Lögberg-Heimskringla - 17.02.1995, Page 1

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eimskringla
The lcelandic Weekly
Lögberg Stofnaö 14. janúar 1888
Heimskringla Stofnaö 9. september 1886
109. Árgangur
109th Year
Publications Mail Registration No. 1667
Föstudagur 17. febrúar 1995
Friday, 17 February 1995
Inside this week:
Searching for Laxdal descendants...
See you at the party!, fay Tom Oleson.3
News from Toronto, Borg & "Minneapolis ....4
Grímkell's Story, eighteenth installment.5
A friend remembered.................6
Upcoming Events....................7
Númer 6
Number 6
lcelandic
News
Snow White:
■ A new version of the family play,
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
premiered in Mosfellssveit, just
outside Reykjavík, on January 12th
this year. Guðrún Þ. Stephensen
was the producer and director. Mr.
Jens Hansson composed the
music and Jón Sævar Baldvinsson
made the stage setting. Snow
White was played by Dagbjört
Eiríksdóttir, and the queen by
Gunnhildur Sigurðardóttir. Twenty
four actors altogether are involved
in the play. A music tape was
released at the same time.
Many rare species of
birds:
■ An annual bird counting took
place in lceland in the middle of
January. At least 72 species of
birds were spotted, whích is an
unusually high count. Kristinn
Haukur Skarphéðinsson, a biolo-
gist at the Naturalist Institute of
lceland said that this is the great-
est number of species since courit-
ing began in 1952. Favourable
weather conditions were no doubt
a contributing factor that so many
vagrant birds were found. About
40 common species winter in
lceland. Amóng the unusual birds
this time were: Arctic skua, water-
rail, wood snipe, gray plover, and
some very rare birds such as smew
and peewit.
GUNNUR ISFELD
Kristjansson
receives Young
Entrepreneur Award
Kristjan Kristjansson, the owner of Progressive
Communications Inc., a Winnipeg telephone
communications company, received the
Federal Business Development Bank’s
“Young Entrepreneur Award” at a ceremony
in Ottawa last October. Kristjansson’s ability to recognize
opportunity at a critical junction and tum it into a success-
ful enterprise figured highly in his winning the award.
Every year for the past seven years, the Federal Business
Development Bank (FBDB) has recognized the achieve-
ments of outstanding young Canadian entrepreneurs dur-
ing October’s Small Business Week. Twelve entrepreneurs,
one from each province and territory, aged 29 years or
younger, are chosen to receive the award.
For the first time this year, each winner was matched up
with a prominent business leader from his/her province or
territory. These leaders have volunteered to act as mentors
to the award recipient for a period of one year. Each men-
tor has agreed to share their knowledge and experience
with their protégé and to help with upcoming business
changes and challenges. An interesting happening in
Kristjanson’s case is that his mentor is a Canadian of
Icelandic descent, Mr. Hartley Richardson.
On a cool January day I made my way over to
ProComm, which has recently moved to a new locaton on
Waverley Street in Winnipeg. The 3,600 sq. ft. attractive
facility is complete with a boardroom and a huge front
office. In spite of the cool weather outside the mood inside
was up-beat. The company had recently installed over 250
telephones and a computer network for the Provincial gov-
emment.
So what is the background to this success?
Kristjan Kristjansson is the son of a successful Winnipeg
restaurateur, Þráinn Kristjansson, owner of the Grapes
Restaurants. His mother Edda Kristjansson has also
achieved success as a Shaklee vitamin and supplement
consultant. Kristjan came to Canada with his parents at
the age of five. He grew up in a business environment.” I
was very fortunate that my parents always let me come
with them to business things”, says Kristjan. “My dad has
always had an open mind. He’s always been the teacher.”
Kristjan said that his father, who is a strong proponent
of post-secondary education, was dismayed when Kristjan
talked of dropping out of the Arts program at the
University of Manitoba and even attended some classes
with him to get a firsthand sampling of what he felt was
interesting but not particularly relevant in the comtempo-
rary marketplace.
After leaving school, Kiristjan worked at the family
Cont’d. page 3
Toranta Club ta hold Þorrablót
at INL Convantlon
In order to capitalize on the
opportunity afforded by the
Icelandic National League con-
vention, the Icelandic Canadian Club
of Toronto has decided to move its
annual Þorrablót celebration from the
end of March to the evening of
Saturday, May 6.
“Þorrablót has been our most pop-
ular event”, said President Pat
Stephens, “and we’re really pleased
to be able to share it with our col-
leagues from all across the country.”
Since this is the 35th anniversary
of the establishment of Þorrablót in
Toronto, it will be a particularly spe-
cial one. Traditional foods will be fea-
tured, including rúllupylsa, hangikjöt,
lax and skinka. Desserts will include
vínarterta, pönnukökur and skyr.
There will be one or two surprises on
the menu as well. Dancing will follow
dinner.
On the entertainment side, the
evening will feature George Johnston,
who will be reading from Thrand of
Götu, one of his recent translations.
In addition to the two Icelandic sagas
from the Flat Island Book contained
in Thrand of Götu, he also translated
the Saga of Gísli (1963); The Faroe
Islanders’ Saga (1975) and The
Greenlanders’ Saga (1976) from Old
Icelandic. From Modern Icelandic,
Johnston has translated Pastor
Böðvar’s Letter by Ólafur Jóhann
Sigurðsson (1985).
This is an ideal opportunity for
Ontario members to get together with
their extended families as well as to
meet other Icelanders from across the
country.
The Toronto club is very pleased
to be hosting the INL convention for
the first time and is planning to make
the whole weekend a very pleasur-
able one for all who attend. The club
will provide more details on the con-
vention and on additional entertain-
ment planned as the event draws
closer.