St. Charles Norwegian-Americans met Norway’s parliament president Friday, July 5.
Nancy and Arthur Andersen met Masud Gharahkhani, Norway’s parliament (Storting) leader, at the Geneva Public Library.
He was accompanied by Susan Meyer, Norwegian honorary consul for Illinois and Wisconsin. The event was sponsored by Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce of Chicago.
In addition to roundtable discussions with local business leaders and residents, Gharahkhani visited a replica Nordic ship on display at Good Templar Park in Geneva. Dubbed The Viking, it sailed from Bergen, Norway to Chicago for the 1893 Columbian Exposition World’s Fair.
The Storting (parliament) president made stops in Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota before a July 8 NATO summit in Washington, D.C.
The Andersens are members Sons of Norway Polar Star Lodge 5-472 which meets on first Sundays at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Montgomery.
Minneapolis-based Sons of Norway reaches the largest Scandinavian-American audience in North America. The organization promotes and preserves the heritage and culture of Norway, celebrates Norway’s relationship with other Nordic countries and provides insurance and financial products to members.
—Al Benson