Lodge History - Restauration 3-555
Instituted February 21, 1976
Meeting 2nd Fridays 7PM
Wallingford Presbyterian Church
110 Brookhaven Rd.
Wallingford, Pa 19086
In 1975 Mitch Turner and Ivar Johnsen discovered there were enough Norwegian-Americans in the Delaware County area to establish a Sons of Norway Lodge.
Named for the Sloop Restauration, which brought the first group of Norwegian settlers, our monthly newsletter, the Slooper has brought us announcements, family chats, reports of events and stories of people in our lodge. Starting the lodge in the Bicentennial year gave us special opportunity to celebrate our past and look toward the future.
The lodge has given us a taste of Norwegian foods among other treats at our monthly meetings, covered dish suppers, picnics and holiday meals. Ski for light has been a recipient of interest from lodge members. Coordinating efforts with the Leif Erickson Society, we have participated in the annual Leif Erickson Day activities in Philadelphia and Marcus Hook, Pa.
We were proud to be included in the reception held in July 1976 for Crown Prince Harald and Princess Sonja at the Norwegian Seamen’s Church in Philadelphia. We have celebrated the Seventeenth of May in several ways often marching in the parade in Brooklyn, NY.
In 1981 the lodge published a cookbook of lodge member’s recipes. In 1982 and 1983 Restauration Lodge decorated a tree in the state capitol display of trees representing the ethnic heritage in Pennsylvania. In 1984 members were onboard the cutter Mohawk accompanying the ship Norway as it left the Philadelphia-Wilmington port area.
Major events include trips to Syttende Mai Parade in NY, Ellis Island visits, Symposium on Viking Archeology 1990, participation in the Viking Ships welcomed to Newcastle, Delaware in October 1991, Trips to Washington, DC including the Norwegian Embassy visit, summer picnic meetings, bazaars, Language classes, sailings on the Delaware River, weekends at Land of The Vikings, Juletrefest, March Codfish dinner. Cultural programs consisting of slides, music, arts and crafts have been high quality and well received. Members are willing to serve as mentors in several areas. Some members have been able to take advantage of opportunities to participate in the broader Scandinavian community such as Nordic Fest, Leif Erickson Society and interlodge events. The Third District Charitable Trust, Land of the Vikings and the L.O.V. Kitchen Fund have all been recipients of the lodge’s generosity. A small scholarship is available each year to a member or family member. In May 1990 two of Restaurations members, Lily and Wally Post, helped found a new home lodge, Bondelandet, in Lancaster, PA.
We send delegates to conventions, become Zone Directors, host Memorial Services, serve on committees and co-sponsor Conventions. All this with the idea of promoting Sons of Norway and the preservation of our Norwegian culture and ensuring that our lodge endures. Many, many members’ names should be listed here as those who kept Restauration Lodge #3-555 running smoothly over the years. We have not only had good leaders, we have had the good fortune of having a general membership that has been both willing to work hard and knows how to have a good time. We see third and fourth generations of families becoming actively involved in the lodge. They can be enormously proud that the lodge has a legacy that will be remembered and cherished for all time. Suffice to say, EVERY MEMBER IS VITAL TO OUR LODGE FAMILY. Although we have lost members through the years and they are sorely missed, we have received into our family some new members. These new faces are coming up with new ideas and new enthusiasm.
A question asked by Restauration Lodge is “Will our lodge be sufficiently responsive to the cultural, educational and recreational needs of our members- especially the younger ones?” To this every member of the lodge has taken this challenge to heart. And we look to the future with full confidence that we will continue to carry out the hopes and dreams of our founding members.
Submitted by Katherine M. Dollymore
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