In Review: Leif Erikson Day Celebration 2007

In honor of the great European explorer Leif Erikson’s discovery of North America, several dozen Nationalists gathered in downtown Philadelphia to pay tribute to his noble & historic voyage. Meeting in a small gazebo set high above the picturesque boat house row section of Philadelphia, we waited as local friends and family began to arrive.

As 3 o’clock came and gone we gathered our friends for a brief walk along Kelly Dr. to the beautiful Viking Statue of Thorfinn Karlsefni, whose son Snorri Karlsefni is thought to of been the first recorded European born on American soil over 1000 years ago.

Following the laying of a wreath fitted with a ribbon of the adopted Vinladic colors (green and black), several speakers took turns reciting the history of Leif Erikson's historic voyage. Along with poems, fascinating tales of the Vikings encounters with Indians, and even the sagas of Thorfinn and his son Snorri were told, its was a beautiful event indeed.

After returning to our vehicles we proceeded to a local venue for a night of acoustic Viking & Celtic folk music.

First up was Paul, the bassist of now defunct hardcore band Teardown. An extremely talented musician, Paul kicked the night off with some classic pieces using his fiddle, and even spicing things up with a brief rendition of Slayers “Raining blood”. Quickly moving on to the flute and the acoustic guitar Paul definitely managed to warm up the night.

Next up was the much and always requested efforts of George, lead guitarist and vocalist of WotanOrden. As usual he got the crowd going, tapping and clapping along to everyone’s favorite Celtic tunes, a definite crowd pleaser. He was even joined in by members of the McBastards for a rendition of Wild Rover, which got everyone clapping and singing together.

And finally wrapping up the night was the newest band out of Pennsylvania, The McBastards, a group with various corroborators dedicated to classic Irish music and having a good laugh. Playing from the heart these guys kept the night going strong with many a good songs and some classics from the late Ian Stuart.

All and all it was an excellent day, beautiful weather, good friends and a big attendance for a great cause. We’d like to thank everyone that came out to contribute their support. This is definitely something that we’ll be doing next year on a much larger scale. So keep your eyes open for next year's Leif Erikson celebration!