“Nyckelharpa”

The Spring 2012 theme for Hejsan is Swedish Music/Musicians, and on Thursday, Feb. 2, we will learn about the “nickelharpa.”

The after-school program is designed for children ages 5 to 10, where they learn about particular topics in Swedish-American culture and make themed crafts.  Younger children are welcome under the supervision of an adult.  Cost: $1 per child. Reservations recommended.

Take a break from your regular schedule and enjoy a movie at the Swedish American Museum the first Thursday of every month this spring at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.   On Thursday, Feb. 2, the film is “Under the Sun.”

Reservations are recommended. This event is free. Coffee and Sandwiches at self-cost.

Musicians and instructors Mary Allsopp and Paul Tyler will co-host a Scandinavian Jam at the Swedish American Museum the second Saturday of every month from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.  All ages are invited to bring any instrument, regardless of level.  Come for learning new Scandinavian songs or playing old classics!  Recording devices are recommended.  Contact Scandi.Fiddler@yahoo.com  or PTyler@ameritech.net for questions.

On Saturday, Feb. 11, the Museum will host a book evening with professor and author Eric Dregni, who will discuss his latest work, Vikings in the Attic.

Growing up with Swedish and Norwegian grandparents with a dash of Danish thrown in for balance, Eric Dregni thought Scandinavians were perfectly normal. Who doesn’t enjoy a good, healthy salad (Jell-O packed with canned fruit, colored marshmallows, pretzels, and even olives) or perhaps some cod soaked in drain cleaner as the highlights of Christmas?

In Vikings in the Attic, Dregni tracks down and explores the significant—and quite often bizarre—historic sites, tales, and traditions of Scandinavia’s peculiar colony in the Midwest. It’s a legacy of the unique—shots of turpentine for the common cold—but also one of poor immigrants living in sod houses while their children attend college, the birth of the co-op movement, and government agents spying on Scandinavian meetings hoping to nab a socialist or antiwar activist.

This is a free event, and light refreshments will be provided.

On Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012 the Museum will host a wellness practices and techniques session with yoga instructor Jackie Penner-Lourdes.  Learn basic yoga, massage, trigger point and mediation techniques to relieve and manage aches, pains and stress in the New Year!

• Warm up with yogic sunrise salutations, standing and seated poses
• Learn massage techniques using a foam roller
• Target specific trigger points (muscle knots) with tennis balls
• Manage stress with simple breath and meditation practices

Cost: $30, includes a 1/4″ yoga mat, 12″ foam roller, two tennis balls and basic instruction on how to use them for massage and trigger point therapy in addition to (very basic) yoga, breathing and mediation techniques.

 

Price level

Admission $30.00 USD

Brunk Children’s Museum of Immigration 10th Anniversary Birthday Party

The Children’s Museum is hosting a “birthday party” family fundraiser to celebrate its 10th Anniversary on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012.  Children will be able to play in the Children’s Museum while adults enjoy an auction, raffle, and more in our main floor gallery.  There will be entertainment and fun for the whole family!  Cost: $25 for adults, children are free.  Please check back soon for more information.

 

Price level

Adult $25.00 USD Child (Ages 2 and Older) $0.00 USD Infant (Under 2 Years) $0.00 USD

“Film Screening of ‘The Emigrants’”

On Saturday, Feb. 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the Nordic Family Genealogy Center will screen the film “The Emigrants,” the 1971 film that follows the hardships of a group of Swedes who emigrate to Minnesota in the 19th century.  We will then discuss ancestors a part of such an emigration movement.

To learn more about the Nordic Family Genealogy Center, please click here. You may also e-mail genealogy@samac.org or call the Museum at 773.728.8111 and leave a message for the Genealogy Center volunteer.