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On Tuesday the 4th of November the Board of the Guild travelled to Oslo, where 19 new members were to be initiated.
The initiation took place in the impressive building of the Oslo Military Society. This building is situated near the ramparts of Akershus Castle, and its high-ceilinged stylish rooms provided a fine background for the initiation.
Oslo has since 1991 had a very active branch of the Guild, headed by Vice Chief Bencher Trygve Sødring.
Solvang was founded 100 years ago by Danes who had emigrated to California in USA. This is the reason why a group of some 50 citizens from Solvang - headed by their Lord Mayor Jim Richardson - has been visiting Aalborg from October 4th to October 6th. From Aalborg the group continued their Denmark tour.
46 of the guests from the group had - through Aalborg City´s Event Department - applied for initiation into Christian The Fourth´s Guild.
During the visit to Aalborg Lord Mayor Henning G. Jensen invited the guests from USA to a reception in the City´s Old Town Hall. Earlier this year Hening G. Jensen participated in the anniversary celebrations in Solvang.
The Guild has close relations to Solvang. In 1998 a group of board members from the Guild made a memorable visit to Solvang.
Photo: Jens Morten
In connection with the international Youth Games – which were held in Aalborg during the first week of August – the City Council of Aalborg asked the Christian The Fourth´s Guild to initiate into the Guild 40 young team-leaders, chosen among the 1.100 teen-agers, who took part in the Games.
After the initiation the new members of the Guild were taken on a sight-seeing tour in Aalborg’s old town.
Former Lord Mayor of Aalborg, Marius Andersen, founded in 1975 the Youth Games for 13 -15 years old girls and boys from Aalborg’s twin towns, and the Games were held for the first time the same year - of course in Aalborg – and with help from the City Council and from SIFA (the union of sports-clubs in Aalborg).
Since then there have been Youth Games every fourth year, by turn in four different cities of which one has always been Aalborg. Today Aalborg has 33 twin towns, and the 1.100 participants in the Games were this year from 23 of these cities. Most of the cities represented were European, but China and Israel had too sent delegates.
The sport activities take place in Aalborg’s different sport facilities, while other arrangements for the participants and their followers take place in the new cultural center “Nordkraft” or on Aalborg´s newly developed waterfront.
Photo:: Jens Morten
Among the many traditions in connection with the celebration of the 4th of July in Rebild and Aalborg is the initiation of new members into the Christian The Fourth´s Guild.
16 Danish-Americans, Americans and Danes were initiated this year. Among them were the American main speaker Steny Hoyer, congressman and House Democratic Majority Leader - who has Danish ancestors – the American attaché of defense Chris McDonald and his wife, the Danish youth speaker and TV-hostess Ida Wohlert and her husband.
After the initiation ceremony the whole party proceeded to the traditional tent-luncheon in Rebild Bakker, where members of the Guild’s Board contributed to the entertainment.
On Monday the 9th of May 126 Norwegians – all of them members of the Guild in Oslo – visited Aalborg, Duus’ Wine cellar, Jens Bangs Stenhus and the board of the Guild.
The occasion was the celebration of the 20th anniversary for the sanctioning of the Norwegian branch of the Guild in Oslo by the original Christian The Fourth’s Guild in Aalborg. That was the result of several years of close cooperating between the Guild here in Aalborg and a group of citizens from Oslo.
Still, only the C4 Guild in Aalborg can initiate new members, and therefore every spring the Guild from Oslo brings to Aalborg new members to be initiated here by the Aalborg Guild, and every fall the Aalborg Guild travels to Oslo to initiate new members there. Thus – on Monday the 9th - 18 Norwegians were initiated here.
Acting on an invitation from the Oslo Guild chief bencher Niels Voss Hansen, vice chief bencher Kaj Hanberg and the Guilds secretary Henrik Jensen on Sunday the 8th went by boat from Frederikshavn to Oslo, where the Oslo Guild with vice chief bencher Trygve Sødring met them at the boat, and then the 3 Danes accompanied the 126 Norwegians back to Denmark (Frederikshavn) by night-boat.
At 10.30 a.m. on Monday 9th the initiation took place – and as usual with many happy Norwegians present and with lots of Norwegian songs and music (there are several musicians among the members of the Oslo Guild).
After the initiation the members of the board of the two Guilds and their ladies walked to the new restaurant “Fusion” on the waterfront, where lunch was served. To celebrate the 20th anniversary the board of Christian The Fourth’s Guild had this year invited the Norwegian consul in Aalborg, Jens Chr. Schmidt, to lunch, and on the waterfront the Cannon Guild of Aalborg saluted the Norwegian-Danish party.
Foto: Jens Morten