Early this the year, the vendor committee met to make plans for the future. We discussed many moving parts of the Festival and new ideas we would like to see at the event. As we dreamed about the next years to come, we dove into a plan from the past, which was to open a Viking Village. We wanted our local Viking volunteers to have a home. The original thought was to designate the northern section of the event grounds as the Viking area. At the end of the meeting, we decided it was the year to make this big change.

The committee continued to meet monthly, all the while searching for new vendors to join our fun festival. We made plans to launch the long-awaited Viking Village, but there was a twist. The area first considered for our Vikings was now soon to be featured as a new farmer’s area where local farms and products would be marketed. This new plan, now named Farmer’s Lane displaced our Vikings. The committee members minds wondered and landed on Fountain Park, the parking lot near the Finnish Locomotive. This seemed a natural fit. An area not too big, to ensure the event still has a late 1800’s old-world Scandinavian atmosphere, but large enough to honor the Vikings that have always been a presence at the Festival.

Now the committee had two large projects to create. The months passed and plans developed. We have been painting, constructing, measuring and remeasuring to make way for new beginnings at the Junction City Scandinavian Festival. The changes might be new, but they are to honor what has always been. The Vikings have always played an important role in the event and Junction City was established by many Scandinavian farmers. Having a place to acknowledge these pieces of our community makes all the work fullhearted.

Below you will find a list of the farmers soon to be featured in Farmer’s Lane. The sign was created from old wood deep in the rafters of Gale Fletchall Hall and was likely an old workbench that we can only imagine supported many projects like the ones we craft this year. A local volunteer machine carved beautiful font into the wood, while another volunteer painted and sealed the finished project. The Operations team constructed the supports for the new signage. This project is a perfect example of why the Junction City Scandinavian Festival exists. We are here to support local economy, while forming community togetherness. The amount of outreach and support from our neighbors is amazing to witness. We are so grateful for all those who have served and volunteered to make a small city’s event a memorable one.