Lodge History - North Carolina Viking 675
North Carolina Vikings lodge #675 was created almost overnight. There were already about 36 members living in the central North Carolina area with several dozen people having expressed interest in the Sons of Norway during the Scandinavian Christmas Festival held December 2nd 2006. On January 4, 2007, District 3 VP Ralph Peterson was able to convince the Raleigh News and Observer to run an article, Sons of Norway Put Oar in Water, which also advertised an organizational meeting for the first Sons of Norway lodge in North Carolina. The meeting was held on January 10, 2007 at the Cary Holiday Inn Hotel & Executive Suites and was attended by 80+ potential members, followed by a second organizational meeting on February 27th 2007.
The lodge was instituted on April 20, 2007 at a ceremony in the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church with 52 Charter Members. The Installing Officers were District 3 President Barbara Berntsen, District 3 Vice President Ralph Peterson, District 3 Secretary Gail Ekloff, and Zone 6 Director Rannveig Klinge.
The lodge’s first Officers were Michael Tilder, President; Frank Bell, Vice-President; Michael Brown, Treasurer; Ann-Toril Gedde-Dahl, Membership Secretary; Patricia Tilder, Secretary; Signe Marwede, Social/Cultural Director; Ida Ellison, Newsletter Editor..
We feel our situation is somewhat unique in that our membership is drawn from a large area, some as far as 100 miles from Raleigh. Our membership is about 75, and our average attendance is about 30, due to the distance to be traveled to come to meetings.
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