Junction City celebrated its Nordic heritage with the 61st annual Scandinavian Festival August 11-14, 2022. The event celebrates the heritage of the area, with special emphasis on Swedish, Danish, Finnish and Norwegian influences.
The second week in August is traditionally reserved for the festival. The date was chosen because the Farmer’s Almanac reported that it was least likely to rain.
Generations of attendees have known William Walther as the “puppet guy” at the festival. The 77 year-old is retiring this year, after 40 years of puppetry and storytelling. In the clip above, he tells KLCC about the importance of four decades of connections.
Walther says that, while some of the faces have changed, the community spirit of the Scandinavian Festival remains largely the same.
According to organizers, the first Danish settlement in Junction City dates back to 1902. The Scandinavian Festival has been held since 1961.
