Lögberg-Heimskringla - 03.06.2005, Blaðsíða 12

12 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Friday 3 June 2005
Getting the community in involved
Jón Sigurdsson Chapter I.O.D.E., Frón Club seek more participation for June 17
David Jón Fuller
Winnipeg, MB
How do you follow up a
60th anniversary? This is the
question the Jón Sigurdsson
Chapter of the I.O.D.E. and the
Icelandic Canadian Frón hope
to answer this June 17.
Last year, Iceland celebrat-
ed 60 years of independence on
June 17, its national holiday.
The day was also celebrated in
Icelandic communities across
North America, and Winnipeg
was no exception. The tradi-
tional wreath-laying ceremony
at the statue of Jón Sigurðsson
on the grounds of Manitoba’s
Legislative Building was fol-
lowed by the world premiere of
a play by Böðvar Guðmunds-
son, which eamed a standing
ovation.
The celebration of June 17
has a long history in Winnipeg,
though regular celebrations of
the day only began in 1983,
according to Erla Wankling,
President of the Jón Sigurdsson
Chapter. (An earlier tradition of
celebrating Iceland had been in
place following the unveiling of
the statue in 1921, but it did not
continue past 1928.)
The Jón Sigurdsson Chapter
was responsible for the wreath-
laying ceremony starting in
1983, and for the 40th anniver-
sary of Iceland’s independence
in 1984, Frón also took part.
“It became larger with the
millennium celebrations, and
with the Consul General, Sva-
var [Gestsson], here,” says Erla.
“And since then the Consul has
been involved with bringing
either entertainment or a speak-
er.” This year the speaker will
be Icelandic member of Parlia-
ment Steingrímur Sigfússon.
Following the ceremo-
ny, Frón, in conjunction with
the Icelandic consulate, has
organized a' concert at the
Winnipeg Art Gallery by
Hamrahlíðarkórinn, a 70-mem-
ber choir from Reykjavík.
This year, there will be two
additional components to June
17 — an open house welcom-
ing the public to the new offices
of Lögberg-Heimskringla from
2:30 to 4:30 p.m., and the for-
mal launch of the Future Fund
Capital Campaign, a fundrais-
ing initiative to support the
newspaper.
Both Erla Wankling and
Serena Goebel, President of
the Icelandic Canadian Frón,
hope attendance continues to
increase at the annual event.
“Adding in the choir, we’re go-
ing to have definitely over 100
at the statue,” says Serena. “I
Betel Home Foundation
Gimli
Selkirk
7J ^n&ditiún
m Caúncjr
Geleh'iaUntj. 89 qeaM.
cf GcmÍúíucuU Gan&
IXítlún. the- GcumnuitUif.
PHOTO: DAVID JÓN FULLER
Serena Goebel (left) and Erla Wankling would like to raise the profile of the annual June 17
celebration in Winnipeg. Last year roughly 300 people attended.
think last year we had close to
50 or 60 people at the statue
and then 300 at the art gallery
for the performance. So I would
say that we’re going to meet, if
not surpass, those numbers.”
The wreath-laying cer-
emony at the statue has special
significance for Winnipeggers
of Icelandic descent. Erla notes
that when Iceland was .still
struggling for independence,
the Icelandic community in
Winnipeg donated money to-
wards Iceland having a statue of
Jón Sigurðsson. The Icelanders
were so moved by this generos-
ity that they paid to have an ex-
act replica built and donated to
Winnipeg.
Serena says she feels June
17 still has too low a profile
among the Icelandic commu-
nity in Manitoba. “We need
to involve more people of Ice-
landic descent. We know there
Krave’s Candy Co.
45 Ðurand Road Wpg, MB R2J 3T1
Phone: (204) 654-1361
Toll Free: 1 (800) 357-6867
Larry Finnson
Chris Emeiy
are thousands and thousands
of them, but they’re not active
in the community... they don’t
even know about [events such
as this].” She feels that this is
a problem in Manitoba particu-
larly, because people take the
Icelandic presence in the prov-
ince for granted.
Clubs in Saskatchewan, Al-
berta and Ontario, for example,
boast membership numbers in
the hundreds. The two INL
chapters in Winnipeg combined
have fewer than 100 members.
“The sense of keeping your
roots when you’re outside of
the community is stronger,”
she says. “At least, that’s my
theory.”
For both Serena and Erla,
real interest in their Icelandic
heritage went hand in hand with
their involvement in the com-
munity.
Serena first attended June
17 festivities in 2002. She took
part in Frón’s Icelandic lan-
guage classes, joined the club
and became president of the
club in March 2004. Last Au-
gust she went to Iceland for the
first time as part of the Snorri
Plus Program.
She says she’s very proud
of her Icelandic heritage, that it
is an important part of her iden-
tity.
Likewise, Erla became in-
volved in the Jón Sigurdsson
Chapter five years ago. “My
daughter received a scholarship
from the I.O.D.E. 20 years ago
and we’re very grateful for the
work of the I.O.D.E. and I felt
that I would like to, once I re-
tired, contribute to the organiza-
tion.”
The I.O.D.E. has been
awarding scholarships since
1937; last year it gave out
$5,900 in scholarships.
Erla says her Icelandic heri-
tage has come to mean more to
her in recent years. She visited
Iceland for the first time in the
1990s, and says her awareness
of Icelandic culture increased
enormously once she got more
involved in the community.
“It makes you feel part of a
larger family, I guess, the whole
Icelandic family,” she says.
“You’re not just one small Ice-
landic family out in the country
somewhere.”
For more information on
June 17 celebrations, see the
Calendar ofEvents.
iNLANB i . LJE+iiGMl HEIDEi.BERGCEMENTC.rQup Cements and Flyash Phone: 1-800-252-9304 Fax: (204) 334-5900
HEIDELBERGŒMENT Group »f«perler.« Inland ensures that Aggregates customers receive Phone: (204) 224-4255 <tualiV prwluas and Fax: (204) 224-3431 servkes for o\\ types of consuucúon Concrete Pipe Products and derelopment Phone: (204) 339-9213 projects. Fax: (204) 334-7957
“Working Together to Build Our Communities”
Visit us on the web at http:llwww.lh-inc.ca