We just spent four days at the Hostfest in Minot. What a neat deal! We played music there but also enjoyed the many displays of crafts and foods from the Scandinavian countries. We were walking through the halls between our performances and met Diane Larson Sjol. She was wearing a Norwegian costume called a ‘bunad’ and was the absolute picture of Norway. She said the bunad was owned by an older friend of hers who was unable to attend and had asked her to wear it. Brenda also has a bunad from the Voss area of Norway. Each area has a certain style of dress and jewelery that is characteristic of that region only. The one Diane was wearing was from the Tromso region in northern Norway. She told us that her dad’s family was actually from the same region so the bunad was even more correct. I hope Diane has a picture of herself wearing this traditional costume that she would post for us. Until last year I didn’t know or care that much about these fancy costumes, but with a little more knowledge of their purpose and meaning I actually find them interesting. Brenda’s grandmother went back to Norway several times and each time she returned, she brought back the correct fabric and jewelry for a bunad for Brenda. Some of the jewelery the women were wearing in Minot was over 250 years old. I will attach a picture of Brenda at last years Hostfest wearing her bunad. She tells me that she hadn’t yet put on the jewelery when the picture was taken. Thanks Gary!

Dick