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Vikings are alive and well in Vernon

| 20 Oct 2014 | 03:33
    Vernon beekeepers Deb and JC Cowell of the Bees, Birds & Bear Apiary offered a variety of their homemade products.
    Vernon beekeepers Deb and JC Cowell of the Bees, Birds & Bear Apiary offered a variety of their homemade products.
    Internationally performing singer/songwriter Kellianna offered both Norse and Celtic music for the audience.
    Internationally performing singer/songwriter Kellianna offered both Norse and Celtic music for the audience.
    Dressed in traditional Scandinavian garb, Nordic House Coffee House and Nordic Bakery owner Gary Martinsen stands beside a replica Viking sailing ship during the Fourth Annual Winternights Festival.
    Dressed in traditional Scandinavian garb, Nordic House Coffee House and Nordic Bakery owner Gary Martinsen stands beside a replica Viking sailing ship during the Fourth Annual Winternights Festival.
    A young boy and his grandmother came from Bergen County. Here she is shown helping him build a model of a Viking sailing ship.
    A young boy and his grandmother came from Bergen County. Here she is shown helping him build a model of a Viking sailing ship.

VERNON — Fourth Annual Winternights Festival, held at the Nordic House Coffee House and Nordic Bakery on Sunday, was well attended as visitor came from the northern portion of the state to sample baked goods and other delights.

The event was chosen by New Jersey Monthly magazine as one of 78 fun things to do in October.

According to Nordic House owner Gary Martinsen, the majority of the proceeds of the event are to be donated to local charities including the Vernon VFW and the Northern New Jersey Veterans Cemetery.

Entrance into the festival was via a “Troll Bridge” Martinsen recently built for the event. Celebrated in pre-Christian Scandinavia, Vetrnaetr or Winter Nights was a Norse winter festival where participants asked for protection against the harshness of winter.

— Photos by Chris Wyman