Agassiz Swedish Heritage Society will hold its annual Midsommar Festival beginning at 2 p.m. June 24 in the city park at Lancaster, Minn.
The day will begin with coffee and goodies followed by decorating the maypole with flowers and greens about 2:30 p.m. Society President Lyndon Johnson of Hallock, Minn., is organizing the event and has asked members to bring greens and wildflowers.
After the maypole is raised, there will be dancing around it to music provided by Solo Strings, violin players Kirsten Visness, Lauren Johnson and Mayia Bengtson of Karlstad, Minn., joined by Stanley Visness on guitar.
At 4:30 p.m. there will be a Swedish Smorgasbord at Sion Lutheran Church, Lancaster, with herring salad, red beet salad, sweet Mesost cheese and creamy white slotegrot. It is an honor for the women, dressed in costume, to serve this slotegrot, which is a special-occasion food, a news release said.
In Sweden, Midsommar is the longest day of the year and the first day of summer, which is a very short season. It's an occasion for large gatherings and celebrations, and the Agassiz Swedish Heritage Society invites all to join the celebration in Lancaster.
