By Eileen Buckley
Jamestown, NY – Jamestown is set to host the Scandinavian Folk Festival. It kicks off Friday and will run through Sunday.
At one time, Scandinavian immigrants flocked to Jamestown. The Southern Tier town once held the title of having the highest percentage of Swedish-Americans. So it made sense for Jamestown to become host of the annual Scandinavian Folk Festival.
Julie Erickson is the event coordinator. She says many of those immigrants arrived in Jamestown in the late 1800s. Her granddad came to Jamestown in the 1920s. Erickson says it was a place they felt was like home.
"The woods, water and even the weather reminded them of home," Erickson said. "There was also a lot of industries here. Many of the immigrants were craftsmen and worked in the woods. And then Jamestown became a huge furniture making industry because of the craftsmen."
Music will be one of the big attractions including a band from Norway. Plus, the event will feature lectures of Swedish heritage, stories from Norway and plenty of food, including something called Korv.
"It is a blend of a couple of different meats that includes veal," Erickson explained. "It often looks like a sausage, but it can be made into patties. It was very popular with Swedish people."
Friday night, a Swedish meat ball dinner will be served. The event will also feature demonstrations and displays from the Scandinavian culture.
Erickson says they are expecting up to 3,000 people to attend.