| Välkommen SVEA LODGE #296 VASA ORDER OF AMERICA A Swedish-American Fraternal Organization Instituted May 20, 1914 Erie, Pennsylvania Photo: Midsommar PBellingham | Log in to your Member account: |
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Lucia Festival Postponed
Due to the large amount of snow received in the Erie area, we are postponing the St Lucia Festival until Sunday, December 15th starting at 3:00pm. Hopefully, that will give the city enough time to dig out from all this and allow safe travel to come out and enjoy the program, Nordic Nook shopping and bake sale, and Smorgasbord. We will see you all then!
FROM THE CHAIR
Hälsningar!
Svea Lodge #296 WELCOMES YOU to our website.
LUCIA Festival of Light will be here soon - December 15th as a matter of fact! Lena Donnelly will be organizing the pageant along with help from Emma Chaffee. Lena has been part of Lucia for many years participating, as well as, assisting her mother, Lynnette Gustafson. New this year will be an extra practice so that children will be well prepared, Svea members will serve a light lunch to the children participating on practice days, and the pageant will be changed to 3PM instead of 4PM.
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.
Our TShirts are here! If you didn't order one ahead of time - we've got you covered, there are extra that will be available at the Nordic Nook at Lucia.
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! Please notice that the dues for membership have gone up to $45/year/person and are due during December and January.
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 was held September 27-29, 2024
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Left photo is the newly elected District Officers for 2024-2026. Five of those officers are from Svea - Pat Bellingham, Vice District Master, Kathy Williams, Auditor, Brian Davis, Assistant Master of Ceremonies, Lorraine Johnson, Chaplain, and Lisa Davis, Trustee. Of note: the District Secretary position is still vacant.
On the right are the new delegates getting installed with the District Degree. Our delegates were: Kirk Johnson, Brian and Lisa Davis.
Some highlights of the Convention:
- Svea was once again awarded the Candelabra for having the most growth in membership! We increased our numbers by 4%
- The budget was passed with an increase of District dues of $10. Presently, the District gets $5 per person from the $35 dues we pay each year. They will now get $15/person. As a result, local lodge dues will increase by $10, making them $45. The District will partially fund the Lodge websites but only at $500. We will need to make up the rest, approximately $700.
- A presentation on the ReEnergize and ReBuild initiative was given by Arne Dunhem. Participants were encouraged to share suggestions on activities for Lodges, Families and the District to help attract and keep members.
- Presentations were given by Rolf Bergman and Karin Weeden, recipients of the Adult Scholarships. Because of the increased costs for the Youth Scholarship program, that may need to be revisited. Presently, the youth scholarship is given every year. It may need to be reduced to every other year, as is the adult scholarship.
- Updated By Laws were presented and passed.
- On Sunday, Lorraine Johnson and Twyla Sales organized a beautiful Memorial Service, honoring the 17 members from Nobel-Monitor, Drott, and Svea who passed away since our last convention. The three Svea members were Sandy Miller, Lucia Doyle, and Dorothy Overberg.
Thinking ahead - the 2026 District Convention will be held in Erie. We're starting to think about venues and activities to showcase our Lodge and Erie, PA. If you'd like to be on the Convention Committee, let the officers know. It's not too early.
Vasa BreakfastJanuary 6, 2025 9:30 AM at Butch's Restaurant 3330 West 26th St Erie, PA
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| 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!
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OTHER INTERESTING EVENTS TO DO WITH SVEA FRIENDS IN NWPA OHIO & NY
Scandinavian Culture Days in Jamestown will resume the first Saturday of the month beginning in October and lasting through May 2025. The classes and programs meet at Jamestown Community College.
Phrase of the Month:
Hur mår du? How are you?
- · Mycket bra – very well
- · Bra tack – well thanks
- · Jätte (yeta) bra – giant good
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Swedish Baking Day!
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