March 1997 Fálkinn, the ICCT Newsletter

37th Year, Number 4

PERFORMANCE

8:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 19th Unitarian Hall,
175 St. Clair Avenue West (near Avenue Road)

Members of the ICCT will have the chance to observe fellow members strut their stuff in a potpourri of items at an evening

Judging from the enthusiastic response of the invited performers, this will be an unusual evenings entertainment of music, drama, poetry and prose.

• Pearl Palmason is to play some violin pieces.
• A cast of six enthusiastic thespians is to read an excerpt from a recently discovered play about Iceland in the year 1240. Laura and Alys Richards will read from a children's Icelandic story, Thora's Island Home, which was written by their grandmother, Sylvia Sigurdson.
• Poems by two club members will contrast experiences and memories of Iceland and Manitoba.
• And Sigga Moore will read, in Icelandic with an English interpretation, a poem by one of Kathleen McDermott's Icelandic grandparents.

This will be a great evening for performers and audience.
Mark it down on your calendar, NOW!

Members $4.00
Non-Members $5.00
Coffee/tea/juice/goodies included
Nursery available

THORRABLOT 1997

6:30 P.M. Saturday, April 12th
North York Memorial Hall, 5110 Yonge St.

Our Annual Icelandic Food Night is in the planning stages again. Last year's event was so successful, that we have made few changes, except to be sure there is more food! Once again, we are going to be at the North York Memorial Hall, where both subway access and parking are easy.

We are currently rounding up all that delicious food, so if you can contribute anything, please let us know. This year's Thorrablot chairperson is Lorelie Mitchell, who is out in Manitoba right now lining up the hardfish! She'd like to put together a crew of young people (who get a small remuneration) to help out on the day,
so give her a call at (905) 845-1194 if you'd like to be part of this fun event. Raffle and silent auction items are also needed, especially those with an Icelandic or Nordic theme.

Entertainment will include dancing to the Kenny Kirkwood Trio as well as a toast to our Icelandic heritage by Tom Einarson, a past president of the club. We're trying to persuade our Icelandic class participants to give us a little song in Icelandic as well! In terms of price - we are holding the line again this year - adults will still be $25!

A ticket order form is enclosed. Avoid disappointment - book early for this popular event!

AGAIN, ICELAND LEADS IN ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION

Iceland is now in the process of studying the potential of using hydrogen as a fuel source to power Iceland's fishing fleet. They currently use fossil fuels that release an estimated 772,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year. By using hydrogen, the emissions would be virtually eliminated, but would also save a potential eighty two million dollars (Canadian funds). It is also feasible to produce this fuel source in Iceland, given that the country has its own vast hydropower resources. If successful, Iceland will have not only geothermal, but hydrogen fuel technologies to their environmental credit.

PROFILE - LEAH (GISLASON) SALT, SOCIAL CONVENOR

Leah's connection to the ICCT goes a long way back. Her grandfather Guy Gislason was a past president; he and her grandmother, Dorothy Gislason, joined the club shortly after it began. It was Dorothy who first encouraged Leah to take pride in her heritage; 'she told me stories, showed me pictures and one year brought back from Iceland, a stuffed pony named Snorey. This little horse still means a lot to me today'.

While studying at the University of Western Ontario, Leah was further inspired by research for a course on Symbolic Anthropology. She read translated versions of the Norse sagas, gained detailed knowledge about Iceland as a country, became acquainted with several Icelandic exchange students and began to investigate Toronto's Icelandic-Canadian community.

Leah's reawakened enthusiasm for her heritage has led her to join the ICCT executive as Social Convenor. Already her youthful energy has contributed to success of both the Nina-Margret Grimsdottir recital and the children's activities at the 1996 Christmas party. Leah hopes her involvement in the ICCT executive will result in more youth-centred events. 'We have to encourage the younger people. They are the Icelandic- Canadian community of the future.'

Welcome to the ICCT, Leah. We look forward to knowing and working with you for many years to come.

The Icelandic Canadian Club of Toronto Newsletter
FÁLKINN -THE FALCON

• Editor: Gail Einarson-McCleery
• Assisting Editors: Marilyn Ragna (Hurst) White, J. Baldur Steen

• ICCT EXECUTIVE

• President: Garry Oddleifson
• Vice-President: Gail Einarson-McCleery

COMING EVENTS:

• Wednesday, March 19th - 8:00 p.m. Unitarian Hall
  PERFORMANCE - Our heritage in words and music - a Potpourri of poetry, play reading, prose and music.(see P.1)
• Saturday, April 12th - 6:30 p.m. North York Memorial Hall
  Thorrablot - our annual Dinner-Dance featuring Icelandic foods and danceable music by the Kenny Kirkwood Trio. (see P.1).
• Tuesday, May 20th - 8:00 p.m. Annual General Meeting
  Includes Election of Officers - your chance to get involved!
• Whole month of June
  Northern Encounters features a whole range of events with artists from Iceland as well as other northern countries (see P.5)

OTHER EVENTS OF INTEREST:

• March 9 Scandinavian Club Spring/Easter Craft Decorations 3:00 p.m. Call Gunilla at 422-2666 for more information.
• March 19 Scandinavian Club Annual Meeting 7:30 p.m.
• April - Whole Month "Iceland - Europe's Wild Gem" to be screened with live commentary by film-makers John Wilson and Denice Wilkins at various locations in Ontario - all screenings at 8:00 p.m.
• April 1 Trenton - Trenton High School, 15 4th Ave.
• April 8 Toronto - Leaside High School, 200 Hanna Rd. April10 Mississauga - Port Credit Secondary School, 70 Mineola Rd. E. (east of Hwy. #10, south of QEW)
• April 11 Cambridge - Tassie Hall, Galt Collegiate, 200 Water St. North
• April 17 London - Centennial Hall, 550 Wellington St.
• April 18 Kitchener - Humanities Theatre, Univ. of Waterloo Later in April -20th North Bay;
• April 22 Dundas; April 24 Belleville;
• April 25 Woodstock; April 29 Barrie (Locations and times in April newsletter)
• March - August King Edmund's Medieval Fayre
• Our Viking expert, Thorsteinn Helf, tells us of the following:
  • Sat. March 1 Lindsay Armouries, 210 Kent St. W. Sat. April 26 Dick Ellis Arena, Belleville
  • Sat. May 24 Barrie, Ontario (all these open 12:00 - 10:00 pm)
• Others coming up - Kingston in June, and Trenton in July.
• Also, Orangeville will host "Canada's Medieval Festival"
• June 13-18 Danish Heritage Seminar Perth-Andover, N.B. The Seminar will focus on the Danish community of New Denmark, the Acadians, the native Indians of the area the local industry and other Danish topics, folk dancing, etc. For more information, or to register - Rolf Christensen (613) 747-9764

THANKS TO...

Ellen and John (Sigurdson) Gilmore, Chris Morden, Michael O'Brien and Jon Asgeirsson for bringing us such an interesting program about Iceland on February 19th.

WELCOME TO:

Bill Hurst, who becomes our new Ontario Representative to the Icelandic National League. Bill, who is a past president of the club, looks forward to this new challenge.

NEW MEMBERS:

Elaine (Arnason) Rutherford of Toronto, whose ancestors homesteaded in North Dakota, Gimli and Saskatchewan.

James Edward McIntosh of Agincourt, Ontario, who became interested in the club when he attended Nina-Margret Grimsdottir's recital.

Denice Wilkins and John Wilson of Tweed, makers of the excellent documentary, Iceland, Europe's Wild Gem.

MILESTONES:

Bjorn (Chester) and Joyce Helgason celebrate their 55th anniversary on March 7th. They were married at Brighton, Sussex, England, at the Registry Office for 10 shillings ($2 Can.) Chester had enlisted on September 7th, 1939, and served with the 1st Canadian Division in England; he was wounded in Sicily in August of 1943 and finally released from hospital in Sept., 1945.

Happy 75th Birthday to Helga L. (Holm) Kristjanson of Collingwood, who was born on March 26th, 1922.

Belated birthday wishes to Milton Laxdal of Oshawa, who was 80 on December 12th. His wife Anne turns 83 on March 6th.

Irvin Tryggvi Frederickson of Peterborough celebrated his 84th birthday on February 1st.

Marion Johnson is turning 90 on March 3rd! She is the widow of our former Honourary Consul, J. Ragnar Johnson and mother of our current Consul, Jon Johnson. She is still living on her own, climbing stairs, and enjoying her grandchildren. The eldest was married in May, and she is delighted that he can speak Icelandic.

PASSINGS:

Irene Frederickson Burns (Baldur, MB Feb. 2, 1915 - Cobourg, ON May 22, 1996) Irene was one of ten children; she and her husband had a bakery in Baldur and Crystal City before moving to Oshawa in the late 1930's. She is survived by her daughter Louise and husband Dan Fernan and two grandchildren, as well as brothers, Irvin Tryggvi of Peterborough and Chris of Winnipeg and sisters Winona of Baldur, Ann of Winnipeg and Christine of Bowmanville.

FREEDA KOLFYNNA (EINARSON) THOMPSON
Hekkla February 20, 1907 - Petrolia January 29, 1997

Freeda was the youngest of nine children of Jacob Einarson and Jorunn Pallsdottir, who were married April 19, 1888 and made their home in Hekkla, on the farm Bjarnarstodum which was willed to them by Bjarni Snabjornsson in 1897 at his death. Born in Iceland, Jacob came to Canada about 1878, Jorunn came in 1887. Freeda and her husband Cliff were married in Muskoka and lived most of their married life in Wyoming, ON. Freeda is survived by her husband Cliff of Wyoming and son Peter, who lives in Sarnia.

Attending the funeral were Freeda's nieces and nephews - Eileen Martin, Murray Grenke and wife Donna of Milton; Jean Davis of Streetsville; Edith Smith of Ullswater; Ivan Waters, brother Kenneth and wife Sandra of Wyoming.

NEW WEBSITE ADDRESS:

Our Website has moved, along with our Webmaster, Larry Sigmundson. The new URL is: http://www.cgocable.net/~lsigmund Now icct.info

Take another look at it ... Larry has made some improvements and included a Discussion Segment, where we can all talk about things we are happy about, or things we aren't happy about!

WE GET LETTERS / E-MAILS

EDVARD MUNCH

Now here is something to shout about. Very soon we will be able to see a scream ... the SCREAM, the most talked about scream in the world of art, and it is coming to the Art Gallery of Ontario in a show of works by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, opening February 28th.

After months of negotiations, the AGO director and curators managed to persuade the Norwegian owners to allow the work to be included in an exhibition of Munch's prints ... the prized oil painting has never before been allowed to leave its home in Norway.

In a way, it is fitting that the painting is coming to Toronto because, as many of you know already, Northern Encounters, the month long festival of the arts, is due to take place here in June. The show at the AGO should be a "must see" for everyone.

REGISTRY TO BOOST ICELANDIC RELATIONS

The effort to register all Icelanders and people of Icelandic origin in the United States and Canada is off to a good, but slow start. Most Icelandic Canadian and Icelandic American Associations and Honourary Consuls of Iceland have already distributed the registration form. So far, the best response has come from the west, with Icelanders in California leading.

This project, initiated by requests from Icelanders living in North America, has gained support financially from the Icelandic government. Fostering and developing further ties between Icelanders and West Icelanders, as those that left the old country are usually referred to back home, remains the primary purpose. Providing genealogical research provides a secondary reason; this might become invaluable for medical research in the future.

The Statistics Bureau of Iceland will keep, maintain and update this list for the above purpose only. The list will not find its way to commercial businesses, nor will government agencies use it. It may only be used for making available information about opportunities to acquire Icelandic cultural products, information about travel to and within Iceland, and information about possibilities of investment and other activities in Iceland.

A special committee for promotion of relations between Iceland and persons of Icelandic descent in North America will oversee this task. The committee has two co-ordinators in North America: Mr. Atli Steinarsson in St. Cloud, Florida and Mr. G. Ray Johnson in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba.

The first batch of completed forms reached the National Registry at the Statistical Bureau in Reykjavik in February of 1996. This included 500 names from all over the United States and 200 from Canada.

LOGBERG-HEIMSKRINGLA HAS A NEW EDITOR!

Vanessa Orlando has joined the staff of our national weekly paper as Managing Editor/Office Manager. An energetic young woman with an impressive background in journalism and corporate publishing, Vanessa comes to us with an open mind and fresh ideas.

In her new role, she is anxious to find out more about our community, what we want to see in the paper, what is important to us, what events are taking place in our areas. In an interview with her, she was very appreciative of the fine work which has been done by all the contributors in the past, and hopes it will continue. To augment these pieces, she plans to assign journalism students to various stories, which until now have not had as much attention as they deserve. Eventually she would like to have a "road map" 4 to 6 weeks in advance of what is coming up and be able to ensure that she gets coverage of all events. A regular feature she would like to see would provide specific coverage from all the settlement areas, including the U.S., where there is much room for expansion in both coverage and sales.

Her first priority is to get the business side in order, with computerization and streamlining. Former Office Manager Sandra Dumas, who has left to have her third child, is now a Director, but is giving freely of her time to help in the transition period. "I'm so pleased that Sandra is making herself available to help me get started" said Vanessa. Another name familiar to our readers, Gunnur Isfeld, continues as Icelandic Editor and is proving invaluable in "indoctrinating" Orlando in the peculiarities of Icelanders. Tom Oleson will also lend his strength, as he becomes a Contributing Editor. Kevin Jon Johnson continues in his role as President of the Board, setting the agenda and guiding the "whole ship".

Vanessa comes from a tightly-knit Italian-American community and is excited about exploring the Icelandic community - "I didn't know much about Iceland until the Reykjavik Summit - this job gives me the chance to explore a whole community I was unfamiliar with". She is starting that exploration with a cram course via textbooks and videos supplied by Kevin Jon Johnson.

On the personal front, Vanessa "plays with her own writing", while keeping active physically - this summer, she is planning a 2200 km bike trip from B.C. to Winnipeg, a companion trip to last year's 2,800 kilometre ride from Winnipeg to Atlanta, Georgia. Both rides are fund-raisers and awareness campaigns for Habitat for Humanity - a volunteer group she works with. Last year's ride resulted in five new homes for five families. This winter she took up cross-country skiing, although she's found this year's weather a little cold for it. When asked how she was enjoying Winnipeg, she said "Depends what time of the year you ask me ... we came from Savannah, Georgia where my husband was a U.S. Customs Inspector, and where we never got winter! Apart from the difficult winter weather, I enjoy Winnipeg because it is such a sophisticated city, with its ballet, symphony and Theatre."

Vanessa has sent a letter to clubs and individual contributors across the country, introducing herself and asking us to be "a part of the team that builds this meeting place and makes it the focal point of a vibrant community". We wish her well in her endeavours - we will all be richer for a stronger Logberg-Heimskringla.

FOUR ICELANDIC AUTHORS FEATURED AT HARBOURFRONT READING SERIES

From June 9 to 14, the Harbourfront Reading Series will host a series of readings in English, featuring 24 authors from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Four authors will appear each of the six nights of the Literary Festival.

Each author will also be given the opportunity to read for 15 minutes in his or her native language.

Representing Iceland are Einar Mar Gudmundsson, Einar Karason, Matthias Johannesson, and Thor Vilhjalmasson. Finnish authors Gosta Agren, Monika Fagerholm, Olli Jalonen, Leena Krohn and Lassi Nummi will also appear, along with Ernst Brunner, Theodor Kallifatides and Peter Kihlgard from Sweden. The renowned author of Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder, will represent Norway, along with Roy Jacobsen, Pernille Rygg and Kjell Askildsen. Among the authors from Denmark will be Svend Age Madsen and Soren Ulrik Thomsen.

The Literary Festival is one more component of the Northern Encounters Festival of the Arts, which features artists in various fields from all the nations bordering the Arctic Circle performing in Toronto during the month of June.

Admission to each Northern Encounters Literary Festival event is $10, free for Harbourfront Reading Series Members and Patrons. A $53.50 festival pass is also available. Events will take place in the Brigantine Room of the York Quay Centre, 235 Queens Quay West at 8:00 p.m.

Our club will be involved in various ways during the Festival; if you would like to help by advertising in the Festival program or in any other way, please contact Fran Moscall at 221-6453.