Scanning through the Sons of Norway archives recently, I came across an announcement for Fiskeklubben (see image and translation below) and thought it might prod some memories of this tradition. Did you ever attend a Fiskeklubben lunch in Salt Lake? Do you know someone who did? We'd love to hear from you in the comments below.
Sons of Norway member Jim Barton shared his memories of Fiskeklubben and provided the accompanying pictures of several gatherings:
"Many of the original members were Norwegian immigrants and were members of the Norwegian Soccer Club, which was one of the best in the state. They decided to have lunch together, ergo the Fiskeklubben began.
"These are the members I remember:
Jack Johnsen (founding member; coordinated meetings)
Rolf Aase
Arne Aune
Frank Aune
Jim Barton
Shawn Farnworth
John Hansen
Willard Hansen
Kjell Holen
Paul Jensen
Asbjørn Neergaard
Duane Nufer
Tom Olsen
Pete Pearson
John Storheim
Rune Wallin
Sven Wersland
Kjell Winger
"The club was active up until the Covid outbreak. Unfortunately, many of the original key members passed away around that time and the club never began again. It was a cross section of pure local dialects, which made the language interaction very interesting. Most of the original Norwegians lived in Norway during WW2 and had many experiences and interesting stories to tell. It was a great opportunity to practice Norsk!"
Below is a translation of an invitation for Fiskeklubben published in May, 1993. Notice that the club was founded in 1950!
"Dear Friend:
Maybe you're thinking 'What is the Fishing Club?' Well, let us explain and then you can decide if this is of interest to you.
We are men who meet on the first Thursday of every month for lunch. The time is 11:30, so wherever we meet there is enough room for all of us. The meeting location changes a bit from month to month, the main thing is that we meet at a place where good fish is served.
Are there a lot of rules and stuff? No. We have our motto: Eat fish - speak Norwegian, but that's pretty much all the rules we have. Our intention is just that we eat fish for lunch, speak Norwegian, and have a nice hour or so together once a month. There is no membership, no fee. If you come out for lunch, you are a member, and there is no obligation.
Our next meeting will be held on June 3rd at the Market Street Broiler and Fish Market at 260 South 13th East at 11:30 a.m. Hope to see you there."
"Kjære Venn:
Kansje du tenker 'Hva er Fiskeklubben?' Vel, la oss forklare og da kan du bestemme om dette er av interesse for deg.
Vi er menn som møtes på den første Torsdagen av hver måned for lunsj. Tiden er klokken 11:30, så hvor vi møter så er det plass nokk til oss alle. Møtesdet forandrer seg en del måned etter måned, hovedsaken er at vi møter et sted hvor det serveres god fiskemat.
Er det mange regler og greier? Nei. Vi har vårt motto: Spis fisk - snakk Norsk, men det er forsavidt alle reglene vi har. Vår hensikt er bare at vi spiser fisk på vare lunsjer, snakker norsk, og har en hyggelig time eller så i sammen en gang hver måned. Det er ikke noe medlemskap, ikke noe gebyr. Hvis du kommer ut til lunsj så er du medlem, og det er ingen pliktskap.
Vårt neste møte blir holdt 3dje Juni på Market Gaten Broiler and Fisk Marked på 260 Syd 13de Øst klokken 11Ø30 på morgenen. Håper å se deg der."
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