Honoring Katelyn LaGrone

By Marci Hancock

The Junction City Scandinavian Festival is made possible by community involvement, and dedicated, passionate volunteers. The Festival was started as a community collaboration, and has functioned that way for sixty-one years. Many volunteers have grown up dancing and working at the Festival, as they become adults they start to contribute in ways that improve the event. 

The Distinguished Service Award is annually awarded to an individual or organization that has gone above and beyond in serving the event. This year’s award goes to Katelynn LaGrone, of KHL Photography.  Like many, Katelynn grew up dancing as a child, falling in love with the magic of the Scandinavian Festival.  She danced for almost a decade, and as she became older, she took on more serving roles.  She has been involved with the First Baptist Church booth. She also helped fundraising for the Moose Lodge in their corn booth, and as a high schooler, she worked to fundraise for Future Farmers of America (FFA).  More recently, Katelynn was a member of the Scandinavian Festival Board of Directors, the core group of volunteers that coordinate everything at the Festival, serving in 2021 and 2022.

  Recently, Katelynn has utilized her skill as a photographer to document all aspects of the Scandinavian Festival.  She saw the need to capture special moments of the Festival from the trained eye of a professional photographer.  No one asked her to show up before Opening Ceremonies to capture the first moments of the Festival, or to sit in the direct sun all day to get the best shots but she has, and plans to continue. She made sure to study the program and thoroughly record all four days of the event.

Last year, the Junction City Scandinavian Festival was in need of a new website. The Board wanted this website to really show and express the feeling of the Festival. One method to communicate that story was through photography, and Katelynn had that covered. She gladly gave the web design team full access to whatever pictures were needed, without asking for anything in return. She donated her work, because she wanted to give back to an event that meant something special to her. Her photography also graces the pages of the magazine that is produced each year. She has captured the little moments, to the big ones and her photography really shows a holistic view of our unique town. 

When asked what her future goals are, in regards to her involvement in the Scandinavian Festival, Katelynn replied, “One of my goals is to give my kiddo(s) a chance to enjoy the Festival like I have all these years.” Katelynn grew up with a grandmother, Meredith Skiller, who encouraged her to be involved. Her grandmother would make her costumes, and also volunteered in booths. Katelynn learned from a woman who was a great example of community service in action, and now she is setting the same example for her daughter. Through this generational love, this local event has lasted and flourished. 

“Festival has always been a place to gather with friends and family, as well as a place where you’d run into people you haven’t seen in a while,” Katelynn explained. She is right, it’s a special event where the community connects over heritage and the town is reminded of its Scandinavian roots. This incredibly unique event couldn’t happen without the volunteers, like Katelynn and community members banding together to serve and make this Festival a reality.