Annual Lutefisk Dinner returning to Havre Saturday

A decades-old tradition and a centuries-old delicacy is returning to the Hi-Line with the 87th Annual First Lutheran Church Swedish Meatball and Norwegian Lutefisk Dinner Saturday at First Lutheran Church at in Havre.

“All I can say is that it’s a great fellowship for people to get out and visit,” organizer Jim Griggs said.

Serving will begin at noon at the First Lutheran Fellowship Hall, 303 Sixth Ave., and will run to about 5 p.m.

Meals can be delivered to people who are not able to make it to the event. People needing delivery can call 265-5881.

The Scandinavian dinner originally started as a small gathering in the old church parsonage, where a handful of people who were of Norwegian and Swedish heritage gathered and served a lutefisk dinner, Griggs said. As the event grew the dinner moved to the church, and as time went on Swedish meatballs were added to give those who disliked lutefisk a dining option.

The dinner in Havre is hosted by Lutherans in Mission members from First Lutheran and Messiah Lutheran Churches.

Griggs said that when he first started to participate in the event in 1976, more than 1,200 people would attend the dinner. He said the number of people who attend the lutefisk dinner has declined since then, but they still have a good number of people who show up from all across the Hi-Line every year. He added that fewer and fewer people eat lutefisk, or have ever tried it.

Lutefisk is a Scandinavian delicacy consisting of white fish — generally cod — that is dried then soaked in lye and water, then soaked in water and rinsed off for several days before cooking.

“You got to love it,” Griggs said.

He added that when the pastor of the church first asked if he would like to get involved in the ’70s, he volunteered to be a server. The first year he volunteered, he said that he could not stand the smell of the lutefisk and changed from being a server to a dishwasher. The smell was overwhelming, he said, but eventually he tried to eat lutefisk and found out that he really liked it.

“I’ve liked it ever since,” he said.

Griggs said that people should come and try it, and even if they do not like the lutefisk they have a wide selection of other Scandinavian foods for people to enjoy.

“The dinner itself becomes almost secondary to the fellowship which is enjoyed by those attending and those working the event,” Griggs said.

The dinner includes a number of other dishes such as meatballs, boiled potatoes, coleslaw, lefsa, rolls, cranberry sauce, sandbakkels, ice cream and Norwegian coffee.

Volunteers started preparing the dinner last Saturday, rolling the lefse and cooking up about 140 pound of potatoes, Griggs said.

Lefse is a traditional, soft Norwegian flatbread made with potatoes, flour, butter and milk or cream.

He added that a large number of people came to volunteer on Saturday, a number of then volunteering for the first time. He said that many people were there because they wanted to learn about lefse and how to properly make the dish.

He said that on Wednesday volunteers started to work on making the sandbakkels, which is a dessert that some consider to be the best part of the dinner. Sandbakkels are tart pastries which are pressed into small tins and baked in the oven.

The dinner includes a lot of prep work which nobody really sees, Griggs said, and it is always a source of pride and relief to see the event run smoothly and being enjoyed by everyone.

Griggs said that he initially wanted to get involved because he enjoys the fellowship of the event and seeing people who he hasn’t seen since the previous year. He added that a number of people from all across the Hi-Line come to the event and many people often stay to chat and converse with one another even after finishing their meals. The event is something that people are able to get together and enjoy themselves and others, he said.

He said that the local Scout BSA Troop will also be volunteering to help.

Volunteers are always welcome, Griggs said, adding that if people want to volunteer, they can either call First Lutheran Church at 265-5881, his vice chair Cliff Plum at 262-3234 or himself at 265-8230.

The dinner costs $18, for children younger than 14 charged $6.

Griggs said the money raised from the dinner will be donated to the Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp and other local projects including Feed My Sheep Soup Kitchen, the Havre Food Bank and the school Backpack Program, which provides meals to families of children kindergarten through fifth grade who need food during the weekends.

He added that last year, they also donated some funds to the Havre Beneath the Streets Sidewalk Fund, which is being used to repair some damage to the museum’s exhibits last year.