LOCAL SWEDES USHER IN SUMMER WITH FAIR.Byline: Rick Coca Special to the Daily News AGOURA - Sixty years ago Peggy Pages reigned as queen of the Swedish American Swedish Americans are U.S. Americans with Swedish heritage, most often related to the large groups of immigrants from Sweden in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Most likely, about 8 million Americans have Swedish roots, of whom 4. Central Association of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Midsummer Festival. At Sunday's 85th annual event, Pages pointed out, she's now the cook. ``That's what happens to summer solstice queens,'' Pages joked. On a picture-perfect Southern California day, young and old came to Vasa Park to celebrate all things Swedish at this year's festival, and to raise the maypole - a 30-foot, cross-shaped pole decorated with birch and wildflowers representing the beginning of summer. During the winter in Sweden, darkness dominates the day, with only about four hours of daylight, Sunday's participants said. In the summer, that all changes. ``You can read the paper outside at 11 o'clock at night,'' said Perry Karlsson, director of the Swedish Folk Dance folk dance, primitive, tribal, or ethnic form of the dance, sometimes the survival of some ancient ceremony or festival. The term is used also to include characteristic national dances, country dances, and figure dances in costume to folk tunes. Club of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . Many women were dressed in colorful traditional skirts and aprons, sporting a crown of flowers, or ``krantz Krantz is the name of two persons:
``For the single ladies, they're supposed to put the flowers under their pillows and dream about their future husbands,'' Ahlen said. For former queen Pages, Sunday's festive atmosphere, full of music, laughter and dance, was about a different type of dream. ``I think it's nice for each ethnic group to share their holidays,'' Pages said. ``That's what being an American is.'' Rick Coca, (818) 713-3705 rick.coca(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Children participate in a three-legged race three-leg·ged race n. A race in which contestants run in pairs with their near legs tied together. three-legged race Noun a race in which pairs of competitors run with their adjacent legs tied together at Vasa Park in Agoura on Sunday during the 85th annual Swedish American Central Association of Southern California Midsummer Festival. (2 -- color) Musicians play at Vasa Park in Agoura on Sunday during a Swedish festival to usher in Verb 1. usher in - be a precursor of; "The fall of the Berlin Wall ushered in the post-Cold War period" inaugurate, introduce commence, lead off, start, begin - set in motion, cause to start; "The U.S. summertime. John McCoy/Staff Photographer |
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