Caledonia Argus

Sculptures bring heritage to life in Spring Grove

Posted: 5/14/02

A full day of activities is planned for Saturday, May 18, in Spring Grove as the city prepares to dedicate bronze statues of ìOla and Perî in Viking Memorial Park.

The history of Ola and Per goes back to a comic strip called ìHan Ola og Han Perî which was published in the Norwegian-language newspaper, The Decorah Posten. Its creator was Peter Julius Rosendahl, who was born near Spring Grove in 1878.

Ola and Per are two Norwegian immigrants struggling to make sense of the American way of life and find their place in it. His gentle, self-deprecating form of humor gave many Norwegian-Americans a much needed lift as they saw their own struggles portrayed with humor and empathy. Some of the strips could be characterized as violent, but no one ever got hurt

The strip was drawn between 1918 and 1935. The Decorah Posten, which at one time had a circulation of 45,000, gave away bound volumes of Ola og Per comic strips as gifts with subscriptions. It remains the longest running comic strip in history and is still published today in the Western Viking Newspaper in Washington State. The Western Viking purchased the Decorah Posten in 1972.

In January of this year, a fund-raising effort was begun to purchase two life-sized bronze statues of Ola and Per to be erected in Viking Memorial Park, Spring Grove.

The sculptor is Craig Bergsgaard, who was raised near Spring Grove and is a 1970 graduate of Spring Grove High School. Bergsgaard also created the Quest in Viking Park and a similar one in Rochester. He began work on Ola and Per four years ago, and commented, ìThis four year odyssey has had a profound impact on my life and the way I view my heritage and my country.î

Now living in Denver, Bergsgaard spent most of his career as a roofer, but always had creative pursuits as well. It was only five years ago that he began sculpting, first in clay then bronze, using the ìlost waxî method. He hopes one day to be able to sculpt full-time. Currently, his ìstudioî is his garage.

The surviving Rosendahl family has had input in the creation of the figures of Ola and Per, and the faces were reworked to capture the essence of the two immigrant men. Said Bergsgaard, ìI studied and studied more, and worked with clay on small sized heads, I was now aware of the maelstrom of emotions associated with their immigrant legacy. I understood the trials and tribulations of simple day-to-day life of the period. Dignified calmness personifies my image not only of Ola and Per, but also I have those images and memories of my parents and grandparents as well.î

Limestone has been hauled from the foundation of the old barn that stood on the Rosendahl family farm to form the foundation for the figures of Ola and Per, as well as a wall which will be behind them.

A full slate of activities

The unveiling of the statues will take place at 4 p.m., but a number of events will lead up to the dedication.

A ìBooks and Breakfastî event begins at 8 a.m. at the Fest Building. Serving is from 8:15 until 8:45, followed by a book signing. Several authors who have written about Spring Grove will be signing books, including Chad Muller (Spring Grove: Minnesotaís First Norwegian Settlement); Jane Briggs Palen (Soil, Timber and a Spring); Debbie Miller (They Chose Minnesota); John Christiansen (On Tychoís Island); Odd Lovoll (The Promise of American and The Promise Fulfilled); Joan Buckley (Han Ola og Han Per and More Han Ola og Han Per) and Joseph Langland (Quest and other Spring Grove Poems). A limited number of books will be available for sale.

Also available will be two books, The Historical Sketches of Percival Narveson and Peter J. Rosendahl: Norwegian American Artist which were a cooperative effort of Chad Muller and Georgia Rosendahl, daughter-in-law of Peter J. Rosendahl.

Other books related to Spring Grove will also be available at the Books and Breakfast Events, which is sponsored by Spring Grove Cooperative Telephone/Norsk Telecom.

At 10:15, a bus will leave for the West Cemetery for a Cemetery Walk led by Pastor Bill Fried, who will play the part of Peter Rosendahl. Other important figures from Spring Groveís past will also be portrayed. Halverson Bus Service is providing transportation.

Lunch will benefit youth trip

At 1 p.m., a Scandinavian luncheon will be served at Trinity Church by a youth group bound for Tanzania.

The group will be leaving for Africa in October and will be gone for 18 days, including days spent in transit. The group includes Pastor Zane Anderson, Steve Hoffman, Andrew Zaffke, Shirley Gangstad, Cody Bauer, Jace Washburn, Kristin Washburn, Erin Edwards, Lauren Langley, Anna Bingham, and Jenna Landsom.

Elaine and Jerry Orvold will entertain.

Matching funds will be given by Lutheran Brotherhood.

At 1 p.m., Dr. Dean Whiteway will present an organ recital at Trinity Lutheran Church.

Whiteway will play a varied program of composers from several centuries. The event is sponsored by Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center.

Another special musical program will begin at 3 p.m. when the Luren Singers, an 85-member male chorus from Decorah, perform at Trinity Church.

A pictorial stamp cancellation will be available beginning on May 18 and continuing for 30 days, Postmaster Patty McManimon-Moe will be cancelling items bearing uncancelled, first class postage near the Spring Grove library prior to the dedication, and at the Fest Building following the dedication until 6:30 p.m.

If you canít be present in person, you can still take advantage of the cancellation by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope inside a larger envelope stamped and addressed to:

Postmaster Come Home Station

P.O. Box 9998

Spring Grove, MN 55974-9998. The special stamp will be taken out of circulation June 18.

Dedication set for 4 p.m.

The highlight of the day, of course, will be the unveiling of the Ola and Per statues in Viking Memorial Park. Dignitaries scheduled to be on hand include Prof. Odd Lovell, King Olav Professor of Scandinavian Studies at Luther College; Darrell Henning, Director Emeritus of Vesterheim Museum in Decorah; Royal Norwegian consul Ole ÿveraas; poet Joe Langland; and artist Craig Bergsgaard.

Following the dedication, the Nordic Dancers of Decorah, will perform in front of Trinity Lutheran Church. The group of 24-32 dancers, who are in grades 6-11, appear in national costume and dance to live music provided by the groupís seven musicians. Willing participants may also get a lesson from the group. The event is sponsored by Wilmington Mutual Insurance.

At 6:15, Momís Meatball Dinner will be served at the Fest Building, followed by an auction to raise funds for the Ola and Per project.

The festivities conclude with a dance by the FootNotes at the Fest Building. The dance is sponsored by Spring Grove Bottling Works.

Video re-released

An Ola and Per video by Paul Burtness first released in 1981 has been re-released for the dedication. The video has been enhanced with an introduction by Greg Wennes and footage of the process of sculpting the life-size Ola and Per statues that will be dedicated Saturday.

The video can be seen throughout the day beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday at The Cottage, 115 West Main. Copies of the video are available for $15 each.

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