Day Trippin' - The Swedish Festival - Stromsburg, Nebraska

Welcome to the first of many Day Tripping' entries.  These are little jaunts around and about that will feature fun little destinations or surprises encountered along the way to other places. While these will mostly benefit local readers, I know my national and international readers will enjoy them as well.  I never know what I'll find while I'm out.

So, just in time for this years summer solstice, June 21st, I'm going to let you know about a great festival that is not only happening here, but also around the world.  The Summer Solstice marks the day of peak daylight hours.  From here on out, the days will be getting shorter, but NOT cooler.  Depressing, but instead of wallowing on the loss of available daylight, let's have a party instead.

The town of Stromsburg, Nebraska is a quiet little haunt of mine.  While doing family genealogy, including DNA testing, I found out that if you go back far enough on my tree, (on paper I can go back to the mid 1500s) we travel back to Scandinavia.  I looked up local societies and events and came across the annual Swedish Festival; picnics, dancing, shows, vendors, food, a fun run, church services, music, and all sorts of side events and carnival rides.

  There is also a Viking reenactment group that sails longboat up and down US rivers displaying their wares and fighting skills.

In the off season Stromberg, situated halfway between York and Columbus, is bespeckled with fun little nooks and crannies to explore.

I have several places to eat, but the Covered Porch Café is my favorite by leaps and bounds.  The place is immaculate, the prices are great, and the hamburgers and onion rings are outstanding! (As of December 2015 this business is OUT OF BUSINESS.)


The grocery store is completely remodeled.  A small mom and pop location no the town square, it caters to quick pickup items, not your weekly grocery trip.  It is great for a quick snack or picnic items, but tends to be on the pricier side.

The Daylight Doughnut shop.  Yes, it IS possible to mess up doughnuts, but this old time bakery has been doing it right for a very long, long time and it knows it.  Forget the big chain doughnuts, this place is what doughnuts are supposed to be.  Treat yourself to a long john or an apple fritter, or yum, a bear claw!

The town has several antique stores.  Jenny's House is located a block north of the town square in the old town library building and features the original woodwork and fixtures. That alone makes it a fun place to go.  Primative Chicks just opened on the 13th of June, and boasts a coffee shop as well as primitive art and antiques. 

On my last trip into town, I stumbled upon a yarn shop. At the 2014 festival, the sign was up, but the shop was empty, and I presumed out of business.  It turns out, Spindle, Shuttle, and Needle simply had not opened yet, and the sign was installed long before their November opening!  If you knit, crochet, or spin, or want to learn how, this place is like a candy shop.  Acrylics, wools, and exotic yarns and supplies adorn the shop which is fun by some seriously friendly people.

Next door to that is the Wine Colored Glass Wine tasting room.  I don't drink, but it is a fabulous shop in a historic building.

Stromberg, It's a great place to visit!