Nordic Fest and RAGBRAI converge in Decorah
- 28 July, 2017
- Kim Norvell
DECORAH, Ia. — It was a breakfast of champions for riders of the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa on Friday as the city celebrates its Scandinavian heritage.
Viking champions, to be exact.
Friday’s first stop coincided with Decorah’s 51st annual Nordic Fest. The city expects about 10,000 people to attend the festival this year, said Kristina Wiltgen, director of the Decorah Chamber of Commerce.
Add that to the 10,000 RAGBRAI riders and you’ve got a huge boon for the northeastern Iowa town of 8,000.
Because the weekend is Nordic Fest, the city did not allow any outside food vendors to serve hungry riders, Wiltgen said.
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“It was really nice that we could enhance our local food vendors and bolster existing businesses,” she said.
All vendors here are local nonprofits raising money for their organizations.
And it’s all Scandinavian food.
Here are some mouthwatering photos of our favorites:
Varme Polse is a cooked meatball and sausage mixture wrapped in lefse, a potato-based crepe. Try it with mustard or ketchup.
Rommegrot is a warm custard made with sour cream, whole milk, wheat flour, butter and salt. You’re encouraged to add even more butter, cinnamon and sugar and give it a swirl.
Remember Lefse, the soft Norwegian flatbread? You can eat it plain or for a sweet treat, add butter, sugar and cinnamon. The eternal debate is how to roll it before eating it.
Vaffles! A Belgian waffle topped with ice cream and strawberries or blueberries.
Nordic Fest events are scheduled to start at 11 a.m. They’ll conclude at 10 p.m. Saturday with a fireworks show.
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