Every Friday. Swedish Kafé & Happy Hour! Smörgås sandwiches, Swedish meatballs, and homemade Swedish pastries. Sandwiches by Svedala Bakery. Kafé from 12 noon on. Semlor from now till Easter. Evening food by Swedish chef Ann-Margret varies weekly. Food starts at 6 p.m. Always a fantastic view. 5-10:30 p.m. 1920 Dexter Ave. N. Check out our and join us for dinner.

Every week. Swedish Language Classes. We offer several different levels of instruction: Beginners 1 & 2, Intermediate, Advanced and Conversational Swedish. Conversational Swedish is Friday at 12 noon, and other classes are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings. Call 206-937-0441 for more information and to register. $70 for SCC members, $95 non-members.

Every Friday. Library & Genealogy. Our Friday librarian and genealogist will guide your genealogy research or help you find a book. 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Every Friday. Matinee. Scandinavian films with English subtitles. $5 donation. 2 p.m. Arrive early for a sandwich or stay later for fika in our Kafé. Every Friday Evening. “The Vikings.” Enjoy a “Great Courses” 30-minute lecture on the Vikings. DVD recorded class by Kenneth Harl of Tulane University. Runs all winter, a new lecture each Friday. 5:30 p.m. Free. Discussion afterward led by Kelly Hughes.

Friday, Feb. 26. Swedish Folkdance. Live nyckelharpa music by Sprida Ut. We’ll waltz, shottis, hambo, etc. Lesson by Pat McMonagle, 7:30–8. Dancing 8–10:30. $8 members, $10 guests.

Wednesday, Mar. 3. Members & Friends Dinner, 1st Wednesday! “Viking Art” will be the program, presented by artist Jay Haavik, who was recently asked to oversee the carvings for a replica of a Gildehall (banquet hall) being constructed near Tonsberg, Norway over the next several summers. He is also the recipient of a 2003 and 2006 Norwegian Marshall Fund Fellowship to study and work at Oslo's Viking Ship Museum and to carve a replica of the Urnes Stave Church Portal in Borgund, Norway. In response to the popularity of the SCC's Viking lectures each Friday evening, we've invited Jay to speak at our March Members & Friends dinner. He will describe Viking-era art in Sweden, using the rune stones of Shilshole Bay Marina's Leif Erikson plaza as his starting point. Of all the Nordic countries, Sweden has the greatest number of rune stones.

Three-course meal for $18. RSVP by Tuesday, Mar. 2, to Membership Coordinator or call 206-283-1090. Late RSVPs and walk-ins $22. Social hour 5:30, dinner 6:30, program 7:30. In the Three Crowns Room.

Take home a loaf of limpa (sourdough rye bread) or mandelfläta (cardamom bread with almond paste) from Svedala Bakery. We’ll have about 20 loaves available for sale at the dinner. When you RSVP, you can reserve a loaf or two to purchase and enjoy at home.

Wednesday, Mar. 3. Book Club.
We’ll read the next in the Stockholm series by Per Anders Fogelström: Barn of sin stad (Children of Their City). Read in English or Swedish; discuss in English. To buy the book, contact Randy at 206-937- 0441 or 5:30 p.m. Free.

Friday, March 5. Happy Hour: All about ABBA. People are still talking about last year’s ABBA night…so put on your platforms and throw on some sparkle for our second annual Absolut ABBA Disco Party! Absolut Vodka drink specials, DJ, dancing. Suggested donation $5 for members, $10 for guests.

Saturday, Mar. 6. Sofia Talvik.
Swedish singer/songwriter performs at the Nordic Heritage Museum (3014 NW 67th). 8:30 p.m. Tickets: $22.50 to $25. Sofia also performs Friday, Mar. 5, in Everett. Tickets at World Sound. Info: 206-789-5708.

Sunday, Mar. 7. Swedish Pancakes.
Music and dancing make it the best food and entertainment in town. Music by Spelmanslag, Vi Aro Musikanter, and Nordiska folkdancers and musicians. Real Swedish pancakes, ham, lingonberries and all the fixin’s. $8 guests, $6 SCC members, children 5–12 $4. 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

Sunday, Mar. 7. Genealogy Session.
Come at 1 p.m. to learn your own genealogy, or to help others get started! Led by real genealogists. Free.

Sunday, Mar. 14. Påskris och Semlor.
Join us to make a påskris (feathers and twigs) bouquet for your home. Bring colored feathers if you have them. $5 suggested donation. Kaffe, varmt choklad and semlor. 1–3 p.m. Please RSVP to or call 206-283-1090.

Sunday, Mar. 14. Swedish Concert.
“How Swede It Is!” with Karl-Ove Mannberg. At the Nordic Heritage Museum (3014 NW 67th). 4 p.m. Smörgåsbord after the concert. Tickets $40–45.

Wednesday, Mar. 17. Kafferep.
Join us at our Center’s coffee party with goodies made by our Swedish bakers! It’s a free event. 2 p.m.

Wednesday, Mar. 17. Icelandic Film.
Myrin (Jar City). Icelandic crime film with English subtitles. $5 donation. 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Mar. 24. Finnish Film.
Varjoja paratiisissa (Shadows in Paradise) by Aki Kaurismäki. English subtitles. $5 donation. 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Mar. 26. Swedish Folkdance.
Music by Skandia Spelmanslag. We’ll waltz, shottis, hambo, etc. Lesson by Pat McMonagle, 7:30–8. Dancing 8–10:30. $8 members, $10 guests.

Sundays, starting Apr. 11.
Tracing Your Swedish Ancestry. Five-week course by Ginny Sommarstrom of Seattle Genealogical Society. 3–5 p.m. Download a registration form . $40 members, $50 guests.

Saturday, Apr. 24. Antiques & Great Finds Sale. Mark your calendars, whether you’re a potential seller or a buyer: Saturday, April 24. Come to buy beautiful antiques or old treasures— or if you have some treasures, particularly Scandinavian ones, you can rent a table to sell your stuff. Download the application form now, or contact Cultural Director for more details. Not enough items or energy to do your own table? We also need used items for the Center’s table, with proceeds to go to the club. And for even more great finds, don’t miss the SCC’s annual auction, Sweden Goes to Hollywood, on Saturday, Oct. 23.

Saturday, Oct. 23. SCC Auction: Sweden Goes to Hollywood!
Save the date of Oct. 23 for the SCC’s fundraising auction, Sweden Goes to Hollywood. Everyone is invited to this gala event, and we hope you’ll dress up in movie star style! Fund-raising events such as the auction depend on many willing hands to help out and an abundance of items to be sold. We're already collecting offers of volunteer help and donations of items. (If you don’t know what sort of items are needed, we'll be sending a letter describing what is most appealing to auction goers.) If you'd like to volunteer, donate an item, or help in any other way, contact the SCC office at 206-283-1090 or

Volunteer Projects
Like falling off a (cata)log. Our library needs help cataloguing our 2,000-plus books. It’s a simple typing task with no library experience needed.

Got Viking books? Are some Viking books gathering dust on your bookshelves? Donate them to our library and help us meet our goal of 100 Viking books by Leif Erikson Day (Oct. 9), 2010.

Research. Our AYP typing project is complete, but we need individuals with research capabilities to find more information about some of the signers of the 1909 log.

Closet chief. Do you love to organize or to plan space? The storage areas of the Swedish Cultural Center show the same strains as a home lived in by a family for 50 years. The closets are filled. Can you help us? Maybe you’re a retired architect or an engineer between opportunities and you’d like to help the Center organize its real storage needs within its existing space. There are storage areas on three floors and we need help to organize what should go where and/or move materials from one area to another. If you can help, please contact Karl Larsson or call 206-283-1090.

Yum! We always need help with our pancake breakfasts—cooking, serving and cleaning up.

Looming large. We’ve been given a 19th-century Swedish floor loom! We’re looking for volunteers to help us set it up, choose a project, and get started weaving! Let us know if you have expertise to share, or you’d like to learn with along with the rest of us.

To help on any of these projects, please call 206-283-1090 or

Genealogy help. Free to Swedish Cultural Center members. Genealogist/librarian Alan McCool is available Fridays, 1:30–3:30 p.m., to help you find a book or look up your family on our online genealogy resources. Please RSVP ( or call 206-283-1090), or just drop by.

What other groups are doing!
May 3–9. Seattle Sweden Week. In May 2010, the Swedish Consulate in Seattle hosts a weeklong celebration that will bring Sweden to Seattle. Sweden Week will emphasize the strong relationship between Sweden and the Pacific Northwest. One of the highlights will be a visit by Her Royal Highness, Princess Madeleine of Sweden, and a dinner to honor the six local Nobel laureates in the Seattle area. Other community events include the annual Raoul Wallenberg Tribute Dinner; the Swedish Hospital Centennial Celebration Gala Dinner; a Consular Conference at Swedish Hospital; a UW lecture series open to the public: Money, Sex, Nature and Crime; Swedish chefs cooking at local restaurants; Swedish bands playing at local venues; a Swedish fashion show at the Nordic Heritage Museum; a Swedish author in Seattle; and a Swedish film in cooperation with the Seattle International Film Festival. The Swedish Cultural Center will be the hub for some of the activities during Sweden Week, which we will announce as plans become firm. Visit the Sweden Week Web site to keep track of developments and events.