SCANDINAVIAN FESTIVAL WILL BE EMBRACING MULTICULTURALISM TRADITIONAL EVENT TRIES TO REFLECT CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THOUSAND OAKS.

Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS - One of the state's biggest Scandinavian festivals is turning multicultural this year at California Lutheran University.

The Scandinavian Festival was originally established to celebrate the heritage of the university and the Conejo Valley with traditional Scandinavian foods, artwork and merchandise, folk dancing, a replica of Tivoli Gardens and Viking re-enactments.

But the 32nd annual event - called ScanFest 2005 - is changing this year to attract more visitors by better reflecting today's multicultural community in Thousand Oaks.

``Norwegian immigrants settled in the area and donated the land where the university is located, but modern Thousand Oaks has many more cultures, and the university is trying to diversify,'' said Lynda Paige Fulford, director of communications at California Lutheran University.

``I think by diversifying and looking for other cultures to celebrate, we include more people and get more interest. We're trying to expand it to bigger and better than it has been. It's more of a festival than just paying homage to the Scandinavian heritage.''

Co-chair George Lange said the idea is to attract visitors from throughout the region to a fun festival, not just people interested in Scandinavian culture.

``I've been involved for more than 20 years,'' he said. ``The attendance has been kind of stagnant between 10,000 and 15,000 (for about seven years). We're trying to move it forward, so this year we are trying to inject new ideas and new exhibitors to attract people from outside the Scandinavian culture.''

Lange said the name is being changed this year from Scandinavian Festival to ScanFest in an effort to make it more up to date.

``It's a more catchy name that still stands for Scandinavian festival,'' he said.

The changes have been criticized by some traditionalists, but Lange said it is not a major controversy, and none of the people on the event's organizing committee has reservations about the changes.

A few Scandinavian purists want the festival to remain focused entirely on Scandinavian culture, he said. ``It's hard to let go of the past, but unless we look at new ways of presenting this festival it could go away. We're trying to keep it alive.''

Torsten Olsson, a member of a local Swedish-American fraternal organization, said he felt the festival should remain all Scandinavian.

``We were very happy to have a Scandinavian festival, and now they are trying to make it an international festival. We'd like to see it Scandinavian only.''

But Richard Londgren, director of the Scandinavian Center at CLU, said changing the festival should help show the Scandinavian heritage to other people.

``I understand there are about 1.5 million people in California with Scandinavian roots, but they also have other cultures in their backgrounds. In that sense changing the festival is responding to the demographic realities,'' he said.

In addition to Danish pastries from Solvang and ice cream from Scandinavia, vendors at the festival will offer Italian and Greek food. Musical entertainment will feature flamenco guitar, Latin rhythms, swing music and jazz.

``I think by injecting other cultures as vendors and exhibitors it will broaden the audience,'' Lange said. ``It will be a cross-cultural experience. This is our first year attempt at this. We're trying to inject some new ideas to see if it will grow.''

Glenn Braaten, a member of the Sons of Norway Lodge 91 in Thousand Oaks, which sets up a Norwegian food booth at the festival, agreed the festival should be more international while still reflecting its Scandinavian roots.

``The world is getting smaller and this is an opportunity for all cultures to be together and come together,'' he said.

Lange said the festival offers nonprofit groups in the community a chance to make money, and donate it back to good causes.

``It provides an opportunity for a lot of good groups to earn money.''

Eric Leach, [phone]

eric.leach(at)dailynews.com

IF YOU GO

ScanFest 2005 will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 9-10 at California Lutheran University, 60 W. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks.

Two-day passes are $15 for adults, and $10 for children 6-18, students, faculty and seniors. One-day passes are $10 for adults and $6 for children 6-18, students, faculty and seniors. Children under 6 will be admitted free. For information, call [phone] or visit www.clunet.edu/Events/ScanFest/CLU.html.

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