Sons of Norway resume Sept. 26

Regular meetings of the Sons of Norway Ronning Lodge 504 will resume Sept. 26.

Sons of Norway Ronning Lodge has 25 members who are committed to preserving and strengthening the area's Scandinavian culture.

"We're proud to be of Scandinavian extraction and we want to celebrate it," said Lodge member Lyle Erga.

Scandinavian settlers played a large part in the settlement of Camrose and area. The Lundemo post office and store near Miquelon Lake was one of the first east of Wetaskiwin.

"The settlers would bring their supplies to the store for shipment to Wetaskiwin and would pick up the mail that had come through," said Erga.

Sons of Norway Ronning Lodge meets in the homes of members the fourth Wednesday of every month, starting at 7 p.m.

"The meetings used to be held at the Camrose police station but we found the homes provided a better, more friendly atmosphere," said Ronning Lodge president Lloyd Reed.

One of the regular presenters at Lodge meetings is Ingrid Urberg, who teaches Scandinavian Studies at the Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta.

"She showed a film and gave a report in May of this year on the forming of the Norwegian constitution," said member Lyle Erga. "She has also talked to us about Chester Ronning, the former Camrose Lutheran College president who was a world-renowned diplomat."

The Sons of Norway Ronning Lodge is an affiliate of the American Sons of Norway organization.

"We are down in numbers from what we used to be but we realize that parents are very busy these days taking their kids to the various sporting events," said Reed.

"We would like to get the numbers back up again."

Sons of Norway Ronning Lodge help in the community in whatever volunteer capacity they can, whether it be with their churches or organizations like Neighbor Aid.

"We have a few members, like Bernie Rostaing, who drive people to Edmonton when they have medical appointments," said Erga.

The Sons of Norway Ronning Lodge supports a summer culture camp at Ferintosh, as well as a scholarship for deserving students – usually those whose parents have a Sons of Norway affiliation.

"Our latest scholarship recipient was a student from Edmonton who was studying in Sweden," said Erga.

Sons of Norway was organized as a fraternal benefit society by 18 Norwegian immigrants in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 16, 1895, to protect members of Sons of Norway and their families from the financial hardships experienced during times of sickness or death in the family. Sons of Norway is now the largest Norwegian organization outside Norway with 61,756 members, including 2,754 in Canada.