Don’t forget the 2025 first SAHSWI Fika meeting on Saturday January 25, starting at 1:30 PM at Martin Luther Lutheran Church, 9235 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee featuring Cookie Anderson presentation about Swedish Authors. January 25 Fika meeting.
Updates from the end of 2024
The end of the year is always a hectic time, we all celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. In addition, we have all important SAHSWI meetings and celebrations, our annual meeting in October, our participation in the Holiday Folk Fair International for 3 days in November, and our beautiful Lucia celebration in December. And, this year we were invited to celebrate the Swedish New Year at Lakefront Brewery. Here are some updates from these events.
- Annual Meeting
2024 SAHSWI Annual General meeting was held on October 19, 2024, at Martin Luther Lutheran Church, Milwaukee. Congratulations to Janet Taylor, Irene Roberts, and Meg Haag who were elected to each serve a 3-year term on the Board of Directors. Already Board Directors Janet and Irene were re-elected to serve an additional 3-year term. We are very pleased to welcome Meg Haag as a newcomer on the Board. Meg is a member of St. Anskar’s Episcopal Church in Hartland and was together Sarah Hintz project team members on the State Historical Marker project, recognizing Gustaf Unonius, New Upsala, and The Scandinavian Parish. For the last three years Meg and Sarah hosted meetings at the church. Meg provided information and coordination with local area churches and Nashotah House Seminary and arranged the Heritage Tour in 2023 visiting Nashotah House, the Holy Innocents Cemetery, Chenequa Village Hall (the site of New Upsala) and St. Anskar’s Church.
Following the election, Officers and Committee leaders’ annual reports were presented. These reports are available on the SAHSWI website.
A tribute to Harry H Anderson
The program at the Annual General Meeting was dedicated to Harry H Anderson who sadly passed away in May 2024. For a report on the program please go to
Link “A tribute to Harry H Anderson”
- 2024 Holiday Folk Fair International
Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin together with Vasa Order of America, Linde Lodge represented Sweden in the Nordic Council of Wisconsin cultural booth at the Folk Fair at Milwaukee State Fair Park held from Friday November 22 to Sunday November 24. The theme for the Folk Fair was “Celebrate the Culture of Traditional Art”. Traditional Art embodies painting, pottery, sculpture, textiles, metalwork, and many others.
Items displayed included Table Runners, Pottery, Crystal, Wood Carvings, Gotland Sheep Skin, Children’s Clothing, and Straw Ornaments. Each reviewed in the attached short document.
18 volunteers from Linde Lodge and SAHSWI represented Sweden during the three days, each working a 4-hrs shift. In the list below L=Member of Linde Lodge, S=Member of SAHSWI. Thank you very much to all volunteers.
In a separate area a display was set up where a traditional dessert dish from each country was presented.
- Lucia celebration 2024
The Lucia celebration has previously been reported. See 2024 Lucia celebration.
- Swedish New Year celebration.
Several SAHSWI members participated in a Swedish New Year celebration at Lakefront Brewery. We appreciate this initiative by Lakefront Brewery. It was a sold-out event, and very well received by all who attended. What a great idea to celebrate the New Year at local 5 PM, midnight in Sweden.
Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin 
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