The final Fika meeting of the year is scheduled October 17, 2026 at 1:30 PM at Martin Luther Lutheran Church 9235 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee located just east of the Milwaukee Zoo. First the annual Business meeting will be conducted including election of board members and presentation of Annual reports by officers and committee leaders. Immediately following the Annual Meeting member Birgit Moxon will present the Program: “A tale of two Islands“
After the presentation enjoy traditional Fika the Swedish way. If you can, bring a dish to share. Do you have a favorite Swedish recipe you want to share? If so, bring it and we can add it to the website Swedish Food Heritage page.
Update on Volunteering
SAHSWI is a non-profit all volunteer organization dependent on member volunteering to lead and participate in programs and events. There are two open positions in continued operations of the organization: Hospitality Committee Leader and Membership Committee member.
Hospitality Committee Leader for 2027
Fika is a traditional Swedish activity, taking a break mid-morning and mid-afternoon with family and/or friends, sit down to enjoy a cup of coffee and some sweets. This tradition is a key element in our Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin in all our Fika meetings and most celebrations and events. For this to work, we need a volunteer to coordinate and lead this important part of our activities. So, for 2027 we are looking for the Hospitality Committee leader. This position has been held by Janet Taylor for several years, and she has been doing a terrific job, but now she deserves a break. This will involve 4 fika meetings, in January, March, May, and October for Fika meetings held at Martin Luther Lutheran Church, 9235 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee located just east of Milwaukee Zoo. At the meetings there are usually several people that will help and members and guests at the meetings will bring pastry and other food. As the Committee leader you can organize it based on your own ideas.
If you have any questions, please contact Janet (e-mail: jbtaylor765@gmail.com) in. The Schedule for 2027 will be released by mid October 2026.
Membership Committee member
The Membership Committee objective is to maintain and grow membership. This includes tasks such as contacting potential new members, welcoming new members, and several administrative tasks managing membership including updating membership application forms, managing membership renewal process, maintaining organization brochures, etc.
For more Membership Committee information please contact Bev Wenzel (e-mail: wenz113@outlook.com)
There are two major events left this year which still have volunteer opportunities: Holiday Folk Fair International and St Lucia Celebration.
2026 Holiday Folk Fair International Cultural Booth Attendant
SAHSWI is participating, together with Vasa Order Linde Lodge no 492, representing Sweden in the 2026 Holiday Folk Fair International. The fair is held Nov 20 through 22 at the State Fair park. We are participating in the Nordic Council Cultural Exhibit booth. The Nordic Council is coordinating the event for the Nordic Countries Denmark, Norway Finland and Sweden. The theme this year is “Celebrate the Culture of Traditional Dance”.
Travel Around the World at Holiday Folk Fair International
To best represent Sweden in this multi-cultural event we need help from our members. We will have a booth set up with exhibit items, this year focusing on Traditional Dance, however the display can include other typical Swedish items as well. Please find below a picture of the Swedish display from previous year.
The booth should be attended by a minimum of 2 people for 3 to 4 hours for each shift. There are a total of 8 shifts over 3 days, so we need a minimum of 16 volunteers. By volunteering at one of the shifts, you represent Sweden. There are chairs at each table so you can sit or stand as you wish. We will have information available about Sweden and about the theme Traditional Dance. People will come over to the booth sometimes asking questions, which normally are very basic, or you can start a conversation when you see them looking at the display. If this is your first time volunteering at the Folk Fair we can assure you it is quite interesting and fun. One activity, especially for children, is stamping passports, they can see which and how many countries they have stamps for in their passports. The volunteer ticket may be used for Folk Fair entry all three days and parking costs will be reimbursed by SAHSWI.
If you are interested in volunteering attending one of the shifts please contact by e-mail Jan Ehrengren jehrengren@outlook.com.
| Volunteers needed Volunteer signup status | |
| Friday November 20 | |
| 9 am to 1 pm | Liza Ekstrand, John Engel, Jan Ehrengren |
| 1 pm to 5pm | |
| 5 pm to 9 pm | |
| Saturday November 21 | |
| 10 am to 1 pm | |
| 1 pm to 4 pm | |
| 4 pm to 9 pm | |
| Sunday November 22 | |
| 10 am to 2 pm | |
| 2 pm to 6 pm | Lisa Ekstrand, John Engel, Jan Ehrengren |
2026 Lucia Celebration Program participants
St. Lucia is celebrated in Sweden on Dec 13 every year. Early on the morning of December 13, a young woman appears, dressed in white and wearing a crown of blazing candles. She is attended by a group of young boys and girls, and brings light into the dark winter at homes, hospitals, schools, and offices, serving steaming coffee with ginger biscuits and saffron bread. The young woman is portraying St. Lucia and this is Luciadagen, Santa Lucia Day, a particularly Swedish festival that has spread throughout Scandinavia.
2026 Lucia celebration will be at Fox Point Lutheran Church, 7510 N Santa Monica Blvd, Fox Point, WI on December 13, 2026, at 2-4 PM. The celebration will be similar to 2025 Lucia which is described in the link below.
2025 Lucia Celebration 2025 Lucia challenge | Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin
If you know of anyone, child or young adult, that want to participate in the Lucia program, please contact Program Director Stina Lemery, dannbergs@gmail.com. Please find below a message from Stina.
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