Nordicfest in jeopardy
Volunteers sought to keep celebration alive
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
January 7, 2010
Libby’s Nordicfest organization is looking for a few good volunteers to save the annual festival from disappearing after a 25-year run.
"If we don’t get volunteers, we’re done," said Nordicfest president Lisa Oedewaldt.
A meeting is set for 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15, at the Venture Inn, for all current and prospective volunteers. The group is currently down to six active members, and at least eight more are needed.
"If we don’t have enough, we won’t continue," Oedewaldt said.
People are needed to help with royalty, crafts, souvenirs, the parade, fundraising, outdoor and youth entertainment, and secretarial duties. Some of those positions require more work behind the scenes, while others are more focused on the three days of Nordicfest in September, said Oedewaldt, who took on the job of Nordicfest president when she moved back to her hometown of Libby two years ago.
"I remembered Nordicfest from when I was a kid," she said. "Every summer, I made sure I had Logger Days and Nordicfest."
The group welcomes younger people with fresh ideas about Nordicfest, said Ally Frost, who took on public relations duties for the festival at the same time Oedewaldt became president. Local business people are also encouraged to get involved.
"Financially, it’s worth it to anyone who gains any kind of business from Nordicfest," she said.
Nordicfest fills Libby’s motels every year, and many other local businesses also see gains from the extra visitors, Frost said.
"The community benefits greatly from it, so it behooves them to get involved," she said.
"It will be a sad thing to lose Nordicfest," Frost said. "That’s one of the things I’ve always looked forward to since I moved up here, and that’s why I stepped in, because I didn’t want to lose it."
For more information, contact Frost at 406-293-8970 or allyfrost@gmail.com or Oedewaldt at 406-334-0050 or loedewaldt@libby.org.
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Editor’s Note: See the January 5, 2010 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Tuesdays, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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