Lögberg-Heimskringla - 19.07.1991, Blaðsíða 1

Inside this week:
News from Seattle.....................page 2
Landamót— a pleasure to atténd ............3
Seniors' Birthdays Celebrated........,.....5
Hekla — lceland's Queen of Volcanoes.......7
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105th Year Mail Registration No. 1667
Föstudagur 19. júlí 1991
Friday, 19 July 1991
Númer 27
Number 27
lcelandic
News
Willy Brandt visits:
Last month, at the ínvitation of
Germanía, Willi Brandt, former
Chancellorof West Germany, vis-
ited lceland. This was Mr. Brandt's
third visit to lceland. During his
stay, he gave a public lecture,
entitled European Challenges.
The above photo of Willy
Brandt, Prime Minister Davíð
Oddsson, and Ministerof Foreign
Affairs Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson,
was taken at a.dinner reception
hosted by the Prime Mínister.
A torch
lit:
President
V i g d í S
finnboga-
dóttir lit the
torch whích
youth mem-
bersfrom 16
horse-own-
ers' associa-
tions in the
South of lceland carried to their
tneet. The meet was held at
Gaddastaðaflatír in Hella ánd be-
gan on June 26.
Ark i$ your name:
The children at the daycare in
Sauðárkrókur had a reason to be
happy at a recent open house. In
addition to a barbecue feast, they
Were presented with the gíft of a
boat. They promptly set out to
give the boat its name, and ac-
cording to traditíonal daycare
f^ethods, threw water-filled bal-
'°ons at its prow and said: "Ark is
y°ur name."
Tr^nslated from lcelandic
newspapers. H.K.D.
A young couple iicks the sun and enjoys the warm water of the Blue Lagoon (Bláa Lónið).
“It rained all May, but June and July
have been wonderful,” said an Ice-
lander in a phone conversation with
L-H. “ We treasure every sunray as if
it’s the last, and God knows we de-
serve this weather,” our caller contin-
ued.
Winters in Iceland are often long,
dark and dreary, and during some sum-
mers, the really warm days are butfew.
So, no wonder the Icelanders travel to
warmer climates. The countries on the
Mediterranean have long been a
favorite destination for vacationing Ice-
landers, and many have also visited
Canada and the United States in the
summertime. However, this summer,
the Icelanders who stayed at home, and
did not venture abroad, are enjoying
‘Majorca’ weather, at no cost, in their
very own backyards.
The Icelanders’ appreciation of the
sun is a well known fact. It prompted
one Western Icelander to say: “Iceland-
ers are true sun-worshippers. Cold
winds may be blowing, but these peo-
ple put up sun-tents of sorts, in which
they lie half-naked soaking up the sun.
I even came to a store in Reykjavík with
a sign in one window, which read:
‘Closed because of the warm weather!’
The Icelanders who have come over
Taking advantage of the warm weather
in one of lceland’s many outside swimming
pools.
here for visits certainly seem to appre-
ciate the sun. I guess they deserve it
more than most people because of their
dark winters, short summers and fre-
quent rain.”
H.K.D.
The Icelandic Language and Cultural Camp will be held at Camp
Vesalka, which is located 2 km. north of Gimli, from AugustS to 10.
Presently, theCamp’s organizers are kept busy procuring Gnancial
support andgrants andpreparing courses. Theyare hopingforgood
attendance.
The Icelandic Language and Cul-
tural Camp is unique. Children and
young adults are treated to a wide
variety of courses and entertainment
to promote a better understanding of
their Icelandic heritage.
This year’s theme will be “The
Norse Gods.” The children will be
divided into groups, and each group
will receive a name of a Norse
God. Most likely, one will be called
Þór, another Óöinn, Freyja, and so
forth.
The “Norse Gods” theme will be
interpreted in their skits, which the
children themselves create and re-
hearse during drama classes. The
polished product will then be per-
formed at a concert on the final day
of camp to a large audience of
parents, relatives and friends.
The children will also be taught
some basic Icelandic vocabulary in
their language class and some Ice-
landic songs during music class.
Although all this emphasis on course
work may seem tedious at first glance,
that is far from the truth. The
courses are conducted in a fun way
with a lot of activity included.
The children also take swimming
under the guidance of a qualified life-
guard; take art classes where there
is ample room for their artistic
creativity; sports class, and after
courses and a good meal there is time
for socializing, waterfights, and story
telling by the bonfire.
The Camp’s organizers are tenta-
tively planning on having a Tombóla
for all interested parties on the last day
of camp, immediately following or be-
fore the concert. Usually only relatives
or friends of the children who are there
to pick them up attend the concert, but
the plan now, is to have it open to all.
In the past, this camp has usually
been held prior to the Icelandic Festi-
val. However, last year and this year it
will immediately follow the Festival.
The reason for this change is to give
visitors from afar the opportunity to
allow their children to attend the camp.
In past years, campers have mostly
been frorn Manitoba yet there have
also been a few children from all over
Canada, the U.S. and even Iceland.
Continued on fjage 4