Stepping inside the Scandinavian Festival gives a nod to its ancestry every way you turn.

The halls are filled with artisans sharing their whimsical pottery, hand-carved wood décor, and beautiful rosemaling. The sound of music and laughter chatters through the common areas that are decorated with Viking ships, Scandinavian flags, and photos from the past. The smell, oh the smell is that of sugar and simple deliciousness. Blend the sights, sound, and smell and you get the making of Malung Community Centers Annual Scandinavian Festival. An event that you won’t want to miss.  

This year, we talked to the right ladies and they were willing to share some of their family recipes and secrets that they learned while cooking for generations in Scandinavian kitchens here in Roseau County. We are sharing them with you as a way of honoring their heritage and carrying on the traditions. 

Rommegrot is a warm pudding that finds a way of bringing contentment to your soul. At the Scandinavian Festival, a kind lady handed out bowls of these simple, warm Norwegian puddings. She advised everyone to add some softened butter over the top and sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar. After finishing their first bowl, most festival goers went back for seconds. With more cinnamon and sugar the second go-’round. The pudding is wonderful, and she was willing to share her recipe.

Gracia stood with her apron on and chatted the way through the recipe. Her Rommegrot recipe is a simple mixture of milk, butter, flour, and salt. Romme translates to sour cream in Norwegian. Gracia told us if we want a tart taste add some sour cream to the mixture. When asked if she taught her grandchildren this recipe, she smiled and said of course! Traditions need to be passed on. In the old world, Gracia added, whenever a family had excess cream from milking the cows, Rommegrot was made as an affordable way to put food on the table and a smile on the face of those gathered.  

Gracia’s Rommegrot Recipe:  

• 1/2 lb. (2 sticks) of melted butter  
• 1 3/4 flour  
• 2 quarts whole milk (bring milk to boil) she uses a microwave to do this  3 T. sugar  
• Pinch of salt  
  
  Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and mix well. Add 1/3 of the milk and beat.  Continue adding milk 1/3 at a time. Beat until smooth. When it starts to bubble,  add sugar and salt. Mix well. Remove from stove and serve with butter, sugar, and cinnamon. 

The kitchen door was open and inside a couple of elderly men and women were busy inside. Huge pots of boiling water and large grinders were being put to good use preparing the potato dumplings for the event. Over the past few hours, 1000 pounds of potatoes were peeled. This event brings people from across the state to eat and gather to celebrate the rich history and culture preserved by the festival. In  Roseau, potato dumplings are often served with bacon, ham, or side pork. They are heavy dumpling that tastes best slathered in butter. It is another 5-ingredient recipe that tastes so good. Our recipe that we are sharing has been passed on by  Marian Gunderson to her daughter Pam Hetteen. It was a recipe that never needed to find its way to a cookbook as it was a staple meal in the Gunderson home. Pam remembers making dumplings with her mother at holidays and during hunting season. Her most important instruction was to keep stirring in flour until you cannot add any more. Many of the best cooks never measure anything. They just know by the look and feel. The fond memories of dumpling day with her 92-year-old mother make Pam smile just the same as you will when you try this recipe.  

Potato Dumplings:  

Shared by Pam Hetteen from her mother’s kitchen Marian Gunderson  

• 4 c raw finely grated potatoes  
• 1/2 c oatmeal  
• 1 T salt  
• 2 to 2 1/4 c flour  
• Small pieces of ham mixed in the dough…probably a cup or so if making Klub  
  
  Form into balls using wet hands. Drop in boiling water. Boil for 30 to 40 minutes depending on size. Stir occasionally as they will stick to the bottom of your kettle. It is better if you cook a ham bone in a pot of water first, as it gives the dumplings more flavor.  
  
  Serve hot with lots of butter. There are a few Scandinavians that like syrup on them also.  
  
  Note: When you are beginning to grind the potatoes, add some of the flour and oatmeal and mix so the potatoes don’t turn dark.  Now that you know a few of the secrets found in a Scandinavian kitchen, be sure to share the goodness with your families and friends.

If you like stand-up comedy, then you may have heard of Mary Mack.

Mary Mack is a favorite on radio shows and podcasts around the country, including The Bob and Tom Show, Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast, and The Grand Ole Opry.

Mary co-stars in the Hulu cartoon Solar Opposites by the creators of Rick and Morty. She has appeared in Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival, HBO’s Andy Kaufman Awards, San Francisco’s Sketchfest, and the clean Dry Bar comedy series.

Her television credits include Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, TBS’ Conan, and NBC’s Last Comic Standing and Last Call with Carson Daly.

Louie Anderson once described Mary as “…an original character from the Midwest that rings true. She’ll be telling you a joke about one thing, and then she’ll break off into a song about minnows.”

This is a rare opportunity to see her. Tickets to her shows in other cities sell for much more and tend to SELL OUT. Take advantage of this price and come see one of the top comedians in the country right here in Roseau. She will be on stage with Danielle Thralow and Patrick Degeest.

Join us for some much-needed laughter. Limited seating is available. Click below to score your tickets.

ABOUT DANIELLE THRALOW

Danielle has performed stand-up comedy throughout the United States. She won Miami’s Funniest and was the first runner-up of ACME’s Comedy Clubs’ funniest person in the Twin Cities. She is a frequent guest on the Los Angeles-based ‘Dat Phan and Friends. Danielle is the regular host of Dubh-Linn’s Pro Comedy Tour and the #1 comic on the Dark Web. 

Get your tickets here before they sell out.

Northern MN’s Best Snowmobile Trails

What does the word snowmobile mean to you? It can mean so many different things to each one of us. For some, it’s a way to get out to a favorite ice fishing spot on one of the many Minnesota lakes, or it may be a way to haul some needed supplies to various places around the farm. One person might cherish the moment they were being pulled by a snowmobile during a visit to a Christmas tree farm and headed out to the forest to find the perfect tree. For a friend of mine, a snowmobile is a way to make a living being a professional snowcross racer but never rides for fun. In my own childhood neighborhood, in the Twin Cities, the memory for one woman was a snowmobile was her only mean of transportation to the hospital during an epic snowstorm to deliver her baby! 

For myself, when I think of the word snowmobile, I hear and feel the word “family.”

I close my eyes and remember all of the amazing places and experiences my life has benefitted from that one Roseau, MN invention. Not growing up in Roseau, but growing up with a family of snowmobile enthusiasts, I was able to take part in some pretty amazing riding experiences. From the trails around the Minneapolis metro area, to the trails of Northern Wisconsin and all the way down to the river bluff areas of southern Minnesota, I have been riding everywhere. From Mountain tops to river valleys I’ve seen it all.  I have my favorite destinations to put the miles on but in 2010, I was fortunate enough to move to Roseau (home of Polaris) and learn a whole new system of trails to cruise and experience a one-of-a-kind adventure.  Whether you are a fast trail rider to make it from point A to B in a day or out for a Sunday relaxation cruise to enjoy a destination lunch to watch a game on tv at a local restaurant, Roseau has it all. I have done it all. I have loved it all. From experiencing such a variety of riding experiences, I am able to honestly say that each one is unique with Roseau County being at the top of the list. It’s pretty exciting we have this multipurpose, functional, and fun Roseau-made snowmobile to enhance the quality of our lives!

Let’s Go Riding! 

Let’s break down the riding options around Roseau County. Each choice gives you a variety of different scenery and ability. 

Leaving From Roseau

Depending on the amount of time/days you have riding in the area, you will have to decide what you want to want to see, experience, and accomplish.

• First, you want to make sure your fuel tank is full and grab a bottle of water or Gatorade from a local gas station.
• You can literally ride north, south, east, or west from the gas stations in town.
• Maps will be available even if your sled has a modern navigational system on it. I personally have a navigation system on my snowmobile but am still old school and prefer to look at a real paper map.
• Heading north out of Roseau you can make the choice, just before the Canadian border, either heading east or west. These trails are beautifully groomed by the Roseau County Trailblazers Snowmobile Club. If the trail runs along the road, which many do, they are groomed well. Any trails in the ditch are easy to ride, flat, and well-maintained.
• Most of the time, I would head north, then east along the border into Lake of the Woods territory. This alone is very unique and amazing experience. Depending on the time of year and ice conditions, a person can head out onto the well-marked Lake of the Woods to various locations and destinations or you can continue to ride trails along this amazing body of water into the town of Warroad.
• At times, my kids and I would ride from Roseau to the lake and meet up with my husband who had the fish house ready and lines in the water ready to catch our dinner. If the kids got bored fishing, we had the choice to ride into Warroad for dinner or find other friends out on the lake.
• As my kids got older, we would ride together to Warroad, from Roseau, fuel up and then continue along the various marked groomed trails either by lakes or trails to the next border town of Baudette, MN weather can determine many things as a snowmobile rider and my dad used to say, “If you wait for the perfect day, you might not get much riding in.” What I enjoy about riding in and around Roseau County is there are places to stop to warm up, fuel up, eat a snack or larger meal and carry on to the next point of interest! 

Another Amazing Snowmobile Trip is From Roseau to International Falls

This is an overnight trip but so worth it. There is a trail system you can take all the way to International Falls. If you have a couple of days to spend in the area, the doors open wide to one of the most beautiful riding spots in the world, Voyageur National Park. This National Park is a hidden gem and will take your breath away.

It is so fun to leave Roseau and depending on the weather, warm up with a hot chocolate in Warroad, fuel up in the next town west in Baudette and off you go to International Falls. Connecting trails really make the adventure fun and you get the fix of modern riding along with the freedom of feeling like you are exploring back in the French Voyageur days. You experience a little of all types of riding and have the option of several places to ride trails west or on a cruise along the shoreline of Lake of the Woods. When you get to International Falls, it’s magical when you get onto the wide-open Rainy Lake. The lights of the homes along the shore as you cruise on to your evening destination is breathtaking. It can be a little intimidating but oh so worth it.

Roseau to International falls is a trip for the bucket list. 

Heading south of Roseau you are welcomed by a north and south-groomed trail along Hwy 89. This brings back the most memories for me because my kids and I, at a very young age, were using this trail to take rides after school or on the weekends to the small town of Wannaska. Here we would fuel up and head inside the family-run gas station to visit the deer heads on the walls and local happenings while enjoying hot chocolate and a snack. This was a highlight of my kid’s childhood and we felt so lucky to be able to ride from our backyard and go on a small excursion to get some fresh air. The trail diverts in many directions and from my house I can watch the groomer go by as I wash the dishes from my kitchen sink. I can hop on my sled, cross the Roseau River and ride anywhere on designated trails. Between Roseau and Wannaska, which is only about 13 miles, there are two trails heading west that will take you in the direction of Greenbush, Strathcona, and eventually Thief River Falls (home of Arctic Cat). These trails will get you from point A to point B with great scenery of the fantastic farmland and views of the Red River Valley.  

From Wannaska, you can ride south and east.

This is where Roseau County has a small gift to the eyes. The trail heading to the east takes you past several farms and within a few miles you are in Beltrami Island State Forest. The Roseau River runs through it and it’s like a scene out of a Hallmark movie.

You pass the Espe Christmas Tree Farm on the edge of this beautiful 703,382 acre state forest and it just appears! Here in Roseau County, we have the state’s second-largest of 60 state forests. In this forest, there are five rivers that have their headwaters here! This trail through Beltrami will take your breath away. The trail winds around the damned up Roseau River (called Hayes Lake) and you will ride through massive pines and hardwoods. Gone are the fields that make Roseau County so bountiful and for a good part of your ride you feel like you are in the hilly, curvy trails that central Minnesota is known for.

While in Beltrami, you can stop and make a fire at the shelter, bring your fishing poles and catch supper or just cruise through the miles and miles of forest roads that are so abundant with blueberries in the summer. Not many people know about this special gift we have in Roseau and it’s worth the look. Heading south even further a person can head down to Four Town, fuel up, and make a decision to head back to Rosea or loop around and catch up with the many loops and route this trail system offers. My family has left Wannaska and Four Town and headed all the way towards Red Lake and south into Kehiler, Northhome, and down into Grand Rapids. No matter where we ride, our starting point has been Roseau and its options are infinite. 

Being that Roseau is a hub for history, engineering geniuses, passion, and just plain grassroots inventions of such amazing machines, it is a feeling of honor to make this town a destination to start one of your riding quests. Not only will you have the opportunity to visit the Polaris Experience Center, which is a 5,600 sq foot walk through history of Polaris but you can also have the opportunity to take a tour of the actual Polaris Factory. This town is amazingly welcoming and proud of what they have produced from passion to production over the past 65 years. Many from families who are now third-generation employees and engineers making a difference in the race to stay on top of the competition. The sacrifice people have put into this small town snow machine factory, on the Canadian border, far from any Target store or tourist attraction (other than Lake of the Woods), is a warm place to visit on a cold winter weekend.

You will never be the same and you will have gained an insight into how a small rural town full of farmers, fishermen, and hockey players created a jewel and called it Polaris.    

Author: Carrie Hedlund 

Axe throwing is exactly as great as it sounds!

When you walk into a new place, you decide within the first few seconds if you’re going to have a good time or not. Similar to darts, axe throwing is a sport in which the competitor throws an axe at a target attempting to hit as close as possible to the bullseye. It is a great team-building activity and a fun social event.

Indoor axe throwing is a great way to impress your date or at least have fun laughing and learning together. Axe throwing is also a great way to release that pent-up aggression. Moreover, there is no better way than to channel your inner Norse God. It is surprisingly appropriate for all skill levels.

Riverview Outdoors has four targets available and all you have to do is call for reservations or click the book now button on this link.

Here are the details you might be wondering about.  

• Cost: $20 per person, per hour 
• 4 targets available 
• Call for details and reservations or click the “Book Now” button above!
• Must be 18 years of age or older, or accompanied by an adult
• All participants MUST sign a waiver
• No personal axes allowed, must use the provided axe
• ROAR personnel has the right to refuse service to anyone who is assumed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol 
• Must wear close-toed shoes
• Ask them about hosting a birthday party or fundraiser

Find yourself a partner and try a dance lesson or two.  

Olivia and Daniel are a husband and wife dancing duo and parents of 3! Both coming from a background in competitive Latin ballroom dancing, Olivia and Daniel met and married while attending the same ballroom class in 2016. They both went on to compete on the national level from 2016-2019. Additionally, Olivia has over 20 years of dance experience in ballet, jazz,  contemporary, tap, lyrical, character dance and hip hop and is currently a ballet teacher at the Just for Kix Dance Studio in Thief River Falls. Olivia and Daniel are both California natives but traded sunshine for snow when they moved to Roseau 3 years ago! This October they are starting to offer dance classes in Roseau. Whatever music you tap your toes to this couple will teach you a few new moves.  

Below are the classes that they will be offering and details on attire.

SWING DANCE

Swing dance is a style of American social dance that originated in New York City between the 1920s and 1940s. It is characterized by its “swinging” rhythm and medium to-quick paced steps. Swing dance is always performed to swing music in a 4/4 time and can include lots of lifts, flips, and jumps. Though there are many types of swing dances, for this course we will be focusing on 6-count swing, also known as East Coast  Swing.  

LADIES SWING ATTIRE: Comfortable flat shoes or shoes with a low heel. Dress, skirt, or pants as desired!  

GENTLEMEN SWING ATTIRE: Comfortable flat shoes. Pants with a bit of stretch!  

SALSA

Salsa is a fusion of several styles of Latin dance including the Mambo, Rumba,  Bachata, and Tango that was developed primarily by Cubans and Puerto Ricans in  America. Salsa dance is popular for its rhythmic Latin music, hip action, and flirtatious tone. It is usually performed by taking three steps for every four beats of music. For this course, we will be exploring the basics of American Salsa.  

LADIES SALSA ATTIRE: Comfortable, open-toed heels that won’t slip off your feet  (preferably something with a strap). A skirt of your choosing–fringe, sequins and bangles are all encouraged!  

GENTLEMEN SALSA ATTIRE: Comfortable flat shoes or men’s Latin heels. Pants with a  bit of stretch!  

CHA CHA  

Cha cha is a Latin dance of Cuban origin made popular by the quick shuffling sounds of dancers’ feet. It is popular for its fast rhythm, quick footwork, and rapid hip action. Also known as the “cat and mouse chase”, Cha Cha is known for its coquettish tone and sense of playfulness between partners. Cha cha is danced in 4/4 time and includes 5 steps for every 4 beats. Though there are two main factions of Cha cha dance, or this course we will be learning the American style Cha Cha.  

LADIES CHA CHA ATTIRE: Comfortable, open-toed heels that won’t slip off your feet  (preferably something with a strap). A skirt of your choosing–fringe, sequins and bangles all encouraged!  

GENTLEMEN CHA CHA ATTIRE: Comfortable flat shoes or men’s Latin heels. Pants with a bit of stretch!  

COUNTRY SWING  

Similar to certain styles of Swing dance, Country Swing is a stylized form of swing dance performed to American Country music. It is heavily influenced by the American  West and includes undertones of Blues, Jazz, and Polka. Country Swing dance is always performed as pairs and can often include many lifts, dips and partnered spins.  For this course, we will be learning the basic lead and follow steps of Country Swing!  

LADIES COUNTRY SWING ATTIRE: Comfortable flat shoes, boots, or cowboy boots.  Pants, shorts, or skirt as desired– cowboy hats encouraged!  

GENTLEMEN COUNTRY SWING ATTIRE: Comfortable flat shoes, boots, or cowboy boots. Pants or jeans–cowboy hats encouraged!  

Are you ready to get a little swing in your step?  

Pricing is $75/ couple for the 4-week course or $25/ couple for a single drop-in.  

Every Thursday in October at 7 pm. The first class starts October 6th!  

Register soon by emailing roseauballroomdance@gmail.com or calling or texting Olivia at  (818) 584-5530. You can also check them out on Instagram @roseauballroomdance

“Seeing the Northern Lights is an Experience that is Bucket List Worthy” 

Are you seeking a view of the Northern Lights?  Do you want to see them swirl, dip, dance, dart and whirl their colorful light show across the darkness?  The northern lights, as the name tells you, are more prominent the further north you travel. This makes Roseau one of the best places in the lower 48 to sneak a peek at these dancing lights.

Best Place To See The Lights

The farm fields of Roseau County make for great hunting grounds for your next adventure to see the Northern Lights. The best place to see the northern lights is in flat areas so there won’t be trees and buildings obsuring your view. Driving out into farm country along the US and Canadian Border is perfect for gazing. Light from towns and cities can partially or completely block your view of these wonderful dancing lights, so make sure to be a few miles out of town for the best view.  

The less obvious reason why Minnesota is a great place to view the lights is more surprising. A large number of inland lakes! Unlike other places up north, Minnesota has over 10,000 lakes to boast as great viewing locations. Lake of the Woods, a shared lake between the United States and Canada offers a vast area for viewing. On a still night, it creates a mirror image for the lights to reflect off. This means that northern light chasers like you have a huge range of options to choose from! 

Northern Lights May Be Viewed During Any of the Four Minnesota Seasons

As for the best time to see the northern lights, you’ll have to become a true northerner and bundle up for a winter’s night. The short days and starry nights make northern light spotting much easier. The beauty of fresh evening snow and morning frost will be almost forgotten when you catch a view of the twinkling northern lights dancing across the star-filled sky. The lights paint a bright color across the winter night with a mysterious beauty that seems almost hypnotic. Though winter is the prime candidate for viewing seasons because of its short days, the seasons don’t truly have an impact on whether or not you can see the northern lights. For that, you’ll have to keep an eye on the weather in space. Specifically solar flares.

Thanks to Modern Technology, We Can Accurately Predict When the Northern Lights will be the Most Prominent. 

Some websites like www.spaceweather.com can tell you up to three or four days in advance! The northern lights are a stunningly beautiful experience, though taking pictures may be a bit difficult for the average person. Photographers recommend an exposure time of about 10 to 30 seconds for the best shot. The new cell phones have a setting that makes photographing easy. However, for the average smartphone user, the exposure time is capped at a few seconds. Just be sure to set the camera down to take the time and enjoy these beautiful lights at the moment.

Make your way to Roseau- Minnesota’s Winter City to discover the beauty for yourself.

Among the stars they tip toe

Careful not to wake the moon

Silently in brilliant colors

Reaching Stretching- across the northern sky.

On a clear night

They come out to play

Making a path across the white Milky Way

If one could capture their beauty

And hold for ransom it’s future to foretell

Would one’s life forever be changed?

Or changed forever be a life?

Kathy Snow

Photos shared by Angie Gregerson, Zack Manka, Kristi Bjerk taken September 1, 2022