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TBT: Check Out Old Photos Of Chicago's Norwegians Celebrating Syttende Mai

By Mina Bloom | May 18, 2017 5:26am

LOGAN SQUARE — For #ThrowbackThursday, check out photos of Chicago's Norwegian community celebrating Norway's Constitution Day, Syttende Mai, throughout the years.

For many years, Chicago's Norwegian community gathered for a parade to mark the holiday, which is celebrated on May 17 each year. Today, the parade is held in suburban Park Ridge.

On Wednesday, Norwegian Memorial Lutheran, 2614 N. Kedzie Ave., hosted a free concert to celebrate.

The church, commonly referred to as Minnekirken, used to be one of many Norwegian churches in Logan Square during the early 1900s when the neighborhood was a strong Scandinavian and Norwegian enclave.

Today, it's one of just two churches in America where Norwegian is the primary language spoken and is one of the oldest ethnic churches in Logan Square.

Below are news photos of Chicago's Norwegian community celebrating the holiday over the years, including one from the Norwegian king’s visit in 1975, as well as an earlier visit when he was prince at the Norske Klub.

DNAinfo is partnering with Logan Square Preservation on a "Throwback Thursday" post each week. All photos are the property of Logan Square Preservation unless otherwise indicated.

For more photos and information, visit Logansquarepreservation.org or Facebook.com/logansquarepreservation.