Featured this year at the Junction City Scandinavian Festival

Ukranian Dancers from Alberta, Canada:
Veselka
This year we are thrilled to feature the return of , Veselka, If you missed them in 2007 now is your chance. And if you did see them, you already know to arrive early for best seating!

In 1983, few expected that a group of friends learning to dance for exercise and fun, would be the beginning of one of Canada's many prized Ukrainian dance ensembles. Slowly but surely, each year passed with new skills gained, an increase in dancers, and a special spirit building. Veselka was beginning to take shape. Twenty-four years later, this spirit has endured as countless audiences have since raved over Veselka's character, humor, and unique style of presenting Ukrainian traditions through dance and song.

Over 30 members strong, aged 19 to 50, Veselka has performed at numerous functions ranging from weddings and celebrations to festivals and special events. While most performances have been in the home province of Alberta, Veselka has toured across Canada, dancing at festivals in Dauphin, Montreal and Ottawa. You won’t want to miss this exciting visiting dance group!

Visiting Musicians from Arizona:
Southwest Volksband
Although musicians Jim and Shirley O'Brien live in Tucson Arizona, they have visited Junction City and the Scandinavian Festival many times over the past decade. Both grew up in Oregon and this year and have performed for several years at the Bandstand at the Mt. Angel Oktoberfest. We are pleased to welcome them this year as they play and sing songs from several countries.
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Slavic Folk Dance Duo
Matryaoshkas
Matryaoshkas is a young and vibrant Slavic folk dance ensemble. It's considered to be one of the most colorful and talented folk ensembles on the west Coast. It emerged only recently but it is already loved and well-known by the local community. All the dances and costumes are created according to the Slavic traditions by two dancers Tanya and Bogdana.

Brand New Railroad Room Unveiled
N.L. Lee Historical Museum

The Festival is always a great opportunity to visit the museums (since they normally open only a few times each month) but this year is very special as they are working on a room in the Dr. N.L. Lee House Museum for use as an interpretive display of the railroad in Junction City's history. (Many people don’t know that Junction City actually got its name when it was created to become a railroad junction.)
Although the display is geared toward school age children, adults will love it as well. The room features a "box car" in which you can enter and learn all about transporting our agricultural and wood products There is a small train set for youngsters to play with while adults can peruse maps and a timeline of the railroad history. A question and answer area is set up to test the knowledge you have gleaned from the display. You can also view a short 10 minute film which gives the history of A Town of the Railroad. There will be a ticket booth and a dress up station for kids. The walls are lined with photos and signage.

There’s one more great reason to make the museum a stop at the Festival
Moments in Time , a nationally acclaimed Eugene diorama company is creating a 4 foot by 5 foot replica of our town in dating about 1913! It will include both the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Oregon Electric Railroad and many of the buildings that were there at the time. Almost all the parts are handmade and will be of the HO railroad scale size. It will be a great tool in teaching this aspect of our towns history to our students and adults as well. Moments in Time staff members will be on hand part time during the festival working on the diorama.

Heavenly Music from a Eugene Performer
Noah Brenner

Relax with the gentle sounds and consummate musicianship of Eugene artist Noah Brenner. He'll be playing every day at different times, and some performances will be held in the Art Courtyard, giving you and opportunity to listen to him more intimately in a more traditional setting.
LISTEN

Authentic Dance Group
Leikarringen of Portland
This year the Scandinavian Festival welcomes back Leikarringen of Portland!
Leikarringen of Portland is proud to carry on the tradition of Scandinavian dancing via their multi-age performing group. The word Leikarringen loosely translate to "ring" (or circle) dancers. We perform traditional dances from a variety of Scandinavian countries including Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and a few from neighboring countries as well. Their dance ensemble has three groups with varying age levels. Children begin their dance experience at age 4 years.
The group is open to any interested no matter their dance experience! They are sponsored by the Daughters of Norway, Frida Hansen Lodge.
Performing twice only: Saturday at 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm.

OUR ANNUAL PAGEANT:
"Fifty Years of Festival, Family, and Friends

Each year writer/director David Vaughan produces a new Pageant; and this year he's gone all out to celebrate our fiftieth festival!
It will present the history of Junction City and the Festival set to music..Selections from "Suite for Festival-Forbindelsestad", a 22 minute suite of music will be a good portion of the background as well as dance tunes throughout the play.
The Festival Singers will sing the words and music to "Aebleskiver Schottishe" and "Windmill Polka" as part a segment of the Pageant and, "Water Tower Hambo" will be performed between the schottish and the polka.
Then you'll seef Engine #50 and pick-up the history of our area with the first scene of the play "Lancaster - The Scrapin'est Port on the Willamette" with a cameo from none other than Ben Holiday himself. You'll see Junction in the 1900's as our local Fire Department rushes in to save our town from a devastating fire.
Finally it will honor our chorus, our dancers and our volunteers before we close the Pageant with our national anthem and the nation anthem of the country-day at Festival.