Growing Up in Bay Ridge and Lake Telemark

The winters were great fun! We skated on the Lake and often had speed skating races sponsored by the Sons of Norway, the results of which were always reported in the Nordiske Tidene. We started the Odin Ski Club and built two ski jumps in Lake Telemark. We hosted many jumping events mostly at the junior level. My eight foot long "boards", bought used and stemming from the 1930's, still rest in my basement with memories of Lake Telemark, Bear Mountain and many New England jumping hills.

Off to one side of the Lake was the BUL Cabin. The BUL as an organization were responsible for our many sports activities and bolstered our continued interest in our heritage. We all admired their canoe and their two rowboats named, "Kong Haakon" and "Krone Prins Olaf", the only fleet on our Lake.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Ostlandet, a social club in Bay Ridge, whose members were immigrants from Norway from the Oslofjord area. It began in 1937 and my Uncle Norman Klemmetsen was its first President, followed by my Dad, Eugene. It was a gathering place for those who had acclimated to their new country but still sought to maintain their customs and language. During it's heyday they contributed financially to a number of Bay Ridge charities including both the Norwegian Old People's Home and Children's Home. Club membership diminished over time and the Club disbanded in the 1980's. Their records and keepsakes were sent to The Emigrant Historical Society, located I believe in Horton, for their displays and archives

While those days of Bay Ridge and Lake Telemark are fading memories, some are still vivid. Fortunately communications with our old crowd helps us to reminisce. While we don't see them as often as we would like, as we are well retired in North Carolina, we do keep in touch and have the occasional visit when of course the old photographs come out to remind ourselves that wealth is not only measured in currency.

Still a Viking, Walter Swanson P.S. You saw there was no "sen" on the end of Swanson! Prior to naturalization and US citizenship it read Svendsen. Blame my Dad.

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