I just got back from Glendive Montana. They put on a festival celebrating Scandinavian and German culture. Peopled dressed up, ate food, drank, played games, and more. They had a very good turnout for the first year, and I hope to see it again next year.

I traveled with my mom and dad to Glendive on Friday. We picked up my grandma, and met my aunt and uncle at their house. The festival opened at 4:00, and we showed up shortly after. We checked out some of the vendors. There were Scandinavian booths, but there were a lot of arts and crafts merchants. There was a lot of cool stuff on sale.

By 5:00, the food and beer vendors were open. Beaver Creek Brewery from Wibaux, and Cross Country brewery from Glendive were there. They both had new beers made just for the event. Both were very good. The event organizers also imported beer from Hofbräu München based in Munich Germany. Again, the beer was very tasty. My grandma and dad joined me for a beer, which were $5.00 each.

After picking up our beers, we scoped out the food. There was a lot of variety. You could get German food, lefse, Filipino food, burgers, hot dogs, brats, and more. The food hit the spot.

While we ate, we enjoyed a live band playing German music. Around 6:00, the M.C. came out and welcomed everyone to the event. Shortly after, a comedian, Chad Filley, performed on stage. He wasn’t a great comedian, but we did get the crowd laughing. At 9:00, the band Ragnarokkr, Vikings with Guitars performed. I wanted to stay. Unfortunately, my ride was leaving, so I had to as well.

On Saturday, my brother’s family joined us. The events started at 11:00 am. There was a lot of activity on Saturday. They had a Frozen event for the children. My nephew was so excited to meet Anna, Elsa and Olaf. He was jealous whenever another kid would talk to Elsa. They had a snow machine, and a foam-snowball fight area for the kids to play in. The kids could also pet reindeer. My nephew got a “tattoo” of a lizard on his arm. He had a lot of fun.

There were more food vendors on Saturday, and all of us had excellent food (and beer). In the afternoon, they held the NorsktOber Games. Any one could form a team of three, and join in the games. Teams competed in hammer-schlagen, keg toss, rock throwing, and axe throwing. The top three teams got to compete in the beer relay for the grand prize.

A lot of teams participated. It was a lot of fun to watch, but my nephew wanted to go to “uncle Dodie’s house” (my aunt). My mom left with him, and my aunt and uncle joined them shortly after. The rest of us decided to wander around the vendors. Pretty soon, my grandma missed my nephew, and we also headed to my aunt and uncle’s house to take a break from the festival.

We headed back for food after 6:00. We were able to get food, but a lot of the food trucks were closing at 7:00. It seemed like the festivities were winding down, even though Ragnarokkr was performing again at 9:00. We had a busy day, so we called it quits after we ate, and headed back for the night.

Overall, the event was great, and the weather was perfect for it. The food and drink options were plentiful, and the Frozen event was a hit. I think they need a bigger space for the games, because it was difficult to watch them because of the size of the crowd. They had events going on at the main stage during the games, which was a mistake. Every one was at the games, so the performers did not have much of an audience. They need to make the games the only event for the afternoon, and not worry about the stage during that time. They also need to do something more to encourage people to stay in the evenings.

We had good food, good drinks, and good company. I hope they do it again next year, because I will definitely attend.