EDMONDS
Erlene Stevenson fell in love with Norway and its people.
“I just felt such identity with the country,” she said.
But Stevenson, 72, grew fond of all things Scandinavian long before she traveled to Norway. She learned about the country right here, in Edmonds.
Erlene Stevenson is a member of the local Sons of Norway lodge. Her husband Bob Stevenson is the lodge’s president.
The organization brings together local Norwegians and Norwegians at heart, Bob Stevenson said.
The group on July 25 held a pancake breakfast, an event that helps raise money for scholarships and youth camps.
“We had lots of fun,” Erlene Stevenson said.
There was Norwegian music and dancing.
About 400 people turned up, and lots of kids were among them. The Sons of Norway feeds children under 5 for free.
The Stevensons joined Sons of Norway more than 20 years ago. For Bob Stevenson, it became a way to connect to his heritage. For Erlene Stevenson, it became a passion she discovered and embraced.
“We say I have Viking blood in me,” she laughed.
Bob Stevenson grew up in the tight Norwegian community in Edmonds. He has known some fellow lodge members since high school. It’s a connection he will continue to value for the rest of his life.
Younger families often pull away from the immigrant community but feel the need to return to their roots later in life, he explained.
The lodge offers opportunities to learn the Norwegian language and culture, and to find out more about other Scandinavian countries.
Members also find ways to get children interested in their heritage.
Lodge members often take part in the city’s Fourth of July parade and the 17th of May parade in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood.
Over the years, the lodge gave Bob Stevenson so much. He volunteers as a guide for vision and mobility impaired cross-country skiers through the Ski for Light program.
It’s a tough, rewarding job for everyone involved, Bob Stevenson said. The skiers come twice a month in the winter.
“They are ready for anything. They don’t get discouraged,” Erlene Stevenson said.
Katya Yefimova writes for the Herald of Everett.
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