Livsreise presents a July Double Speaker event! Livsreise is excited to offer a weekday event in the Livsreise auditorium on Tuesday, July 22nd, with speakers Anne Kari Salbu (1-2 PM) and Rasmus Sunde Ph. D. (3:30-4:30 PM).

Anne Kari Salbu, co-owner of the Sylvsmidja, established in Voss, Norway, in 1940, will be speaking from 1:00 to 2:00 PM. Sylvsmidja is the largest jewelry brand in Norway. It proudly makes traditional heritage silver jewelry for Norwegian national costumes by combining history and unmatched craftsmanship. They offer silver made for every occasion. Anne Kari will recount the story of the company, going back to its beginnings during the occupation of Norway during WWII until the present day. In addition, she will share the stories of the hidden symbols in many brooches and pendants. Time permitting, she will answer questions about any personal sølje you may own.

At 3:30 PM Livsreise welcomes back Ramus Sunde, Ph.D. He is an expert on Norwegian emigration and author of several books on the subject. He has titled his presentation “The 200th Anniversary of Norwegian Immigration 2025. ” The focus of his talk will be on what factors caused the group of fifty-two Quakers living on the west coast of Norway to leave for America aboard the sloop Restauration. It was a dramatic crossing in this small, one-masted sloop and filled with challenges all along the way. This included four years in their first settlement in Kendall, NY. The land was not suitable for farming so after four years with little success, they moved west to LaSalle County, Illinois. This became known as the “Fox River Settlement.” These first families became known simply as the “Sloopers” because they crossed the Atlantic ocean in a sloop. Finally with the help of diagrams, Rasmus will show how and why emigration occurred in waves up until about 1930.

This is a Live Presentation.