Dick and Barb Bergh of International Falls got a rare treat Sunday. The pair were among a select group of people invited to a royal dinner attended by King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway.
Their majesties were in Minnesota to open an exhibit at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and to attend a rededication ceremony of Enger Tower in Duluth.
The Berghs traveled to both cities to see the royal couple and Dick described the experience as “quite fantastic.”
Bergh is the Zone 1 director of the Sons of Norway — a Norwegian-American fraternal organization dedicated to preserving Norwegian heritage and culture — and the president of local chapter, Vinland Lodge 1-193, in the Falls.
Bergh said he was very honored to receive an invitation to dine with the royal pair. It was reported that more than 1,000 guests attended the event.
Dick noted Barb wore a traditional Norwegian garment called a bunad to the dinner. In Norway, it is common to wear bunad at various celebrations. Accepted as proper gala attire, it is increasingly common to see people, and especially women, dressed in bunad.
Barb’s bunad was handmade more than 100 years ago and has value of more than $7,000. Dick Bergh said others attending the dinner were very drawn to Barb’s bunad because of its uniqueness.
During their visit to the Twin Cities, Harald and Sonja helped open an exhibit called “Cold Recall: Reflections of a Polar Explorer” that commemorated the 100th anniversary of Roald Amundsen’s historic journey to the South Pole.
The exhibit is on loan from Norway’s Fram Museum through Nov. 14 in Terminal 1-Lindbergh’s Concourse C. It is being displayed as part of the airport’s Arts and Culture Program, which is administered by the Airport Foundation MSP, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing travelers’ airport experience. This is the first time the exhibit has appeared in the United States.
Like the king and queen, the Berghs traveled from Minneapolis to Duluth Monday for a rededication of the newly refurbished Enger Tower.
A Duluth news source said 1,100 people endured gusty breezes in Enger Park as Harald and Sonja participated in the rededication ceremony. Harald was following in the footsteps of his parents, Prince Olav and Princess Martha, who came for the original dedication of the tower on June 15, 1939.
Dick recalled that the day was indeed a chilly one, however, being part of the experience was worth it.
Following the ceremony at Enger Tower, the Berghs were some of 54 people who greeted the royal couple at Norway Hall in Duluth. Although they were unable to shake hands with the king or queen, the Berghs were glad to be included in the select group.
“They seem like ordinary people,” Dick said of Harald and Sonja. “They seem like real nice folks.”
