if you have not held meetings online or kept up with your lodge members, so pick up the phone, send an email or letter and invite your members to come back.

1st Trustee – Sales have been much better the last 6 months, fulfilling 22 orders. We would like additional requests from the membership regarding the type of merchandise they would like to see in the store. Please continue to send in your requests.

2nd Trustee - As Anna had just been assigned her duties no report was required to be submitted for the meeting. However, Anna worked with our website consultant and did get access and a lot of information about our website and email services. Facebook has been updated and she has volunteered to help with product ideas and visual displays for Butikken.

3rd Trustee – We had several inquiries for membership since March 2022 we now have 2 more

members from those inquiries. As people are starting to attend events, we are receiving inquiries about the banner and tablecloth. We are considering purchasing a vertical banner as the one we previously ordered looked great and was very visible. A membership drive was suggested which will conclude at the National Convention.

We then continued with the By-Laws review and Convention planning. I would suggest that Lodges and Districts continue the discussion about hosting the next National Convention in 2027 as this would be a tremendous help to the National Board.

Christina Sallee, National President

Assessment Notice

Members: Assessment #1406 for the month of January is due and payable to your local Treasurers before January 31, 2023.

Lodge Treasurers: Assessment #1406 for the month of January 2023, is due and payable to the Supreme Lodge of the Danish Sisterhood immediately following your January meeting. Assessments for the year 2023 will follow in order with December 2023 assessment # being #1417.

Updates from Thyra Lodge #19 Updates from Haabets Fremtid Lodge #78, Troy, NY

These four women came directly from Denmark and have been members of Thyra Lodge #19 for many years. They have contributed many interesting stories from the "Mother land" at our monthly meetings which are the first Wednesday of each month except July and August.

Having a delicious potluck lunch at the end of our meeting helps us enjoy each other's culinary skills. To add a Danish flair, the photographer usually makes homemade rye bread open face sandwiches. They are always a BIG hit! (He is our Mister Sister vice president.)

We do try to include a heritage corner as part of the meeting. Most recently we were asked to bring something from Denmark and tell the story behind the item. This type of thing brings us closer together as we learn more about each other.

Playing a Bingo game now and then, using the quarters we charge for the cards as a jackpot, doesn't make us rich, but we do have a good time! Our lodge is not very large, but the quality of our friendships we share makes up for it.

Submitted by Melanie Berg, President

Five Sisters of Lodge 78 of Troy, NY and 2 Sisters joined us from the Schenectady Lodge for a fall lunch. This was held at the home of Judy Jensen and it was a beautiful day for some fellowship. We all contributed something for the meal with Judy even making us a danish apple cake for dessert. We were not able to meet over the summer so we had lots of catching up to do. I, ( Marge) had a hip replacement the end of April and the healing process took most of the summer. Our President and her husband, Marilyn Dore, were able to enjoy the Sisterhood trip to Denmark and she shared a lot of memories with us while we were eating. We also welcomed Mark Dore as a member of our Lodge this summer.

The husband of one of our Sisters, Mildred Shea's passed away in August and also Earl Schell, husband of Connie, passed away in September. Earl was also a member of our Lodge.

During our meeting we approved the annual Treasurers report as presented and the appropriate paper work was completed to file our income tax report. We are hoping to meet in November at some point before winter comes to the northeast and plans were discussed for a December Christmas luncheon. We then elected our delegates for the EGC convention in April and also the National Convention next fall.

I was able to make a long awaited trip to Florida to see my 3 Jensen Sisters. Because of COVID I was not able to do this earlier. We had a great time with Betsy Hunter, Janet Proper, Doris Burk and myself calling it the Four Sisters reunion. My Florida sisters were all a part of Lodge 78 before they moved to Florida. Betsy resides in a nursing home so it was important to be able to visit together. Janet is still busy with EGC as well as her own lodge and Doris attends this Lodge when she is able. We hope everyone stays well and are able to enjoy the holiday season. We are praying for good health for all of us and hopefully finished with the virus and the flu.

Sincerely,

Marjorie Wheeler, Treasurer and Correspondent

News from Dagmar Lodge #4, Chicago, IL

Scandinavian Day, New Members and Denmark Presentations

We are now in the fall of 2022. Our Lodge participated in September in the yearly Scandinavian Day in South Elgin, Illinois.

We succeeded to make the opening ceremony before the big pour of rain….

Our Lodge served hundreds of æbleskiver with strawberry jam. There was also an opportunity to get rhubarb pudding with crème and coffee.

Even with our Danish Tent, we had some activity and were able to talk about Denmark and the Danish organizations.

However, everyone was in a good spirit and we succeeded to make it a memorable day.

In October we had our regular meeting where we initiated two of our three new Sisters Kimberly Hansen and Stacy Nelson to our Lodge. We are excited about this new addition of Sisters. The Sisters had so much to chat about that we did not get to our program. It is all about connecting and have a good time.

Also, our Sister Kirsten Pedersen is member of a Travel Class at Elgin History Museum, and she asked Bente Rasmussen to make a presentation Travel Through Denmark. It was an educational program with facts about Denmark and pictures from the four Sisterhood tours of Denmark. They were treated with Bente’s home baked kringle for the coffee.

At our November meeting we will have a bake sale and a presentation by Bente Rasmussen on the last Sisterhood Tour of the Danish Border Country.

Happy Holidays.

Med venlig hilsen,

Bente Rasmussen, Event Coordinator Dagmar Lodge

Chicago

#4 -

Busy Summer for Dronning Margrethe Lodge #15

Dronning Margrethe Lodge #15 in Milwaukee keep busy over the summer months of 2022.

They began with the June 15 meeting held via zoom. Several members have pieces of Danish silver, and we were all eager to learn more about it. Thanks to Annette Rahbek Floystrup from California we learned a lot about Danish silver including how to care for it and its identifying marks.

Annette is an expert in the field. She showed us several pieces and shared their stories. Members who brought their own pieces of Danish silver to show then shared the stories related to their pieces. After the meeting Annette sent members additional information which was much appreciated.

July Gathering

While we usually do not have a July meeting, reserving the month for a field trip, this year we put off the field trip to September and instead held a gathering at the Beer Garden in Whitnall Park. Attendees also brought a dish to share while enjoying one of the many kinds of beer available. It was a lovely day to spend in one of Milwaukees prettiest County Parks and being able to spend time together in person made it all the more special.

August Annual Picnic

The August meeting was our annual picnic. We were excited to be back at the home of Sandy Simon on Pretty Lake, meeting in person. Despite threats of rain, the showers poured down all around us but not on Pretty Lake. Members enjoyed pontoon boat rides around the lake offered by Sandy’s daughter Heather and her husband Tom. Traditional Danish hot dogs were provided by the lodge and attendees again

brought a dish to share. Winners of the annual picnic silent auction and raffle were announced, making the day even better for those lucky enough to be winners.

Music on the Porch on Labor Day

On Labor Day

members met at the home of Marcia Jante and Lou Nielsen for “LABOR DAY MUSIC ON THE PORCH.”

Lou is designated as our lodge musician and those who gathered on that beautiful day in the garden of their home were treated to an amazing performance. Lou has taught himself to play the auto harp. Many of us had heard him play at other events, but this time he also sang. And what a voice he has. In addition to playing some songs from well-known American song writers like John Prine and John Denver, he performed songs by people we had never heard of, some of whom he had found on the internet. There were a few Danish tunes and some sign-alongs. Between the songs Lou told stories of the music and song writers, places he had performed in the past and and other interesting events to go along with the songs. It was International Music Day.

Once again, attendees brought a dish to share and their own beverages and a lawn chair.

It was a perfect summer day made even better by the music and the comradeship. Isn’t it always fun being with Danes?

September Meeting - Danish Ceramics and Porcelain

Again thanks to zoom we were able to have a speaker from out of state. This time from Iowa.

Most of us were not able to travel to the Museum of Danish America in Iowa to see the fabulous Danish Ceramic Exhibit......so the exhibit came to us! At our September meeting we learned about Danish porcelain and ceramics from Curator of Danish-American Culture at the Museum, Diya Nagaraj. We were very fortunate to have Diya join us, as she is an expert in Danish porcelain and ceramics. Aside from sharing the exhibit she also updated us on the museum’s pending acquisition of a fabulous private porcelain collection.

Danish ceramics have a long and storied history that spans almost 250 years. While Royal Copenhagen and Bing & Grøndahl might be best known for their Christmas plates, their production has ranged from telegraph insulators to large sculptural pieces. This presentation explored that story, with particular focus on the Art Nouveau period (1885-1920), a time when Denmark stepped into the international spotlight for their ceramics work.

The grand finale—A trip to Waupaca

We finished up summer with three days

spent together in Waupaca Wisconsin. Twenty plus members and some spouses and friends met in Waupaca on Friday September 23rd at Clear Water Harbor for a cruise on the famous Chain ‘O Lakes. It was cloudy and a bit cool but

everyone enjoyed the patter of our guide and captain as we cruised around 8 of the 22 lakes. We saw many beautiful homes, learned a bit about the Jesuit retreat on one of the lakes, sailed past the Veteran’s Home in King founded originally for Civil War soldiers, and even checked out an island once owned by Esther Williams, the famous actress/swimmer of the 40’s.

That afternoon we again met up, this time at Danes Hall. Dedicated in 1894 this famous building, home to the Danes Home Society, was the largest meeting facility in Waupaca at the time and a welcoming place for Danish immigrants. In the years that followed it was sold

several times and in 1980 was placed on the register of Historic Places. It became an antique mall shortly after. In 2015 the mall closed and the hall sat vacant, falling into disrepair. In 2016 the Koehler family (Danes Hall L.L.C.) purchased the hall and restored it to its former grandeur. Michael Koehler has been able to fill the hall with incredible paintings from Denmark done during and around the time that Danes Hall was built. After enjoying some wonderful almond tarts decorated with the Danish Flag, we got a tour of the Hall from Mr. Koehler who shared his knowledge and love these wonderful paintings. The Koehlers gave each of us a pretty bag with information on Waupaca, some other items and a copy of the book The Artwork of Danes Hall, Capturing the People, the Land and the Seas of Denmark written by Michael Koehler with pictures of many of the works on display and in storage or out on loan.

That evening we gathered at Simpson’s restaurant in downtown Waupaca for a delicious meal together.

Saturday members could shop, enjoy a tour of the historic Hutchinson House Museum or rest up for the afternoon. We again gathered at Danes Hall for a luncheon of beautiful openfaced sandwiches and akvavit, finishing up with a Danish layer cake celebrating the 131 years our Lodge has been in existence. Dinner that night was on our own but several members joined up

for dinner together at some of the restaurants around the Waupaca area.

Sunday morning the son of one of our Waupaca members, Beverly Kirk, opened up the historic Waupaca Railroad Depot built in 1907 for us to gather for coffee and kringle. Mike Kirk told us the story of rescuing the building from destruction and the process of restoring what was almost lost. Restoration included digging by hand a basement under the building. That basement is in the process of being turned into a place to display model trains. One of the set-ups will be the city of Waupaca from years ago. We thanked Mary Ann Koehler, also a member of our Lodge, and Marcia Jante our program chairman for organizing this amazing weekend. A thank you also to Michael, Joe and Connie Koehler (another of our lodge members), to Mary Regula, who helped make those amazing sandwiches and helped to organize the events at Dane’s Hall and to her husband, Randy Regula, who made the almond tarts. And finally a thank you to Mike Kirk for all the knowledge about Waupaca he shared with us during our time there. All of them made the weekend perfect. After a summer filled with activities, we packed up from this last event and drove home with so many happy memories of educational and fascinating meetings, good times spent together with fellow Danes, great food, and interesting adventures. Now, on to fall.

Danish Sisterhood of America CONVENTION VENDOR FORM

On October 6-8, 2023, the Danish Sisterhood of America will hold its 28 th National Convention in Bloomington, Minnesota. Radisson Blu MOA

We are happy to offer you space in our Merchant Mall at $125.00 for three days. There will be a 6’2” table w/cloth available to you along with two chairs. Tablecloth plus skirting $10.00 per day. Electric $80.00 per day. Due to the size of the room, we are limited to 10 tables on a first-come basis. Deadline for return of Convention Vendor Form is October 31, 2022

December 31, 2022.

Vendor Name/Lodge ___________________________________________________________________

Contact Name __________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address ___________________________________________________________________

Email _______________________________________ Phone ______________

The set-up time will be available Thursday October 5 th 8:00 am to 11:00 am. Please mail your check payable to Danish Sisterhood of America

Table $125.00__

Tablecloth Electrical Total

Karen Vig -Keathley

109 South First Street

Itasca, IL 60143 -2114

If you have any questions, please contact Karen Vig -Keathley at trustee3@danishsisterhood.com Or 708 -715-0071. Tak

Thank you in advance for your interest and continued support and association with the Danish Sisterhood of America.

Timeline of Danish Sisterhood Editors Over 75 Years

by Donna Christensen Thomas, National DSS Historian

As the Danish Sisterhood Newsletter (DSN) celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2022, let's remember those who have have given their time, effort, and expertise to this endeavor.

Since February 1947 a good number of people served as editors over the years. I searched the volumes now archived at the Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn, Iowa. I hope that I located the names of all of the editors throughout the years. I did not find issues from July 2008 to Nov 2013 at the time.

The first to serve in this capacity was Jennie Miller, from Chicago. She held the position until September 1958. Svend Petersen of Askov, MIN served as managing editor.

Thora Collins, of Rock Island, Illinois took over and served until 1966.

Next was Virginia Christensen from Chicago, took the reins 1967 through 1971. Ellen Madsen from Moline, Illinois, served 1972-1974, Then John, Virginia's husband, held the position for the next year.

Hazel G Smith from Racine, wrote from 1975 through 1983. Virginia and John's daughter Caroline, from Chicago, served from 1984 through 1991. Next Else Lassiter, Santa Ynez, CA took over though 2003. She has served in a wide variety of offices throughout the years.

Terry Easterby, from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada held the position in 2004 after which Richard Burtis served one year until December 2006. I didn't have July 2008 through 2013 to peruse so that is unknown to me. Gala Van Easton of Norman, Oklahoma served in 2015 until our present editor Lauren Nielsen took the helm and to produce the publication that we enjoy every month. We all draw knowledge, comradery, inspiration and entertainment from our Danish Sisterhood Newsletter.

As a reminder, your submission of articles and photos makes a big difference to each issue's success. Let us hear from you as to what your lodge is doing.

Curry Herring (Karrysild)

4 marinated whole herring

2 hard-cooked eggs

1 onion, chopped

1 c. mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. cream

2 tsp. curry powder

Lemon juice

Salt & Pepper

Hard-cooked eggs and parsley for garnish

Cut along the border for your very own recipe card! Recipe continues on back of page.

From Danish Sisterhood Treasures Cookbook. Recipe from Marianne Larsen, Lodge 177, Solvang, CA.

Curry Herring (cont.)

Cut herring in small pieces. Slice eggs. Layer herring and eggs in bowl. Put in onion on top. Mix mayonnaise with cream and curry powder. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Pour dressing over herring and decorate with sliced hardcooked eggs and chopped parsley. This can be arranged in a clear glass bowl to show the layers.

Cut along the border for your very own recipe card!

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DSS Angel Member Status

The Danish Sisterhood has a new and very special member status, the DSS Angels. This status belongs to those members that wish to gift their funeral benefit back to the Sisterhood. We have had some members in the past make the Sisterhood their beneficiary. We believe this is a generous and significant gift, and wish to honor them while we can, keeping a list of our current “Angels” posted. A couple of options are available:

• A change of beneficiary to: Danish Sisterhood of America or,

• A change of beneficiary to one of the national scholarship funds. Be specific, ie: Betty Hansen Scholarship, Past National Officers, Camp Grant, etc.

If you wish to change your status, please contact your lodge or the National Secretary for a Beneficiary Change Form. Your benefit does not need to be fully paid yet, and you'd be expected to maintain your payments, as the Sisterhood will not receive the benefit until your passing. Those that do not have a funeral benefit as part of your membership category can participate by donating $1,000 to the Danish Sisterhood of America. On behalf of our entire membership, we wish to thank and honor as our first Angels:

Address Changes

If you have moved please use this form to notify the Danish Sisterhood of America.

Clip and mail to:

Danish Sisterhood News

National Secretary: Glenda Madrid

1557 Oak St. Solvang, CA 93463

I belong to Lodge #: Name: New Address: City: State: Zip Code:

Submissions Guidelines

Submissions should be received by the Editor by the 1st of the month previous to the month published. Please submit captions for pictures, including names of people in the picture. Text for submissions should be less than 600 words (one typed page).

Kristine

Seena

Verina Farrell

Lorraine Buchanan

Janice L. Schneider

Debra

Vicki Bousquet

Marianne Larsen

Bente Bob

Mail or electronic submissions are welcomed Please proofread for clarity, spelling and grammar before sending in your submissions.