​The Deuce abides

Deuce of August festival celebrates 125 years and many more

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

According to the 2022 census, the population of Mountain, North Dakota is around 70, give or take a few. But this small, largely Icelandic community packs a mighty punch, drawing thousands during the annual Deuce of August festival, which is held August 1-4 this year.

What’s so special about “The Deuce,” one may ask?

It is the longest running ethnic festival in North Dakota (2024 is its 125th year) and the largest Icelandic festival in the United States. In fact, it even attracts Icelandic officials as well as Icelanders, providing a mix of traditional or folk programming along with Midwestern fun, such as fish fries, the North Dakota State Pick Up Pull and good old-fashioned street dances with Downtown Horns on Friday night and Tripwire on Saturday night.

“I often have people say to me, ‘How in the world can a little community like that pull off such a successful celebration year after year like that?’” said Curt Olafson, President of the Icelandic Communities Association. “I give them a flippant answer. First, I just shrug my shoulders and say, well, nobody told us we couldn't. And then I give them the real answer, and I say, we've got a core group of people, 20 to 30 people, who know exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. And then in addition to that core group, we've got a lot of people who will come in and volunteer and help us out. We couldn't do it without that mix of those people.”

The Icelandic connection

“We've hosted five sitting Prime Ministers of Iceland, multiple Iceland ambassadors to the United States, multiple cabinet ministers and literally thousands and thousands of citizens from Iceland who come here every year, not only during The Deuce, but also on tours at other times of year,” Olafson said.  “And so I would dare say that there are not too many communities in North Dakota, large or small, that have hosted a president and five sitting prime ministers from a foreign country!”

This year, Her Excellency Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir, Iceland Minister of Justice, will be the keynote speaker during their heritage program, which occurs on Saturday, August 3 at 2 p.m. at the Mountain Community Center. In Iceland the Minister of Justice would be the equivalent of our U.S. Attorney General.

“The government of Iceland has been very, very supportive of making sure that they have a high level dignitary here to take part in our celebration,” Olafson said. “And we really appreciate that.”

The Mountain Community Center is a new, $1.8 million facility. The government of Iceland donated $75,000, marking the largest single donation for the project. There were hundreds of donations ranging from $1 to $25,000. When the project was launched, organizers took out a $450,000 construction bridge loan facilitated by a local bank, which was a 20 year note. This April, they paid off the loan seven years ahead of schedule. So, in addition to all of the other festivities, there will be a mortgage shredding ceremony to boot.

Olafson made a point of stressing how important youth involvement was for the Icelandic Communities Association. He mentioned an interaction with one of the youngest members.

“At the time, we were talking about what a big project this was for our community, and it involved risk,” he said. “I think she was maybe 22 years old when she said this, and it really struck me as being profound. She said, ‘Yes, this is a big project for a small community. This involves a lot of risk and we can't be certain about what the future holds. But if we choose to do nothing, then we know what the future holds for our community.’”

The Icelandic connection during The Deuce bridges past and present. Stories are shared, reunions are had and family histories are explored.

“We host the Icelandic Roots Genealogy Center every year, and this year, they're doing kind of an expanded program, so they are having free database access,” said Dori Heck, who also serves on the Icelandic Communities Association board. “So if you're familiar with Icelandic Roots, it's just a really extensive genealogy service for the Icelandic heritage in our area. It traces so many stories of the lives of the people who moved here and a lot of the details.”

“That Icelandic Roots database took the treasure trove of information for anyone of Icelandic descent to track down for their family and where did they come from. And it is run by a group of volunteers,” Olafson added. “I think there's 60 or 70 of them that do this on a volunteer basis, and they update that database with thousands of new entries every month. It's just phenomenal.”

So what can visitors do if they can’t make it for The Deuce festivities during the first week of August? A self-guided Viking voyage will run the whole week before the festival.

“That’s going to be a downloadable map that will take the drivers through historic sites in the region, churches and cemeteries, where there will be flags honoring each pioneer born in Iceland, and then special displays with information and an interpretive exhibit at one of the churches,” said Heck. “So there will be signs at each of those locations, kind of demonstrating their importance to the area. So that's something that's going to be downloadable the week before The Deuce.”

A taste of Iceland

One of the best parts about visiting a small town festival proud of its heritage is the food and drink. Olafson and Heck mentioned a local family that prepares some traditional Icelandic treats for The Deuce, but you have to get them while they’re hot because they are known to sell out fast.

So what treats should you keep an eye out for at The Deuce?

Kleina are twisted donut style pastries. Heck mentioned that the lady who sells them will make and sell 6,000 during the festival! Both mentioned Vinarterta, a layered prune cake. Heck added that the baker made 120 of these large Vinarterta cakes, which will be sold by the square slice, as well as quarter, half, or full cakes.

“That is a favorite,” said Heck. “You get your half or full Vinarterta at The Deuce, and you stick it in the freezer, and you just chop off a little bit of it at a time all year. And then you go back to the next Deuce and get your next one.”

Interestingly enough, Vinarterta is not as popular in Iceland. “It's a North American Icelander thing,” Heck explained. “ In Iceland, I believe it's been largely lost to history. But the tradition was held on so tightly by the immigrants that it's incredibly prevalent here among the North Dakotan and Canadian settlement sites.”

“Hangikjöt,” Olafson added, suggesting another Icelandic speciality folks should try. “That is smoked and cured leg of lamb. Or it can be beef blank, too. What's interesting about the lady who's now doing a fantastic job of getting all this food prepared, she is using the recipe that was used here in this community for decades by our former butcher, whose name was Bjorn Algerson. So the hangikjöt that is being made today, it tastes just like what I remember as a kid growing up, and I'm 71 years old now, and it tastes just like Bjorn’s.”

Hangikjöt means “hung meat,” named so because smoking meat was a means of food preservation. To properly smoke it, it had to hang from the rafters of a smoke shed.

“A lot of heritage recipes and tastes from childhood, right? Like, these are the things that our grandparents made when we were growing up,” said Heck. “And so it's a chance for people to really get to try and buy those things now. I mean, you have to get in line almost before that parade starts, because she sells out every year.”

Imported Icelandic snacks and delicacies can also be found at the Deuce, including harðfiskur also referred to as “hard fish.” It’s a hard fish jerky with a very distinct aroma. Olafson assured us that it’s a very healthy snack because it is 81% protein and zero fat. If you’re not in the mood for hard fish, one will be sure to find some imported Icelandic candy.

“Black licorice, anise, is a big flavor in Iceland,” said Heck. “And their licorice was always so fun to import because it is not as sweet as ours. It's a little salty, it's a little darker, and it's so good. And there's just nothing like it in the U.S. So they have a lot of licorice candies, right? But then they pair their black licorice with chocolate a lot, so you'll get a lot of chocolate bars with pieces like licorice in them. That is very common to find.”

There will also be an Icelandic gin tasting at the golf course and a now sold out wine tasting featuring Björnson and Matthiasson wines. Both wineries are located on the west coast. But like many attendees at The Deuce of August, they too have Icelandic roots.

“It's been sadly noted that teenagers in Iceland have an English accent because of the high consumption of North American media,” said Heck. “When our region's Icelandic Consul Vilhjalmur Wiiumvisited our cafe and was able to buy Icelandic candy there, he said he was proud this area was 'more Icelandic than Iceland.’ I thought that was an interesting commentary on current days and what holding on to tradition can accomplish.”

We heard a rumor that this could possibly be the last Deuce. So we had to go straight to the source.

“That's a rumor that's been running around since our 100th celebration in 1999, because I think people recognize that, boy, this is a big, big effort, and they think that this is going to be the last one,” said Olafson. "But I can assure you, as will Dori, that that's absolutely not the case. Our celebration continues to evolve over the years, so there's no one here that is having any type of discussion whatsoever that this, or any future celebration, will be the last one. We want to keep this going as long as we can, and as long as there are people to step up and make it happen.”

IF YOU GO:

The Deuce of August

August 1-4

Mountain, North Dakota

https://www.thedeuce.org/