| Välkommen SVEA LODGE #296 VASA ORDER OF AMERICA A Swedish-American Fraternal Organization Instituted May 20, 1914 Erie, Pennsylvania Photo: | Log in to your Member account: |
From the chair - pat bellingham
Svea Lodge has a calendar filled with wonderful activities, dedicated members, new members, and a renewed sense of our purpose; bringing the Scandinavian culture to our community. There is a lot happening so you'll need to visit our website often to keep up!
IMPORTANT - THE OPPORTUNITY TO PAY FOR MEMBERSHIP OR EVENTS HAS TEMPORARILY BEEN DISABLED THROUGH AFFINIPAY. The dark web has stuck it's ugly head up and compromised the Affinipay account with a 'testing scam'. This happens when bad actors cruise the dark web looking for unsecured credit cards throughout the US. They then try to see which of the unsecured credit cards are usable by trying to make purchases with sites like Amazon, Ebay, Affinipay, any entity that makes financial transactions. Thankfully, Affinipay has thwarted these attempts. NO CREDIT CARDS FROM OUR MEMBERSHIP HAVE BEEN IMPACTED AND THERE IS NO IMPACT ON SVEA'S FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS - just the cards that the bad actors have scammed from the web. We will continue to monitor the situation and make some to changes to our procedures to be ultra safe.
June 13th was Midsommar at Presque Isle State Park, Runner's Pavillion. Festivities started at 11AM. We had guests, young and old, a lot of great food, 2 anniversary celebrations, music, and best of all, a most beautiful maypole, filled with fresh flower bundles and greenery. With the help of Lynnette and Amy, there was a bit of dancing around the Maypole but definitely no hopping to 'Små grodorna'. Maybe someday!
OHIOPYLE STATE PARK - A District wide camping weekend is planned for July 17-19. Our three lodges - Svea, Drott, and Nobel Monitor will be gathering up our s'mores, hot dog skewers, and firewood at the beautiful Ohiopyle State Park. Some of us are tenting, glamping, or maybe staying at one of the local hotels for a few days of outdoor fun. Although this will be a casual, relaxing weekend, we may be planning a few group activities - picnic together Saturday dinner, short hikes around the State Park, perhaps a tour of Fallingwater. Emma Hedman, Drott Lodge, is coordinating the weekend. Make sure you contact her at elouise.bmc@gmail.com so she can include you in the plans. Each family is responsible for making their own site reservations. Craig and I have site #37 (we are glampers). Join us for a great weekend.
July 18-19 is a busy weekend! Jamestown Scandinavian Festival is also happening close to home. We are looking for several people to share the duties of manning a Membership table for that event. You can spend all day or just a few hours helping folks learn about Svea Lodge #296! The Festival is always well attended by Scandinavians wanting to know more about our heritage. Let Pat know if you have a few hours to spend.
September seems like a long way away! Yikes, we haven't even had summer yet. However, September 25-27 is the 61st District convention and it will be held in Erie at the Ambassador. Plans are in the making and we need you! One of the things that will be important is for us to have delegate representation for Svea. We are eligible to have 4 delegates based on our membership numbers. If you would be interested in representing our Lodge in the business of the District, please let me know. You're going to be hearing more about this throughout the summer but please consider taking an active part in the Convention.
Be kind to your neighbors, you never know who may need a kind word.
Pat
 | Odin's Ravens sharing our Viking history! |
Valkyries (Old Norse: alkyrja) are a host of fierce, supernatural female figures in Norse mythology who act as the personal servants and chooserrs of the slain for the god Odin. Their primary duty was to decide the outcome of battles and escort the bravest fallen warriors to the afterlife. The name valkyrie literally translates to "choosers of the slain"
They were not a single goddess, but rather a group of divine warrior-women. While popular modern culture often depicts them as gentle, winged maidens, Norse sagas and historical Viking texts describe them as formidable, and sometimes bloodthirsty, demons of death who reveled in the gore of the battlefield.
While there are dozens of Valkyries named throughout Old Norse literature (such as Sigrún, Hildr, and Geiravör), a few stand out as prominent figures:
Freyja: The major Vanir goddess of love and beauty, who is sometimes considered the original Valkyrie. As noted in mythology, she had the privilege of choosing her favorite half of the dead first.
Brynhild (Brunhild): One of the most famous Valkyries, she appears in the Völsunga saga and the Nibelungenlied. She was stripped of her immortal status by Odin for disobeying his will in battle and is famously awakened from a magical sleep by the hero Sigurd.
Sigrdrífa: Often conflated with Brynhild, she is a rebellious Valkyrie who defied Odin by giving victory to the wrong king, leading to her punishment of eternal sleep.
contributed by Kevin Soles
The Fourth in the Series: Wednesday Night Get Togethers September 9, 7:PM This will be a program with Past District Master Bo Carlsson Bo will tell us about the Swedish history in Cleveland and the area known as Swedetown. The Zoom Invite will be available on the District and Svea websites under the Events tab. Note: If you missed any of the previous programs; Swedish Flower Hens, the interview with our Grand Master, Jack Hanright, or the Swedish Embassy Representative, check out the District Website: |
Vasa BreakfastOn a hiatus! Check it out again in the Fall 2026.
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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
Sommerlyst Fireworks! July 3rd with picnic starting at 5:30. Our Danish friends also have tureen dinners on 7/12, 7/19 and 7/25. If you are a Bingo fan you can attend 7/18.
Phrase of the Month:
Valsborgsmässoafton – Welcome Spring-Goodbye Winter
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Local Lodge Svea #296 meets on the third Sunday of the month at Luther Memorial Church, 225 West 10th Street, Erie, PA for general business meetings. General meetings include a short cultural program and of course, Fika! From May - August our meetings involve cultural activities in various community locations. We celebrate Walpurgis, Midsummer, Kraftskiva, Leif Erickson Day, and Santa Lucia Festival of Light. The Mission of Vasa Order of America is to promote our Scandinavian heritage. Our Order does not conflict with religious beliefs or common law - ALL are welcome!