the weather, well, as often is the case, started out very Swedish. True, there were clouds, even a few rain drops from time to time, but it was a traditional Sweden Day June 12 on the spacious grounds of the Manhem Club on the Sound in the Bronx. But equally in keeping up with traditions Manhem Club pulled out all the stops for the event, one of the few truly Swedish events that return to the grounds on an annual basis. The contributions to the Swedish and Scandinavian-American communities of the "2010 Couple of the Year," Susan and Ken Olson, were hailed by the audience, first at the ceremony at the club house, later on the lawn. Both of them have been pillars in the local communities for a very long time. The sun came out just as the couple stepped out to the spacious lawn after a reception inside.

Thoroughly a family day, Sweden Day attendants included babes in arms and nonagenarians, many three-generation families with grandparents and parents remembering their own experiences at earlier such celebrations. This type of family gathering is hard to find in the busy world of today, with events geared to one or another age group. The pride in the Swedish heritage was strong.
Sweden Day has been an annual event celebrated in the New York metropolitan area for over half a century. It takes place at the “Scandinavian Secret on the Sound” – Manhem Club, the only Scandinavian beach club. The food ranged from Swedish meatballs and prinskorv to burgers and franks, there was Swedish folk music and dances, children’s games and raffles for young and old, scholarship awards and the popular Miss Sweden Day Contest.
For more info, see www.swedenday.com