Lodge ready to dive into lutefisk dinner

By CARRINA STANTON

Staff Writer

POULSBO — The Poulsbo Sons of Norway Lodge is getting ready to roll out the red carpet for one of its most eagerly-anticipated visitors of the year.

That’s right, it’s lutefisk time.

Last week, some of the first of many volunteer groups began preparations for the lodge’s annual lutefisk feed, which will take place from noon to 5 p.m. Nov. 13 at Grieg Hall off Front Street. A group of ladies worked on some of the 600 sandbakkelse (pronounced san buckles) for the dinner. The tartlets include a filling of almond paste, butter and eggs.

“And absolutely no calories,” Darlene Berg joked.

The sandbakkelse will become part of the dessert course at the lutefisk feed Nov. 13. The all-you-can-eat buffet will feature the lodge’s special Norwegian meatballs, potatoes, carrots, coleslaw, lefse and, of course, plenty of lutefisk.

“The best lutefisk outside of Norway,” Lodge administrator Mariann Samuelsen said with a smile.

Annually, the Sons of Norway dinner garners hundreds of visitors who come from near and far for their fix of the ‘fisk. Volunteer Elsie Creamer said, like many local lutefisk feeds, everything at the Sons’ dinner is handmade. Often, she hears a great deal of praise from well traveled lutefisk fans as well.

“We have people come here who’ve been to the church and been to the one in Bremerton and they say this one’s the best,” she commented.

Mardi Dawson, a fairly new member of the Sons of Norway, was marking her first time as a volunteer for the dinner last Tuesday. Though she “doesn’t have a shred of Norwegian blood” in her ancestry, Dawson said she’s enjoyed learning about Scandinavian culture through the Sons lodge with activities like the Wednesday Kaffe Stua and the preparations for the lutefisk dinner. But as for whether she’d be sampling her first bite of lutefisk Nov. 13, Dawson hadn’t yet made up her mind.

“No, I don’t think so,” she said. “My husband says he wants to come and try some. I think I’ll stick to the meatballs — although I might try a bite of his.”

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