Church event celebrates centennial

Northland Lutheran Church will host its 100th annual Lutefisk Supper and Norwegian Bake and Craft Sale from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21.

The family-style supper will include lutefisk, meatballs, mashed potatoes, gravy, lefse, buttered carrots, cole slaw, and cranberries. A new menu item this year will be torsk (boiled cod).

Dessert includes such traditional Norwegian pastries as rosettes, sandbakkels, krumkakes, and fattigmann cookies.

Tickets are $14 for adults, $4 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for those 5 and under.

The church is located in rural Northland, nine miles north of Iola at N9880 State Highway 49.

The church started the supper tradition in 1915, missing only two years, due to World War I and a flu epidemic. Chicken was originally served before the supper turned to more traditional Norwegian cuisine.

The church usually prepares an average of 500 pounds of lutefisk, 300 pounds of potatoes, 300 pounds of meatballs, and goes through about 36 cases of lefse, which is a traditional soft Norwegian flatbread. Lutefisk is white codfish prepared according to Norwegian custom, served with plenty of melted butter.

“Everyone in our church helps to make this event an annual success,” said Rev. Dan Somers. “This is our main fundraiser of the year, and we appreciate all of those who attend. Their support helps to ensure that we are able to continue our mission for Christ.”

Since 1908, the Northland Lutheran Church has served members and visitors from its rural location in Northland.

Affiliated with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC), services are held every Sunday at 10 a.m. with Sunday school starting at 9 a.m.

Call 715-445-2956 for more information or visit Facebook.com/Northland.Lutheran.Church/.