Norwegians came to Wisconsin in droves and settled throughout the state. Their influence can be seen on state culture in Door County, the Driftless area and many other parts of the state.
If you are of Norwegian descent, or just want to have fun saying Uff Da for a weekend, the Syttende Mai festivals May 16-18 offer a great opportunity. You can find great ones in Stoughton, areas of Door County and elsewhere.
My personal favorite is in Westby, Wisconsin, about 3 hours from Milwaukee in Vernon County. You can get there by taking Hwy. 14 from Madison. Your trip will be through some of the most scenic beauty Wisconsin has to offer.
Westby was founded by Norwegians and is inhabited by many of their descendants. They are indeed proud of their heritage and show it off during Syttende Mai, which celebrates the Norwegian Constitution.
The 3-day festival includes music, arts and crafts, some delicious food and a 5K Walk and Run.
One of the focal points of this year's celebration will be the Westby Creamery, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The creamery also produces the official cheese of the Green Bay Packers. Because of that fact, Packers' lineman Mark Tauscher will appear at the festival from noon until 3 p.m. on Sat., May 17.
Orion Samuelson, veteran agriculture reporter and commentator for WGN Radio in Chicago, also will be at the festival Saturday.
While in town, make sure you visit the Uff Da Mart, which has all kinds of collectibles and other interesting things, have a meal at Borgen's Café, perhaps save desert for an ice cream sundae at the Westby Pharmacy, which has an old-fashioned soda fountain, and buy a souvenir at Dregne's Gifts. All four of these places are within one block of each other.
The Westby House also has excellent food in the evening and is a pleasant B&B. The entire town is charming, so charming that my wife and I bought a home there and plan on spending semi-retirement among our Norwegian neighbors.
Explore the area around Westby, too. Norskedalen outside nearby Coon Valley features more Norwegian culture and wonderful hiking trails.
The Driftless area was formed when the glacier diverted around it, rather than run over it and gouge out kettles and other landforms. Instead, the closest things to mountains you can find in Wisconsin form the landscape in the area.
You can find some of the best trout fishing in the Midwest at the West Fork of the Kickapoo River and Timber Coulee. Canoeing the Kickapoo River is another favorite pastime. The Kickapoo Reserve offers outdoor activities in near pristine surroundings. In the winter, a world class ski jump competition is held at the Snowflake Ski Jump, just outside Westby.
Amish crafts are for sale at small farms around the area, often at a fraction of the price you will pay for them in shops. Just look for the small signs along side roads. And, don't bother them on Sundays.
If you don't want to travel as far as Westby, but still want to play Norwegian for the weekend, you can travel to Heg Park in the Town of Norway in nearby Racine County. Just take Highway 36 southwest of Milwaukee.
{INSERT_RELATED}The park is named after Col. Hans Christian Heg (pictured above), who was killed in 1863 in the Civil War battle of Chickamauga in Georgia. Heg commanded the 15th Wisconsin in several battles. He also became the first Norwegian ever appointed to a statewide office when he was made state prison commissioner before his death.
A statue of Heg can be found in the park. Similar statues also stand on the square at the State Capitol in Madison and in Norway.
Heg's grave can be found in the cemetery of Norway Lutheran Church, where one of the oldest Lutheran churches in America sits. The church and cemetery sit on the highest point in Racine County. From them, you get a great vista of the surrounding area.
The church and other organizations in the park area regularly hold celebrations of the Norwegian heritage and Civil War re-enactments.
Once again, this writer knows first hand what he is writing about in this case. My wife and I lived the first 10 years of our marriage in a wonderful "tree house" apartment next to the Norway Lutheran Church cemetery, where my mother and father are buried.
So, it's plain to see why Westby and Heg Park are my favorite places to play Norwegian.
But, they are just two of many great places with Norwegian heritage and flavor that can be found Beyond Milwaukee.
Gregg Hoffmann will write Beyond Milwaukee monthly, about historic places, out-of-the-way destinations and interesting characters in "out-state" Wisconsin and the Midwest.
