The annual Swede Day celebration is set for June 18 with former Rochester School District Superintendent Kim Fry serving as grand marshal.
The event, which began in 1979, is named for Rochester’s Swede Hall and celebrates the many Scandinavian families settled in the Rochester area and throughout the Independence Valley.
As part of the celebration, between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, flags from several countries, including Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, are flown along U.S. Highway 12.
On Swede Day, there will be activities at Swede Hall for families as well as a parade. The activities at Swede Hall include a quilt raffle, during which three quilts will be given away as part of a fundraiser for the Rochester Citizens Group. Drawings for the quilts will be at 2 p.m., but participants do not need to be present to win.
There will also be musical performances. The first will consist of Jane and Jeff Erikson, mainstays of Swede Day known for dressing in Scandinavian costumes, and the second will have Chris Johnson, a hip-hop performer who is new to the event.
Swede Day attendees will be able to enjoy activities at the renovated Swede Hall. Over the last couple of years, Swede Hall has seen improvements due to the hard work of its caretakers in the Rochester Citizens Group. Improvements include a new foundation, a repainted exterior, a new septic system, sidewalks, a handicap ramp, signs, new windows, a new propane tank and a refinished dance floor, among many other improvements.
“To us, (Swede Hall) is the lifeblood of what the community stands for — as in the old days, we believe a common meeting place for our community is vital,” a member of the Rochester Citizens Group told The Chronicle.
Tickets for the quilt raffle can be purchased at Richie’s Diner, The Honey Store and the Highway 12 Espresso in Rochester or by reaching out to Swede Hall via the group’s Facebook page.
Lunch will be served from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Swede Hall. Lunch options will include a hamburger, hot dog or brat with chips and a drink for $5; a meatball dinner, including potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, bread, strawberry dessert and a drink, for $8 (five meatballs); or $5 (three meatballs) and a strawberry dessert for $2.
The parade starts at 11 a.m. The parade route will be closed to traffic at 10:30 a.m. There will be a shuttle going back and forth between the start of the parade route on U.S. Highway 12 near Northwest Pediatrics and Swede Hall beginning at 10:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. and will make stops where it’s safe to do so as needed. The shuttle can be flagged down on its route. The shuttle will take about 10 to 15 minutes from one end of the route to the other depending on traffic.
Vendors will be present in the Swede Hall parking lot from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Vendors will be providing a wide variety of materials, including resin art, metal art, fabric kitchen items, iron garden art, handmade memory albums, sports knives, crocheted throw rugs, wood art and soft pottery bowls. There will also be free games for kids and free eye testing.
Swede Day organizers are currently seeking additional parade entries. The entry form to walk in the parade can be found on the Rochester Citizens Group website. The deadline to sign up as a parade participant is June 10. For information regarding the parade, contact Tasha at Umpqua Bank by calling 360-273-5509 or by emailing tgriffis@umpquabank.com.
The Rochester Citizens Group website is https://www.rochestercitizensgroupswedehall.net/.
Swede Hall is located at 18543 Albany St. in Rochester.
