SPANISH FORK — Icelanders who settled Spanish Fork in the 1850s are dedicated to preservation of their heritage.
Every year since 1897 Utah Icelanders and their descendants have celebrated their past, said David Ashby, spokesman for the Icelandic Association of Utah.
The trek of those first Icelandic pioneers to Spanish Fork can't be separated from their conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This year's workshops include genealogy research while the event concludes with an Icelandic Heritage Fireside on Sunday, June 24, beginning at 7 p.m. in the LDS church on Center Street and 300 East. Richard Williams, a past president of the Icelandic Association of Utah and associate academic vice president at Brigham Young University will speak.
Additionally, Darron S. Allred, who served an LDS mission in Iceland from 1984-86, will be introduced along with former Icelandic missionary Jason Mortenson, who will speak about the growth of the LDS Church in Iceland. He served a mission in Iceland from 2005-07.
Other events include:
Friday, June 22: Icelandic Family Heritage Workshops and Presentations, 7—8:30 p.m. Planned workshops include a presentation by Susan Evans McCloud, author of "Anna"; how to gather information from immigrants' biographies; learning Icelandic folk songs; spinning wool and making Icelandic pancakes.
Saturday, June 23: Icelandic Family Festival at the Spanish Fork City Park behind the city library, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Events include Icelandic pancakes, a bus tour of historic Icelandic sites, entertainment on the library stage, children's booths and activities, displays of artifacts and memorabilia, Icelandic horses and sheep for petting, demonstrations on spinning and weaving and Icelandic lamb lunches.
Icelandic honorees include the Western Icelandic Children's Choir with Rhea Jean Hancock as director.
More than 400 Icelanders immigrated to Utah from 1855-1914, most by steamship and train.
Icelandic Days traces back to a festival held on the Westmann Islands and elsewhere in Iceland on Aug. 2, 1874. Einar Hermann Jonsson, who immigrated to Spanish Fork, created a committee to re-create that celebration.
For more information see www.utahicelanders.com for locations of the workshops and fireside.
If you go
What: Icelandic Days
Where: Spanish Fork
When: June 22-24
Cost: Free
E-mail: rodger@desnews.com