#27: Norsk Hostfest

By GoneTrippinPodcast | August 10, 2018 |

At the beginning of each autumn, tens of thousands gather for the largest Scandinavian Festival in all of North America in Minot, North Dakota. Join Ren and Cam as they interview Leann, Marketing Director of Norsk Hostfest. With a great Midwestern accent, they talk all things Scandinavian, learn about the misconceptions of Vikings, and reminisce about the beginnings of Santa Claus.

You can download this episode from your favorite podcast listening app (how?) or listen to it below. Check here for links, photos, and any video talked about during the show!

Drink of the Day

While glogg (pronounced ‘glag’) would have been perfect for this Scandinavian episode, the high alcoholic content makes it not-so-great for road trips. Our hosts went with a Hibiscus Berry Cream Soda instead and added some danish butter cookies. Who doesn’t like cookies?

Guest Spotlight

Norsk Hostfest (pronounced ‘hust-fest’) celebrates all things Scandinavian! There’s Viking Village, a youth camp, concerts, shopping, storytellers, and food galore. With so much to do, it’s no wonder you can’t squeeze everything in to four days.

Minot, North Dakota’s sister city is Skien, Norway (you’re on your own for pronunciation) and send delegations to the festival each year. They’re expecting over 55,000 to visit and with headliners like Tanya Tucker, the Beach Boys, and Michael Bolton, it’s sure to be a good time.

Norsk Hostfest is September 26-29, 2018 in Minot, North Dakota. For more information and for tickets, visit their website here.

Movie Madness

You can’t interview someone from North Dakota and not talk about Fargo. And while it’s not recommended for Ren, check out some of the other movie and TV shows talked about on this episode:

Fargo (the movie), starring William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, and Frances McDormand
Fargo (the tv series), starring Billy Bob Thorton, Martin Freeman, and Allison Tolman
Krampus, starring Adam Scott, Toni Collette, and David Koechner
Relative Race, a reality TV show where contestants race to find their own relatives across the country
Bobby’s World, a TV series from the 1990s where a boy named Bobby Generic creates adventures using his overactive imagination
The Lutefisk Wars, a rural frozen food delivery man is mistaken for someone else and ends up in the middle of an ancient feud between two Norwegian Mafia Families.

Food Favs

Don’t miss En To Tre, the festival’s fine dining experience presented by Sons of Norway, with limited seating. Make sure to grab a reservation early for their six-course Norwegian dinner.

Leann assures us it is impossible to eat your way through this festival, so make sure to try your favorites along with something new and unique from the plethora of Nordic cuisine! A variety of fish, danish cookies, almond bread, rice pudding, maybe some reindeer, and for the daring, lutefisk.

Bucket List

If you find yourself near North Dakota, be sure to see Leann’s Top 5 Must-See for her state:

Norsk Hostfest
North Dakota State Fair
Medora, North Dakota, right next to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Peace Garden
Last, but not least, a visit to Fargo, North Dakota

Random Tidbits

The Bismarck donut was in fact named after Otto von Bismarck, who is not of Scandanavian descent, but of German. There is some debate of what exactly a Bismarck donut consists of: is it custard filled? Creme filled? Tell us your version of a Bismarck in the comments below!

More Listening

It’s not Medievil larping, but to hear more about reenactments, check out the interview with John Green about the Civil War and check out this post where Ren and Cam go visit.