Lögberg-Heimskringla - 30.10.1992, Side 9

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 30. október 1992 • 9
Shríne at Markerville flourishes
by Evelyn Johannson
1991 was another successful and
very busy year for the Stephan G.
Stephansson Society of Markerville.
Regular meetinqs were held each
nionth plus the Annual General
Meeting in February.
In the early spring we were occu-
pied in the renovation of the löwer
level of the Creamery Museum. The
area was divided into three main
rooms:
♦ A meeting-sitting room, carpeted
and wall papered above the wainscot-
ting and furnished with tables, chairs
and a sizeable showcase.
♦ A very efficient kitchen complete-
ly furnished with pantry, cabinets,
cooler, dishwasher, stove, dishes and
utensils.
•f An office with copier, filing cabi-
nets, desk and typewriter.
On May 18th, International
Museum Day, we held an Open House
in this facility and named it Creamery
Parlour. It has been used on several
occasions, one of which was the lun-
cheon served to fifty visitors from
Iceland. The ladies Aid, “Vonnin”,
were happy to use it to host a Coffee
Fellowship after the lOOth Anniversary
church service. An Icelandic Dinner
was prepared and served to 17 partici-
pants of the Interpretation Canada
To Join the Stephan
G. Stephansson
Call or writeto:
Evelynn johannson
Box 13, Spruce View, AB TOM 1V0
(403) 728-3400
or Sandee Birse
80x813
, Markerville, AB
TOM
(403) 728-3450
1M0
Conference being held in Red Deer.
The Creamery Staff served noon lun-
cheons to several bus loads of people
who were visiting the museum. So it
has been a very useful addition since
its opening.
I was very pleased to have 5 mem-
bers of our Society attend the INL
convention in New Westminster in
April of last year, even though we had
only 2 voting delegates. We were
encouraged by the new plans set forth
and the growing interest amongst
Icelandic groups and clubs across
North America. The special concert by
visiting musicians from Iceland, the
banquet and entertainment at Burnaby
Lake Pavilion, the visit to Iceland
House and the tour of Vancouver
were very much enjoyed.
In June the Annual Calgary,
Edmonton, Markerville Picnic, now
called the “Icelandingamot” was hiqh-
lighted by the visit from Icelandic
National League President Evelyn
Thorvaldson and her husband
Gordon. There was keen club compe-
tition in the races and games. The
enjoyable program in the afternoon
was well attended and our club was
proud and happy to present the new
Fjallkona, Fretha “Dolly” Stephanson.
The picnic supper at the grounds, the
dance at the hall, and the pancake
breakfast at the grounds on Sunday
moming all provided great opportuni-
ties for socializing. We were very
happy to be a part of “Vonnin’s” lOOth
Anniversary church service on Sunday
forenoon and the Independence Day
activities at the Stephansson House in
the afternoon. We were very much
honoured to have Evelyn in our midst
for those two full days of activities.
INL became more meaningful to our
members and visitors because of her
presence.
In June our Society awarded two
prizes for the Stephan G. Stephansson
Poetry Competition which was spon-
sored by Alberta Culture.
In July, the museum staff organized
an Old Time Lawn
Party with tea and
strawberry short-
cake, old time music
and museum dis-
plays from surround-
ing areas.
In August they
arranged an Earth
Folk Festival, a festi-
val of music and
“green art”. Later in
August, we had an
annual Cream Day,
a tribute to dairying,
past and present.
Visitors were treated
to the finished prod-
ucts of demonstra-
tions of home-made
ice-cream and home-
The Children of Stephan G. Stephansson in Markerville.
From: the 1993 lcelandic Heritage Calendar.
made butter on home-made bread.
On September 2, our Society host-
ed a Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast
at the Creamery Parlour. It was an
opportunity to acknowledge with
thanks the many hours of volunteer
work and time given by so many dur-
ing a very busy season. Also to give
thanks and appreciation to our sum-
mer staff of 3 full-time and 3 part-time
plus volunteers, who did a commend-
able job of interpreting and serving the
extra volume of visitors.
During the 3 and a half months the
museum was open, there were 11,000
visitors, 1500 of those were school
children attending through school
group tours. These school tours are
becoming quite popular as they coin-
cide with the Hola School and
Stephansson House tours. We hired
an extra staff member to organize spe-
cial programs and material relevant to
the grade level of the children.
Besides the Cr.eamery Museum
activities, our Society provided a
booth with Tombóla Prizes, the food
concession and ice-cream booth at
Tombóla, the Alberta Cultural event at
Stephansson House. The displays,
demonstrations, activities and enter-
tainment were enioyed by a very large
crowd.
In October, we sponsored 2 dele-
gates to attend the Museum confer-
ence held in Red Deer. Their activities
included visits to surrounding muse-
ums and they reported a very informa-
tive two days.
In November we participated once
again in the Scandinavlan Yulestue
with Icelandic displays and bake sale
of Icelandic treats.
We worked at 7 bingos during the
year. Our share of profits are used for
general upkeep and special projects.
It was a great honour for me, to
represent our lcelandic Society at the
invitation of the Danish Heritage
Society to attend the Thanksgiving
Service and Reception at which Her
Majesty Queen Margretha II of
Denmark and His Royal Highness
Prince Henrik were present. This
Royal visit to the small hamlet of
Dickson reminded me so much of the
visit of President Vigdís Finnboga-
dóttir to the neighbouring small ham-
let of Markerville. There must be
something special about our area and
people.
INL president’s report, „
Communication: I am sure you will
agree, that we are not “short” on
communication from INL Head-
quarters.The reams of paper that is
sent out to our mailing list every
nionth is “phenomenal”. We have
kept you updated with all the
Minutes — general and special, as
'vell as current information bulletins.
We rely on the Chapter Presidents
and Secretaries to relay this informa-
tion to their membership. We have
increased our advertising in Lögberg-
Heimskringla, as it is one of our best
supporting means of creating aware-
^ess and communication because it
feaches such a wide scope of readers.
We are grateful for the interest and
coverage they have given us these
Past years but then, of course, we are
interesting!!
□ □ □
Pinancial Assistance: We were
extremely disappointed this year to
ieam that we would not be awarded
a grant from the Secretary of State
Multiculturalism Department of the
Federal Government toward our
Youth Development program and
our convention.
We must all be fully aware, that
the INL is not a funding organization
nor can it raise funds independently
from the Chapters/Members. As a
National organization, the INL is not
eligible for Provincial Heritage
grants. We are a non-profit organiza-
tion, with basically no means of
financial support, other than dona-
tions and membership fees, which
are just not in line with our needs.
We well appreciate the problems that
Chapters and members are encoun-
tering — and truly hope, that the
increase of membership fees to the
INL will not have to become an
“item”. This issue was discussed at
the meetings in November — and
suggestions were made for altemate
ways of maintaining our Head-
quarters Office and replenishing our
depleting funds, so that we may con-
tinue to uphold our profile of today.
One of the more significant sugges-
tions that came from one of the
chapter presidents was — that per-
haps an annual one-day fund raising
blitz for the INL Headquarters by
each Chapter/Member be consid-
ered.
It is inevitable, from all current
reports from the Federal and Pro-
vincial Governments, that financial
assistance will soon perhaps be “his-
tory”. It has certainly given us the
opportunity to be where we are today
— but, we will have to attempt ways
of supporting our financial resources
for ourselves.
You will see, from our Financial
report and our budget, that most of
our assets are “ear marked” — leav-
ing us little to operate in the fashion
we are now. There is a cost increase
in almost everything — postage, rent,
office supplies, telephone, paper,
printing — and so on. We must be
extremely careful in our administra-
tion and any commitments. As you
know, we have a heavy financial
commitment to the HIP Committee
— one which the INL could ill
afford, but saw the desperate need
for their cause at the time. The com-
mitment of $50,000.00 (pledge) over
a period of 16 years, was made at the
annual general meeting in Vancouver
in 1986 — and one we have to hon-
our. The INL could be assisted by
Chapters and members, if they have
intentions of supporting HIP further,
by allowing us to include your contri-
butions as part of our commitment.
Our Treasurer, Bill Perlmutter,
designed a letter to all of you in that
regard, explaining the details.
In closing, I want you to know
that the INL appreciates all of you
for your untiring efforts and continu-
ing support. Like you, we of the INL
Executive, are all volunteers, doing
the best we can for our common
cause of preserving our heritage in all
respects.
It has been a great privilege and a
delight to represent you as your
President for this past year.
□