Gimli Icelandic Canadian Society

Box 1979, Gimli, Manitoba R0C 1B0gics@hotmail.ca

NEWSLETTER Spring 2016

GICS Executive Board – 2016 - 2018 President - Shawn BjornssonVice-President – Daphne MarkussonPast President – JoAnne Gullachsen Treasurer – Janet IsfeldSecretary – Svala Þrastardóttir

Committee Chairs for 2016Phoning – Valdine Bjornsson & Shirley MacFarlaneMembership – Elva SimundssonArchivists – Dean Bjornsson Sunshine – Shirley MacFarlaneINL Calendars – Candice MurphyScholarships – Elva SimundssonIslendingadagurinn Table - JoAnne GullachsenIslendingadagurinn Float - Dean Bjornsson and Svala ÞrastardóttirNewsletter – Margaret KernestedSocial - ad hoc

President’s Report - Shawn BjornssonWell it looks like summer is here. The ice has finally left and the geese have been here for a few weeks.I'm looking forward to being Gimli Icelandic Canadian Society’s President for the next couple of years. I do want to apologize for my Icelandic pronunciations. I will always try my best and hopefully I don't butcher any members name too badly. For many years I've had to tell people the ‘J’ in my last name is silent.A couple of things I want to emphasize are that if anyone has any questions or concerns or suggestions please e-mail or call me. I'm always open to making this a great club and I would love not only to get more members but to get more attendance at our meetings. I would also like to do more fundraising and get out in the community more. I'm the chairperson for one of the main fundraiser events for Logberg Heimskringla, the Icelandic Open Golf Tournament, on July 29th. I really feel if we're out in the community we will get more members. I know everybody is busier than ever and clubs like the Kiwanis, Masons and Rotary

are having trouble with membership and I hope and wish we keep our membership and attendance up. We live in the best country in the world but anybody that knows me well knows, I love my heritage and I'm a proud western Icelander. I've been involved with various Icelandic events in the past but I had a few 1sts this year.I went to my 1st Thorrablót on March 12th in Geysir and it had a great attendance of fellow GICS Members. Thanks to all Gimli members for attending. I went to my 1st Ljósanótt on March 18th. It was a tribute to my cousin (frændi); the Consul General of Iceland in Winnipeg, Hjalmar Hannesson and his wife Anna Birgis. What a beautiful evening for a great couple and once again well attended by Gimli members. We had more than two tables of GICS members. Thanks to all those made it out to Winnipeg.

(Shawn with Consul General Hjalmar and Anna at the INL Vancouver Convention)

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We had a few members go to Selkirk on April 21st for their Sumardagurinn Fyrsti concert. Plus, we had fourteen members go to the INL Convention in Vancouver. I was very proud to see so many Gimlimembers make the trek to Vancouver. It was a great event. GICS has a new Executive Committee Member, Svala Þrastardóttir. Welcome to the executive and THANKS Svala. Margaret Kernested is looking for volunteers for the July 29th Icelandic Open Golf Tournament. A big thanks goes out to JoAnne for getting the Markland DVD for our meeting on May 9th and for advertising and making arrangements for our Dinner and Movie night on May 13th. Finally, a huge thank you to all our members for all their assistance and patience, and for making me feel welcome. I wish all members and their families a fantastic summer

Past President’s Report – JoAnne Gullachsen I want to thank Shawn for chairing the meeting I was unable to attend in November. Janet, Daphne and Bryan also took up the slack, tending tothings when I was unable. Thank you all.My absence makes it difficult for me to report on many events, however, I was able to attend the Gestamót at Betel. Music for the program was provided by Dennis Carlson, on accordion, with the singing led by Oli Narfason. The women's singing group consisted of Anna Stevens, Lorna Tergesen, Helga Malis, just to name a few. The ability of the singers to sing the Icelandic songs so well impressed me tremendously. I would say that their terrific voices and good Icelandic pronunciation made for some great entertainment for all who attended. Toward the end of the program Oli brought out an accordion which had belonged to S Benedictson. Oli was able to play us some music using this very old instrument. Many of our members attended the Gestamót and enjoyed the dessert provided by our membership. It was also a chance to visit with everyone and enjoy some good coffee.On November 10, we watched another episode of the Vesturfarar DVD series. Thanks to Glen Martin we were able to view it without too long an intermission. There were some glitches which he was able to overcome. These discs have been loaned to us by Lynnette Sisterson who always replies, when asked if I can keep it longer, that it is no inconvenience to her. I would like to thank her for her generosity on behalf of our club. Many thanks too to the members who donated dainties for that evening.Lastly I would like to say that I have learned a great deal by taking on the office of President over these past two years. I thank you all for giving me your support and allowing me to make so many mistakes

in what was a learning process. My best of luck to Shawn, who I am sure, will do an excellent job.

2015 Walk to the Rock - submitted by Bryan Bjerring

(at the White Rock cairn)About forty or so Icelandic Canadians and Icelandic Canadian wannabes enjoyed a great walk along the beach to the Rock on Willow Point October 21, 2015.

(group walking along the shore)The weather could not have been finer and the mood was upbeat and even joyous. Joining the group were then Consul General, Hjalmar Hannesson along with Icelander and actor, Elfar Logi Hannesson, who was to perform Grettir’s Saga that night at the Aspire Theatre. Connie Magnusson, the originator of the event in 1975, recalled to the gathering her idea to walk to the rock to mark the 100th anniversary of the October 21, 1875 arrival of that first large group of Icelanders. Her grand daughter, Carly Welham, read Don Martin’s poem, ‘Arrival at Willow Point’.

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(Carly with grandparents Ralph & Connie Magnusson)Upon their return to the Lady of the Lake Theatre the walkers were joined by a large number of folks who enjoyed refreshments. This was accompanied by a very interesting address by Anna Birgis Hannesson who told the struggle of Icelandic women to gain the vote – which they did in 1915.Our thanks to all who participated in the walk as well as those who provided the various dainties, Dilla Narfason who always makes sure the flags are flying at the Rock, and from the New Iceland Heritage Museum director Tammy Axelsson and her staff, Ila Condie.

A Big Treat for the Gimli Kaffitími Group – submitted by Dilla Narfason

(Lunch group at Consul General’s residence)

The regulars from Gimli’s Wednesday afternoon Kaffitími group were most delighted to receive an invitation from Anna Birgis for an October Wednesday lunch. The luncheon was held at the Winnipeg residence she shares with her husband Hjalmar Hannesson, then Consul General of Iceland to Manitoba. Hjalmar assisted in greeting each one of us on arrival. Anna came around with a tray full of variously coloured paper-wrapped chocolates to have with coffee after the meal. Then we discovered that we had to find our seat at the table by finding another chocolate wrapped in the matching colours of paper. Seventeen of us were seated at the table. The setting was tastefully decorated with a row of

short vases holding beautiful baby’s breath & three yellow roses.A scrumptious lunch was served and delightful conversation ensued. Anna suggested that we go around the table and each one of us would contribute a life anecdote, just as we usually do every Wednesday. She also took this opportunity to specially acknowledge one of our regulars, Gunnvör Asmundsson’s birthday which had been observed a few days previously.

(Gunnvör and Anna Birgis)

A warm feeling of camaraderie filled the room and much Icelandic was spoken. Many thanks go to our hostess Anna Birgis for the lovely time had by us all.

Gestamót, 2016 – submitted by Dilla NarfasonOur annual visit to Betel took the same format as previous years. We begin with a half hour singsong, followed by coffee, angel food cake and strawberries in the dining room. Attendance seemed to be a little less this year, at least for the singsong, but more came when the coffee was served. Those asked, said they had enjoyed the event. A big thank you to members who so kindly contributed to the singsong, baked the cakes, supplied the whipping cream, and all those who helped serve the coffee and cake. A thank you also goes to Betel who helped co-ordinate the event and always partner with us in supplying the strawberries. A good time was had by all, especially because it was January and winter outside.

Bench – Fagrabakka Cemetery - submitted by Svala Þrastardóttir and Gunnvör AsmundssonCraig MacAulay will make two benches at no cost for the Fagrabakka Cemetery in Arnes. These will be made from logs. One bench will be for inside the

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cemetery, and one for the outside. A special event will be held once these benches are set up and we have information available on this donation. Members of the families of the pioneers buried at the site will be especially notified and we hope to see most of the families represented at our event.

Botting named 2016 Fjallkona - exerpt from Viking Times Newsletter Congratulations to Karen Botting of Winnipeg who was named Fjallkona for the 2016 Icelandic Festival at a brunch at the Lakeview Resort in Gimli, on April 17. In her acceptance speech she said, in part, that she was “…honoured to be selected as Fjallkona in 2016, as in 2016 we celebrate: --the 100th anniversary of the women’s suffragette movement in Manitoba --the 100th anniversary of the Jon Sigurdsson Chapter of the IODE --the 10th anniversary of Núna/now, cultural convergence of young artists from Iceland and Canada--the 70th birthdays of Hjalmar and Anna and their retirement --the 100th anniversary of the birth of her parents, who would have been extremely proud that I had been selected as Fjallkona as they both were deeply connected to their Icelandic heritage.” She said that the Icelandic Festival incorporated the role of Fjallkona into the ceremonies in 1924, as a most important symbol of Iceland’s culture and heritage. “The people and groups we are celebrating this year have been exemplary in keeping the Icelandic culture and heritage alive in Manitoba” she continued. Karen herself has been exemplary in this endeavor. She has brought energy, new ideas and foresight to Frón.

Cold Fever - submitted by Margaret KernestedGICS presented an evening of Dinner and a Movie, May 13, 2016, at the Lady of the Lake Theatre. The movie, Cold Fever, was about a young Tokyo executive who must travel to Iceland, where his parents died, to conduct a memorial service for them. It was a very enjoyable evening. Approximately 25 people attended the screening. Thank you to JoAnne Gullachsen for making all the arrangements. Also, thank you to Lorna Tergesen for providing dessert.

INL Convention 2016 - submitted by Shawn Bjornsson

(GICS members at Vancouver INL Convention)

The 97th Icelandic National League of North America Convention took place April 28 - May 1, 2016, in Vancouver B. C. 14 Members from GICS were in attendance. Norman Eyford, Odinn Helgason and The Icelandic Canadian Club of BC did a fantastic job hosting the 97th Annual Convention. (Strandarsaga - A Coast Story)The Convention was held at The River Rock Hotel which is located very close to the airport, The convention started on April 28th and in the afternoon there was a Skytrain tour and check-in started later in the afternoon. The first night is always a meet and greet.Friday morning started off with Welcoming Remarks from numerous people including Member of Parliament for Burnaby, Peter Julian. Friday and Saturday were two full days of assorted meetings and our Master of Ceremonies Odinn Helgason did a wonderful job keeping everything running smoothly. I found each meeting fantastic. I'll just mention a few of them. The 1st speaker was Fred Bjarnason who spoke about the Icelanders of Victoria, Point Roberts, and Golden. Another presentation was about The Snorri, Snorri Plus and Snorri West. It's great to see all the Snorri programs doing well. One of my favorite sessions was called Survival on the Edge, Seawomen of Iceland. I really enjoy watching Vikings and I was surprised to see women of Iceland were on battle longboats and many have been and still are working on fishing boats throughout the centuries. Another presentation was on the artist Johannes Kjarval. His paintings were way ahead of their time and are very valuable now.Icelanders love their birds and one of the sessions was on BirdLife in Iceland. This would be a great theme for the INLNA calendar.

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Four Plays by Guttormur J. Guttormsson were read by INL members.Our very own Gimli member, Bill Valgardson, did a fantastic presentation, Coming West. On Saturday afternoon the INLNA Annual General Meeting was held and went very smoothly. Sunna Furstenau, our new President and Brad Hirst, our new VIce President are going to do an excellent job.A beautiful banquet was held Saturday night and Donald Gislason did a wonderful job entertaining everyone after dinner with his photography and a presentation on Iceland foods, all done with a great sense of humor.  It's always good to see all the traditional Icelandic suits and dresses. This is usually one of the couple times a year I get to wear my Icelandic Suit.

(GICS executive members Shawn Bjornsson & Janet Isfeld at INL Convention banquet in Vancouver)

The only unfortunate thing that happened was on Saturday night an upset guest set off the fire alarm at about 1 AM and some guests had to leave their rooms temporarily. I guess the gambler’s financial planning wasn't working very well!  Sunday there were two buses for two tours. One was to go to beautiful Queen Elizabeth Park but due to the Vancouver Marathon blocking multiple streets we couldn't get there. The other bus went to Höfn Seniors’ Home and then both buses met up at the new Scandinavian Centre for lunch. There were three breakout sessions: 1.Viking Trade 2.Icelandic Roots Workshop and 3.Visit Iceland Room; each with discussion.All in all a fantastic weekend with fellow INL members from Canada, USA and Iceland. I strongly urge all Gimli members to attend next year’s (98th) Convention in Grand Forks, May 4th-7th 2017.Next year’s theme is “Connecting the Pieces”. The 99th convention will be in Edmonton and the 100th in Winnipeg and hopefully the 101st will be in Iceland.

For more information on the convention including many “Audio” links visit www.inlofna.org and click on 2016 Convention in Vancouver.

Kvennahlaup (Women’s Walk) – submitted by Margaret KernestedThis is a 5 km walk (short loop 3 km) that occurs in many cities and towns in Iceland and Canada. This year the walk will take place in Gimli on June 18th. The walk will again be held in three Manitoba locations, Winnipeg (June 11th), Gimli, and Arborg (June 4th). The Gimli walk will start and end at the Pioneer Cairn in the Gimli Park. Start time is 10:00 am. The registration fee is $30.00 (which includes t-shirt from Iceland). Proceeds are donated to the GICS, so please consider paying the full registration fee, in support of your club, even if you would prefer not to receive a t-shirt. Registration fee has been increased for all 3 Manitoba locations due to an increase in the cost of purchasing the t-shirts from Iceland, in combination with a decrease in the value of our Canadian Dollar.If you have not yet registered and would like to walk, please contact Margaret Kernested. mkernested@gmail.com or 204-642-9945

Jon Sigurdsson Day – June 17thIcelandic Independence Day and Jon Sigurdsson Day will be celebrated on Friday, June 17, on the grounds of the Legislature at 6:45 p.m. with a program to follow at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

Icelandic Language & Cultural Camp

(2015 Icelandic Camp participants)

Camp will take place from July 23 – July 29, 2016, at Camp Veselka, 2 miles north of Gimli. The Icelandic Language & Cultural Camp will again be supported by the Gimli Icelandic Canadian Society. GICS members have in the past volunteered their time in assisting the camp, often with transporting campers into Gimli and the surrounding areas for various activities. Our members will be ready to assist the camp again this summer.

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GICS offers bursaries each year to contribute to the camp fees for children and grandchildren of GICS members. Sponsorships are available in the amount of $100.00 per child. If more than 15 requests are received, the available sponsorship of $1500.00 will be shared evenly among all of the recipients. More information on how to apply for the sponsorship has been sent to GICS members. For details on applying for a bursary, contact GICS treasurer, Janet Isfeld. (j.isfeld@hotmail.com) The day camp is open for younger kids, ages 5 – 8, full campers ages 8 – 15 and Junior Counsellors ages 15-17. Campers are immersed in all things Icelandic. From language lessons, to Viking crafts, to writing their own saga, the campers start to develop a love of their Icelandic ancestry. Brad Hirst is the Administrative Director of the Camp. For details or to register - contact icelandiccamp@gmail.com or visit http://www.icelandiccamp.com/

Islendingadagurinn – July 29 – August 1, 2016 submitted by JoAnne GullachsenBryan Bjerring has very capably taken care of, and arranged for volunteers to man our GICS table in the Pavillion for the past few years.  He and his wife Judy made very nice table coverings last year and we were so fortunate to have had this done. They are now more colourful, though still in the traditional colours, and provide a bright backdrop for the articles on display.  We will again be featuring our postcards with photos of our members and some non-members, in traditional Icelandic attire. These are for sale and will provide a memento for our visitors to take home after the celebration.  I will be taking over coordinating the GICS table from Bryan and will be asking members to volunteer to supervise and greet guests who come to look at the articles we have on display. Thanking you in advance for your help.

Float for Islendingdagurinn Parade Dean Bjornsson and Svala Þrastardóttir’s suggestion for the float is to have an old-fashioned pioneer house with some hay bales, members in traditional Icelandic attire and lots of candy. Our banner will be carried in front of the float. We are asking other chapters to join us with their signs and banners as well. Gunnvör Asmundsson will contact Gwen Grattan, INLNA, to send an e-mail to all INL member organizations to participate. Anyone interested in helping with the float, or participating in the parade should contact Svala Þrastardóttir at svalab@hotmail.com

Núna(now) - One Decade AnniversaryThis is a series of Icelandic / Canadian music, film, dance, visual art, book and theatre events curated and produced by a group of local artists with ties

to Iceland. Performances take place at a variety of venues starting May 26th until July 18th, 2016. More information and any schedule updates can be found online at http://nunanow.com/

Icelandic Open Golf TournamentThis year’s Icelandic Open Golf Tournament will be held at Links at the Lake Golf Course, Gimli, on July 29, 2016. The tournament is in support of Lögberg-Heimskringla, our North American Icelandic cultural community’s newspaper. More golfers and hole sponsors are still needed. Registration fees: Early Bird until June 15, 2016 $150.00; after June 15, 2016 $175. The post golf reception will be held at Johnson Hall and will be open to non-golfers, seats are limited. For more information, or to Sponsor a Hole or to Register online, go to www.lh-inc.ca. or phone 204-927-5645, Toll Free 1-866-564-2374.This is always a fun event and a great way to start the Icelandic Celebration weekend.

INL of NA Calendars The INL 2017 Calendar features Celebrating and Honoring Our Icelandic Heritage in North America. (see http://www.inlofna.org/Calendar ) 2017 calendars are out and will arrive in Gimli soon. Phone Candice Murphy @ 204-642-9791 or email her @ candicep@mymts.net and she will deliver them as soon as they arrive.We have about thirty 2016 calendars remaining. They will be donated to the children attending this year’s Icelandic Language & Cultural Camp. Hopefully the calendars will help them remember some of the words they will learn at the language classes at Camp.

GICS Scholarships and Awards submitted by Elva Simundsson The Gimli Icelandic Canadian Society offers various bursaries and scholarships to students and youth in our community. A $500.00 scholarship is available to any graduate of Gimli High School who enrolls in a credit course in the Department of Icelandic Language and Literature at the University of Manitoba or is a participant in the Iceland Field School offered through the University. The Society also offers a bursary of $500.00 to any youth from Gimli who is accepted into the Snorri Program (see http://www.snorri.is/ ). In addition, GICS pays $100.00 toward the Icelandic Camp registration fees (http://www.icelandiccamp.com/) for the children and grandchildren of the Society’s members.The preservation and promotion of our Icelandic-Canadian cultural community is important to us. Through these awards, we are pleased to be able to support our community’s youth in learning about their roots and their heritage.

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Letters of application for the U of MB Icelandic Studies and the Snorri Program should be sent to the Scholarship Committee at the following address:

Gimli Icelandic Canadian SocietyBox 1979Gimli, MB R0C 1B0

Fridfinnsson Tours - submitted by Bryan BjerringTo those interested, Joel Fridfinnsson (who is also the current president of the Arborg Esjan INL Chapter) is offering a detailed and thorough tour of the New Iceland districts beginning June 15. Tours are available by appointment. The goal is to visit sites less visited and delve deeper into the New Iceland Saga. Arrange a time via phone call, contact Joel: 204 641-0225

Canada Iceland Foundation Inc.Scholarships and Awardssubmitted by Elva SimundssonCanada Iceland Foundation was created as a charitable body by a group of community leaders and organizations in the Icelandic Canadian Community in the late 1940s to fulfill the need for a funding charity to support non-profit cultural and scholarship activities of our community, aside from the organizations that seek funding for their own specific undertakings.  In 1985, the unincorporated Foundation was turned into a charitable corporation.  Over the years, many families have memorialized family members with the establishment of scholarship funds in their names.  This process is ongoing and the Foundation has been fortunate as well, to be remembered in the wills of members of the Icelandic Canadian community.  Visit the foundation’s new website http://canadaicelandfoundation.ca/ for more details and information.The Foundation offers numerous scholarships and awards to students who are pursuing post-secondary education. Remind your children and grandchildren to submit scholarship applications to the Foundation. The Canada Iceland Foundation also supports the Snorri Program ( http://www.snorri.is/ ). Each Canadian youth accepted into the annual Snorri experience receives a bursary towards covering their program costs.

NEWS FROM the INL of NA

Snorri West Visit Central North America - submitted by Gail Einarson-McCleeryThis is the fifth year that INL NA has been organizing the Snorri West program, and having visited all four corridors in North America, the program returns to the centre of the country this

year. The program will visit Minnesota, North Dakota, Winnipeg, Brandon, Gimli and the Interlake in 2016, taking in the Deuce of August, Icelandic Camp and Íslendingadagurinn. Dates are July 7to August 4. They will be in the Interlake area Thursday July 21 to Tuesday August 2. They are very interested in the settlement story and seeing how Icelanders live in the area today. They will be visiting Gimli, Lundar, Riverton, Arborg and Hecla Island.The four participants are all from Reykjavik or nearby and range in age from 24 to 29 They are:Tómas Helgi Tómasson (taking a carpentry course), Vala Margret Jóhannsdóttir (will graduate in the Spring of 2016 with her M.Ed.in Sport and Health Science from the University of Iceland)Sesselía Olafsdóttir, actor and writer, andGunnlaug Birta Þorgrímsdóttir (taking arts at University of Iceland)We are currently looking for relatives of theirs in the areas they will visit. In the Gimli area, their program is being co-ordinated by Brad Hirst, Signý McInnis and Shawn Bjornsson. If you can help in any way with driving or guiding or hosting a meal, please contact one of them. You will not regret getting to meet these wonderful young people!

Email addresses for the co-ordinators are:Brad - icelandiccamp@gmail.comSigný – s.mcinnis@hotmail.caShawn – shawn.bjornsson@gmail.com

Biographies/Historian – submitted by Gwen MannWe continue to post Biographies on the INL of NA web site. http://www.inlofna.org/biographies .We hope that you have had an opportunity to read some of the amazing stories of people who have made significant contributions to our society. We must remember the contributions that people of Icelandic descent have made in North America. There are many more of these articles that are near completion but the final steps take time to prepare and at this time our time is very limited. Any help on this project would be greatly appreciated. Whoever does the work gets the recognition. Send emails to Gwenn Mann ldgomann@gmail.com or Dianne O’Konski deokonski@charter.net

Obituaries Section on INLNA Website Submitted by Holly RalphAll Clubs are advised that INLNA will be establishing an Obituary Page on the INLNA Website. If clubs wish to use this feature, please contact our Webmaster Holly Ralph (heralph@gmail.com)

2016 Scandinavian Hjemkomst and Viking Festival - June 24th-25th at Moorhead, Minnesota

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Each year a different Scandinavian Country is featured. 2016 is Iceland’s year and it is only every 5th year! We need an INLofNA table with volunteers, people in Icelandic sweaters and national dress for the costume show, entertainers, authors and of course – as many people as possible to attend.More information is available at: http://www.nordiccultureclubs.org/

FaceBook - Angel Johnson-NelsonNEW VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED TO POST TO THE INL of NA FACEBOOK PAGE.I am looking for new volunteers to post on the INL of NA Facebook page, and would like to find anenthusiastic INL of NA member that would be interesting in helping. If you know of someone who might be interested in volunteering to post Icelandic related topics, photos, information, events and videos on the INL of NA Facebook page, please e-mail directly to: angeljohnsonnelson@hotmail.comINL of NA Convention 2017 - Grand Forks, NDThe Icelandic Communities Association of North Dakota is well underway with their preparations to host the 2017 INL convention. They are a small group but have big hearts for our Icelandic heritage. The convention organizing committee reports that most of the convention will take place in Grand Forks, at the Canad Inn and the Alerus Center, which is connected to the hotel. On Friday, we will bring the convention to the Icelandic settlement area of northeast North Dakota for a fun and interesting day. The North Dakota Icelandic Communities Association is hoping that many people will attend this Convention May 4 - 7, 2017. Given its proximity to our Manitoba Icelandic communities we are anticipating that many of our GICS members will take the opportunity to attend the convention.

GICS Website:Go to http://www.inlofna.org/Gimli/index.html and check out the photos of GICS events. There are new photos from the 2016 INL Convention and we plan to keep up-dating our “Photo Album” on an on-going basis. If you attend a GICS event and get some great photos you want to share, let us know and we’ll see they get posted.

GICS MembershipAnnual GICS Memberships are still only $10. Annual dues can be paid to Benna Martin, Dilla Narfason, Shirley MacFarlane or Elva Simundsson or else mailed to Box 1979, Gimli.

If you would like to join the INL of NA news & information e-mail list service, contact the INL office at inl@mts.net

2017 INL of NA Calendar

October 2017 INL of NA Calendar picture features the New Iceland Heritage Museum and GICS co-sponsored ‘Walk to the Rock’ event.(photo credit: Dick Thorsteinson)

Dates to remember:Wednesdays Kaffitími – Currently on hold

due to the closure of Amma’s. Alternative venues are being used from time to time.

May 26-Jul 23,2016 Núna(now) - Various Performances at various venues (see website for events and dates http://nunanow.com/)

June 17, 2016 Icelandic Independence Day ceremony – 6:30pm at Manitoba Legislative Grounds

June 17, 2016 Viking Open TournamentJune 18, 2016 Kvennahlaup (Women’s Walk)

Meet at the Gimli Park. Walk starts at 10:00am

June 24-25, 2016 Scandinavian Hjemkomst @ Moorhead, Minnesota

Jul 20-24, 2016 Gimli Film FestivalJul 22-29, 2016 Icelandic Camp @ Camp

Veselka, GimliJuly 29, 2016 Icelandic Open Golf

Tournament @ Links at the Lake, Gimli – in support of Lögberg-Heimskringla

Jul 30-Aug 1,2016 Íslendingadagurinn, Gimli Sept 12, 2016 GICS Meeting – 7:00pm @

Lady of the Lake TheatreSept 28-Oct 1,2016 Norsk Hostfest Minot, ND.Oct 8, 2016 Tombola, Minerva HallOct 21, 2016 Walk to the RockNov 14, 2016 GICS Meeting – 7:00pm @

Lady of the Lake Theatre

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GICS NewsletterThank you to Elva Simundsson for her continued assistance with layout design and editing.If you have any GICS news to report, please contact the newsletter editor, Margaret Kernested at mkernested@gmail.com

REMEMBER:Charitable donations to GICS are tax deductible

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