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SVEA LODGE #296

VASA ORDER OF AMERICA

A Swedish-American Fraternal Organization

Instituted May 20, 1914

Erie, Pennsylvania

Photo: Midsommar   PBellingham


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FROM THE CHAIR

Hälsningar!  

Svea Lodge #296 WELCOMES YOU to our website.  It is a work in progress.  There is so much information shared on our website, we know you'll need to visit it several times.   

One work in progress is the Cultural Resources menu under the Members tab.  We have begun a repository of recipes, media/videos, Scandinavian crafts, a listing of books by Scandinavian authors that have been read by members of the two book clubs.  We hope it is a useful way of sharing our traditions and heritage.  It is for Members Only and you must have a user name and password to log in.  If you need help getting that done, let our Membership Committee know - Pat Bellingham, Lisa Davis, or Kathy Williams.  

The second feature can be found on the Svea Store.  Sport your Svea swag with a new T-Shirt - short or long sleeved.  Presently, we are offering the Washed Denim Blue.  You may pay ahead of time on line or receive an invoice and pay when we have enough shirts ordered (we need 36 to have the work done) and delivered.  Thank you to Martha Stickner for coming up with the designs that we were able to choose from and then working with a local company, Leadhead Screenprinting.  

AS PROMISED, our website now has the capability to accept on-line payments for dues, events, and donations!  If you are interested in joining Svea, go to the Membership Tab, click on the dropdown menu Membership Application for instructions on getting the application and the link to use the Affinipay payment feature.  If you are Renewing, go to the Membership Tab and click on the dropdown menu Renew.   You'll be directed to the payment feature information connected to current members.  If you prefer to use cash or checks, we continue to honor that as well!

If there is something that you would like featured in our News or a program you would like to see, please let us know through Contact Us or better yet - join in at an event!   We would love to see you. 

Sköt om dig!   

Pat

Chair, Svea Lodge #296

Erie, PA





Our 60th Biannual Convention for Pennsylvania District #9 will be held September 27-29, 2024




at the beautiful Geneva-on-the-Lake Convention Center, Geneva, Ohio! 

In addition to the Business portion of our Convention, delegates, officers, friends and family will be able to enjoy activities like zip lining, yoga, swan paddle boats on the grounds of the Convention Center.   But, also available in downtown Geneva on the Lake will be their annual Grape Festival, exploring all things Grape!  Come and be part of this epic event - expanding our Scandinavian heritage through Local Lodge support and enjoying the camaraderie of our Lodge Members!

Registration information is available now on the Local Lodge Websites, through your Local and District Officers as well as the District Site.    To download a copy of the Convention Registration Packet, click:

60th Biennial Convention Registration final 7-6-24.pdf

or scan this QR Code:


Everything you need to know about registering, payments, activities, and the banquet is in the packet.  There are 3 ways to register; QR code, registration link, or paper.  And 3 ways to pay; Check, Affinipay, or Zelle.   If you have any questions, contact Pat Bellingham.





Vasa Breakfast





Breakfast will resume

Thursday

September 12, 2024

9:30 AM

at Butch's Restaurant

3330 West 26th St

Erie, PA







 



Upcoming events

For a full description - click Events tab or the headers below



Join us now to become a member.  Members must be 14 years of age but younger children are always welcome to participate!  

You can attend all of our activities.   You will receive our Newsletter so you can stay informed about what is happening within the Svea Lodge.  Check out Our Story - Member Benefits to see what's in it for you!

Join us now!

OTHER INTERESTING EVENTS TO DO WITH SVEA FRIENDS IN NWPA OHIO & NY


July 20-21 - Jamestown Scandinavian Festival celebrating 50 years of ABBA!  Northwest Arena, Jamestown, NY


Phrase of the Month:  

A Swede doesn’t say everything is fine, they tell you there is “no danger on the roof”: Ingen fara på taket.

(Not unlike a previous phrase - there's no cow on the ice:  Ingen ko på isen.)

Courtesy: Matador Network




Summer in Scandinavia

Photos courtesy:

E & A Dunhem

P Bellingham


WELCOME TO THE  SVEA LODGE WEBSITE!

Svea Lodge is dramatically  improving its public face with our  Wild Apricot website.  We are so happy to have you here.

We are very excited about this development. Our website describes who the Svea Lodge is, our history, and our ongoing activities. You can also find a description of Vasa Order Of America of which we are the local lodge in Erie, PA.

Keep checking this website for frequent updates and news about the Svea Lodge and our activities.


Sign-Up Today!


A Trip of a Lifetime!

From Svea Member, Tom Hetrick:

My week in Sweden was really fantastic. I’m so thankful to Lars (Svea's Swedish connection) and all the people I met through him. He drove us to one of the villages where my ancestors lived and with some help of new friends, we even found their old houses!

Pictures top-bottom, left-right:

A visit to the Göteborg archipelago with Bøsse and Eva. Bøsse has done a lot of ancestry research and in particular, he pieced together the life story of my last ancestor to stay in Sweden. Over several days we followed his life path from a farm south of Göteborg, to the nearby town, to his factory work in the city, and eventually to another village where he married, had children, watched them leave for America, and lived well into his 90s (in the red house below). 

The church where my grandmother’s grandparents were married, just before they came to Pennsylvania.

Fika with the group who helped me find my ancestor’s homes. (Funny story for later, had it not been for the dog, we would have never met these folks!)

The house where my ancestors lived (moved from its original location down the road)

The trip to Sweden was truly the opportunity of a lifetime and I’m so thankful to you, the Lodge and Lars for helping to make it all happen!




Skulestad, Norway

Photos courtesy of P Bellingham

Join Us For Fun-filled Events Together With Our Sister Lodges In Our Vasa District, PA #9

Why not visit our two sister Lodges within Pennsylvania District #9? The two other lodges are Nobel-Monitor #130 in Cleveland, OH and Drott-Lodge #168 in Washington, D.C. Check out their websites to find out what they are doing.

We plan to have some joint activities together with members of the other two lodges to include some fun events in their areas and we will travel there to spend a day or weekend with them.  We can, to the extent possible, arrange car pooling.

Here are the websites for our two sister Local Lodges and our District Lodge PA #9:

Nobel-Monitor:     www.nobelmonitorlodge.wildapricot.org

Drott Lodge:  www.drott-lodge.org  

District Lodge PA #9: www.vasa-districtno9.org


Not a member yet?

Active communication is very important to grow our Svea Lodge and make a difference. If you have not signed-up yet, here is your chance to become a member in Svea Lodge. Click and Sign-up below

                                             Click to sign-up and become a member in Svea Lodge


You can search our website here below:

Contact:

Pat Bellingham, Chair

C/O Luther Memorial Church Office: 814.454.0106



Address:

225 West 10th Street

Erie, PA 16501





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