For the four young women who made up this year’s Scandinavian Midsummer Festival Senior Court, there was bound to be much anticipation leading up to festival weekend this year.

But as much as they were looking forward to finding out which of them would be crowned as the festival’s 42nd Miss Scandinavia, they were all also eagerly awaiting a particular treat that usually is available just once a year – lefse.

Miss Denmark Jodi-Lynne Meyer, crowned Miss Scandinavia Friday night, said there was no doubt that she’d be making a beeline to the Sons of Norway lefse booth for some of the folded flatbread that had been slathered with butter, cinnamon and sugar.

“It’s so good, you have to wait all year for it. It’s the anticipation that makes it that much better,” she said.

Family, food and fun were on the agenda during the weekend for thousands of visitors to the 42nd annual Scandinavian Midsummer Festival. Locals and visitors celebrated the traditions of Scandinavian culture and heritage by tasting, dancing, parading and singing.

Meyer, 18, may not have had much time to stop and snack however, considering her whirlwind weekend as royalty. Meyer was brought up in the area, and has been dancing, playing and eating her way through the annual festival that celebrates her family’s heritage as long as she can remember. Meyer graduated from Astoria High School this year. Her mom, Sonja Nunnally, is also a former Miss Denmark, and her grandpa, Jorgen Madsen, has been playing his accordion at the event for the last 34 years.

Dancing was also at the top of Meyer’s to-do list for the third weekend in June. She couldn’t wait to take to the floor with her grandpa at the Friday night Queen’s Ball. As she matured, it became more to her than fancy footwork.

“It’s always been a sentimental thing, important to my family. It means more to me the older I get,” she said.

This year, Meyer danced with Madsen with a sparkling crown on her head, something she’d been dreaming about since she was little. As much as she wanted to win, it was really her Grandpa she was aiming to please.

“The most important thing is to make my Grandpa proud. I would love to win for him more than anything,” she had said Friday morning as the big moment neared.

As she thanked the crowd Friday night, Meyer had accomplished that goal.

“Wow. I don’t even know where to begin. My family, I love you guys so much. And Grandpa, quit crying!” she said.

They left a legacyFestival Chairwoman Amanda Caldwell-Rohne said she also feels the tug of tradition bringing her back to the festival each year. She loves seeing the legacy that the area’s Scandinavian settlers have left behind, from the Nordic, Viking and Scandia dancers – started 41 years ago – to folk costumes on display at the Parade of Native Costumes.

“It’s a very hard-working culture, very family-oriented,” she said.

Caldwell-Rohne said she knows that the festival’s 5,000 or so participants may not be Scandinavian themselves, but she knows they’ll be welcomed as if they were.

“If you’re Scandinavian, or if you’re not, it’s fun for everyone,” Caldwell-Rohne said. She was Miss Norway and Miss Scandinavia in 1999. Two events she wouldn’t miss were the Saturday flag-raising ceremony and the Midsummer pole raising just afterward.

Caldwell-Rohne agreed with Meyer that eating lefse was an experience not to be missed. If you think you can waltz in on Sunday afternoon and expect to purchase extra to last for a few weeks, think again.

“They get started making the lefse four to five months ahead, and the Sons of Norway sells out every year. It’s one of the most popular parts of the festival,” she said.

Phyllis Nygaard said the process of making the Hardanger (pronounced “har-donner”) lefse begins in May. Hardanger is a region in Norway, known for its dessert (as opposed to potato) lefse. Nygaard is a member of the Sons of Norway, and said about 50 people get together over two days at the group’s lodge in Gearhart to roll out the stretchy dough.

The process is complicated, involving rolling the small ball of dough into a thin layer, cooking it on both sides, then laying it out to dry.

“It’s very hard to do. It’s time-consuming,” she said. Once dry, the lefse will keep for about six months.

And then, on the Wednesday and Thursday before the festival, about 30 people get together to re-hydrate the flatbread and slather it with a mixture of cinnamon, butter and sugar. This year, about 1,700 lefse were made, up 200 from last year.

“We increase every year because of supply and demand,” Nygaard said.

More tasty fareLefse wasn’t the only culinary jewel available at the fairgrounds over the weekend. The Finnish Brotherhood Auxiliary sold cups full of thick, milky rice pudding, topped with a satiny spiced fruit glaze. The Lower Columbia Danish Society turned out abelskivers – the round, pan-fried, crispy cake – and frikadeller, a flattened traditional Danish meatball. A Swedish Pea soup luncheon was served Saturday by the Order of Vasa.

Jewelry, hand-painted folk art, and weavers came to sell their wares at the festival. Patti Jo Meshnik has been coming to the event from Eugene for the past three years to sell her embellished wooden items, decorated in Norwegian Rosemaling. She paints everyday items like furniture and trays, boxes and plates with flowers and swirling designs.

Of the 56 craft and vendors booths at the festival this year, organizer Saara Matthews said there’s good reason the food booths are the most popular.

“This is food most of these folks can only get once a year,” Matthews said.

Some still continue their family’s traditions in the kitchen. This year’s Miss Sweden, Andrea Phillips, said she was lucky enough to bake traditional Swedish pastries and breads.

“I’ve always helped my Nana bake rye bread, cardamom bread and prune tarts,” Phillips said. “I’m so thankful that my grandparents, Bob and Mary Oja, do a traditional Swedish Christmas so we can have it all the time.”

Phillips was this year’s runner-up for Miss Scandinavia, and together with Meyer, Brittany Nyberg, Miss Norway, and Jessica Nockelby, Miss Finland, spent hours preparing for the event and making presentations to local organizations.

Eating the traditional foods – at home and at the festival – reminds Phillips of her family’s own history, and that of her people.

“It’s following family tradition and honoring the family. What it means to be Scandinavian. It’s always a special time of year and I love it,” Phillips said.