Hvad er nyt?
(What's new?)
May in Colorado brought showers and snow. The first day of summer was cold, and in the mountains, over 1 1/2 feet of snow, with skiing until the fourth of July. Then comes June 27 and the temperatures are in the 90s. Welcome to Colorado where the weather keeps you guessing.
Since our President, Birgitte Jappe Ross has moved to Louisiana, the Board members have graciously accepted the role of acting President at the meetings until elections in November. In April, Past President, Chris Hix presided over the meeting and in May, Theresa Sorenson. We had two presentations: Ethel Jergensen Evans gave a very informative talk about the migration of Danes to the U.S. starting in the 1800s. She spoke of the difficulty, time and expense of immigrants packed in steerage compartments for 4-8 weeks. She personalized her story by telling of her own families start as immigrants. Melinda (Mindy) Brown told of her great-grandfather (Rev. Mathias Nissen Andreasen (1871-1943) being presented the King Christian X’s Liberty Medal. The medal is awarded for special services to Denmark during World War II during the German occupation. The medal was awarded to those having contributed to Denmark’s survival from abroad. Congratulations to Sister Bergen Evans who is a 2019 high school graduate and a recipient of the Betty Hansen Scholarship for $2500. We are so excited for Sister Lynne McEarchen who is doing well after surgery and the completion of her cancer treatment. She’s back to work and coming to Sisterhood meetings. In the early years of Ellen Lodge 21, meetings were held in a variety of “Halls” near downtown Denver. One in particular has become significant. From 1905 to 1920 the Brotherhood and Sisterhood meetings were held at 2700 Arapahoe St. (Dania Hall). The new owner of the building, Meghan Frank, contacted Pia Edgar a couple months ago requesting information about the years Ellen Lodge resided at this address. Since the annual picnic on June 15 was approaching, Pia invited Meghan to join us. There were 32 in attendance (including Meghan and her mother, Molly Frank), so she was able to pick our brains about the history of the Sisterhood and traditions from the past (passwords, being blackballed). Ellen Lodge artifacts, including our Heritage Book with snippets of past meetings, were on display for her research. The reason for her interest in the Sisterhood: Meghan is the artistic Director of the Artibus Theatre which will be housed on the 2nd floor of the building. She is developing a play about the different clientele that occupied space at 2700 Arapahoe since it was built in 1899. Meghan has invited us to take a tour of the building which is known as Savoy at Curtis Park. In its heyday, Five Points, where the Savoy is located, was well known for its music scene and social clubs with large wooden ballroom floors just like the Savoy’s. In the 21st century the area is becoming an integral part of Denver’s revitalization. We are so excited to visit the building, to be part of the play and of course, go see the play at its completion. It was great meeting Meghan and Molly, and we wish them a prosperous future with her historical building and the Artibus Theatre. This was our 3rd year to spend a day in the mountains at the “Edgar Resort for our June picnic. Pia, Sam Edgar and family, along with Pia and Renee Hansen were perfect hostesses. As always, the picnic had a theme and this year: Pølse Traditions, Pølser and Pølsevogne – Sausages and Sausage Carts – Hotdogs and hotdog stands. They even had aprons that said “Pia’s Pølse Vogn and Sam’s Sausage Cart“. I knew the Danes love their hotdogs, but I did not know one could actually make a very difficult quiz about the history of hotdogs, but leave it to Pia. There were 15 questions and most of us failed it miserably. And who got more right than anyone? The youngsters. I’m not sure, but I don’t “think” you’d know the answers without Google. Just sayin!!! :-) As mentioned before, Colorado had a very wet Spring and Mother Nature did not disappoint on the day of the picnic. By the time most of us arrived and said our hellos, the rain came down. But as Pia found out last year, their property can accommodate 32 of us inside as well as out. No matter the location, everyone always has a great time visiting and enjoying the yummy food (including boiled and grilled beef and pork hotdogs) supplied by the Sisters and friends attending the picnic. We all went home with a bag of “Sasquatch (Bigfoot) Turds” – Wildflower clay seed bombs. All you have to do is chuck em anywhere. Can’t wait to see what they grow up to be. Ellen Lodge will have a caravan travelling to Omaha for the National Convention. We hope to see you there. Chris Jensen Hix – Past President
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No. 21This is a collection of articles written and compiled by members of DSS Ellen Lodge #21. Check in to find anything Lodge related or to find important Danish news! Archives
November 2023
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