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Ah, Syttende Mai. Norwegian Constitution Day, the 17th of May, and a reason to celebrate the Scandinavian heritage of our lovely neighborhood. So many fun things to do!
Flags to the left of the Museum Entrance…

 
I started over at the Nordic Heritage Museum at 3014 NW 67th Street to see some visiting Norwegian Fjord ponies. They were a little sleepy in the record heat, but very sweet and
friendly.

After a few photos of the adorable ponies (and petting their very soft noses), we went into the Museum and enjoyed both the cool air and the free admission for the day. It was fascinating to wander around and see both the exhibits about Syttende Mai and the regular cultural/historical exhibits. I particularly like the walk-through experiences about how life was like for the early settlers from Scandinavia.

Then we headed downtown and had lunch while waiting for the parade to start. After a slow beginning, it was full of smoky dragon boats, trolls, kids on unicycles, old cars, and all the men and women in their beautiful regional bunad (costumes, specific to certain regions in Norway). Even the Swedish Cultural Center sent their Swedish Pancake Drill Team. All in all, a hot but wonderful day. Feel free to enjoy the parade yourself below with the video I captured!

Parade part 1
Parade part 2
Parade part 3
Parade part 4