The Swedish Club members celebrated Valborgsmässafton, Walpurgis Night, on April 30 at the Swedish Club, Farmington Hills, Michigan together with SWEA Michigan (Swedish Women's Educational Association).

The members of the Swedish Club are mostly English-speaking second-, third-, or fourth -generation Swedish-Americans. They love the Swedish traditions and celebrate Lucia, Christmas dinner, Walpurgis and Midsummer with Swedish food and songs. Michigan based Scandia Women’s Chorus and Arpi Male Chorus practice each Tuesday evening and spring concert 3 p.m. on Saturday May 7, 2011 at Covenant Church, Farmington Hills.

Many people prepared for the evening of Valborg - Valborgsmässoafton - at the Swedish Club. I would especially like to mention Christine Johnson and Nils Peterson from the Swedish Club and the SWEA ladies Christina Mai and Christina Bakalis.
The Swedish Club is lucky to have a lovely property around the club house and the Röda Stugan, the red guest cottage and a barn. The huge garden is well attended to every Saturday by many faithful members. The daffodils (Påsklijor in Swedish) were blooming. The birches were just getting new leaves. The grass was cut. The club house is situated high up with large lawns, a ravine and a creek that had flooded the lower areas of the property. What was worse was that there was oil leaking into the water probably from a leaking pipe from a gas station further up. Not a good place to have our bonfire, which this year had to be prepared in a trough-shaped barrel.
All Swedes know the spring songs by heart: Vintern rasat ut, Sköna Maj välkommen, Vårvindar friska, Det är våren, Din vår är min vår. And of course Sjung om studentens lyckliga dar, sung at high school graduation, when you receive your white studentmössa (student cap), Astrid Lindgren’s Idas sommarvisa “Du ska inte tro det blir sommar, i fall inte nån sätter fart”. It is difficult for the English-speaking members to follow along, so only one verse of each song was sung and twice, slowly.

Lisbeth Nordström-Lerner, M.D. (Member SWEA, Swedish Club, Scandia, Jenny Lind Club)
More info, see: www.sweamichigan.org, www.swedishclub.net