Aroostook Republican photo/Debra Walsh
A newly decorated maypole is the focal point of dancing at the annual Midsommar celebration in New Sweden on Saturday. The structure, which includes cross pieces and rings, are covered with wildflowers gathered during the week before in preparation for the yearly Swedish observance of the coming of summer. Hundreds of spectators helped to decorate the maypole, design wildflower hair wreaths and enjoy the ethnic foods offered during the weekend.
Aroostook Republican photo/Debra Walsh
Britta Treu of Auburn Township, Ohio, age 7, donned her Swedish costume for the annual Midsommar celebration in New Sweden on Saturday. Britta’s mother, Nancy Jepson True, is a New Sweden native and makes the trip annually to northern Maine for the summer with her family. Britta is pictured beside a monument that extends a tribute from the New Sweden colony to the Swedes who settled in Delaware in 1638, the first Swedish settlement in America.
Aroostook Republican photo/Debra Walsh
W.W. Thomas Jr., whose bust is on prominent display in the New Sweden Historical Museum, personally selected about 50 settlers from his wife’s homeland of Sweden to colonize northern Maine in 1870. Thomas, of Portland, was Maine’s commissioner of immigration under then Gov. Joshua Chamberlain.
Aroostook Republican photo/Debra Walsh
A group listens as Matt Grandy explains the basics of blacksmithing at the Lars Noak Blacksmith Shop, a restored and fully operational workshop, on Saturday during the Midsommar celebration.
Aroostook Republican photo/Debra Walsh
Myrna Dixon, left, and Janet Erickson were among those serving ice cream on Saturday during the annual Midsommar celebration in New Sweden. With the sun finally shining after a week of rain, the lines for the cold treat formed quickly.
