The Norwegian Christian Home was filled with festive cheer on Saturday as locals came together for a fundraiser benefiting the upcoming Norwegian Day Parade.
The celebration featured delicious food, lively music and a shared sense of community as residents — of Norwegian descent and not — gathered to support the longstanding cultural event.
Former Brooklyn politico Marty Golden thanked the neighborhood’s Norwegians for helping to lay the foundations of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and beyond.
“The Norwegians, many came in, many, many years ago,” Golden told Brooklyn Paper. “They helped build our schools, our churches, our hospitals, our homes. We’ve all come here — my parents came from Ireland, we all came from some place.”
The Norwegians, he said, came and made a mark on southern Brooklyn.
“What you’ve done for our city and our state, from [founding] the Norwegian Christian Home in Dyker Heights to to Lutheran Medical Center [now NYU-Langone Hospital-Brooklyn], what you guys have been able to accomplish, all I can say is, ‘Thank you,'” the former state senator told the crowd.
Among others, Golden thanked longtime parade organizer Arlene Rutuelo and George Jensen of the Norwegian Christian Home for their unwavering support of the annual march, which commemorates the signing of the Norwegian Constitution on May 17, 1814, and honors the Nordic heritage of Bay Ridge.
Formally known as the 17th of May (Syttende Mai) Parade, the march takes place each year, rain or shine, on the closest Sunday to the historic date, excluding Mother’s Day.
Bay Ridge was once home to one of the largest Norwegian communities in the United States. By the early 1900s, the area, along with nearby Sunset Park, had a well-established Norwegian enclave. While the Norwegian population in Bay Ridge has declined over the decades, the parade remains a beloved tradition, celebrating the neighborhood’s Scandinavian roots.
Guests at the March 1 pre-parade fundraiser enjoyed an afternoon of entertainment, with music provided by Elen Lindstrom, also known as the “Swedish Meatball.”
The 71st Annual Norwegian Day Parade is scheduled for Sunday, May 18. The procession, which kicks off at 1:30 p.m., follows a route down Third Avenue, beginning at 85th Street, turning up Fifth Avenue, and continuing to 67th Street, passing Leif Ericson Park before finishing between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.
Participants, many of whom don traditional Norwegian bunads, will march alongside floats showcasing Viking ships and scenes from Norwegian history.
For more information on the parade, visit 17thofmayparadecommittee-brooklyn.org.
Additional reporting by Arthur de Gaeta
