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Geneva’s premier Swedish-themed festival once drew more than 20,000 people, but today struggles to draw 1,000.
This is not the hugely popular downtown Swedish Days Festival, which currently draws about 200,000 people during its six days, but a more ethnic Swedish Day (one day), still held on the Sunday before the mainstream Swedish Days festival. Swedish Day was once one of the pride of the city.
Today, Swedish Day organizers aren’t surprised when locals say they’ve never heard of the festival. But they point out that visitors are pleasantly surprised when they discover the more than 100-year-old tradition.
Swedish Day is held at Good Templar Park where other remnants from the old country can be found, such as the famed Viking Ship and old-world-style European cottages.
Although some events and activities are still held at Good Templar Park, it is not as lively as it once was.
Park caretakers are hoping to change that by opening it up more to the community and organizing more events.
One new event is Cottages of the Woods, which was held for the fourth time in November.
Organizers invited the community to the park to experience a piece of traditional Sweden with the cottages and Scandinavian art.
“With the festival, we’re trying to have the community see more of the park,” said organizer Kathy
McPartland. “We’re inviting people to get more involved with the park. ... We just need some new life in it to be honest.”
Pat Hanson, spokeswoman for the Geneva chapter of the Good Templar Organization, said the group is looking for more cooperation with the Geneva Park District for events.
"I think we have quite a bit to offer," Hanson said.
Tradition and history
Geneva has a strong Swedish background and Good Templar Park had a lot to do with that. Many restaurants in Geneva feature Swedish food, the school teams are called the Vikings, which were from Scandanivia, and the Swedish Santa Lucia comes to visit during Christmas time.
So, not only are Good Templar Park caretakers looking to keep the park alive, but Geneva’s heritage, as well.
The story of Good Templar Park begins with the formation of the Good Templar Organisation in 1851 in Utica, New York.
“It grew very fast,” Hanson said.
By 1870, the organization had 300 chapters across the U.S. and expanded into Europe, mostly Scandinavian countries.
Hanson said the American chapters became less active over the years, but the organization had a huge impact in Scandinavian countries. Many of its members even became government leaders in Sweden and Norway.
At around the turn of the 20th century, Swedes, like many Europeans, began immigrating to the U.S.
Many of the Swedish immigrants were Good Templars who established their own ethnic chapters.
“In this area (Geneva), that’s what had remained,” Hanson said.
Local Good Templar chapters began hosting the annual celebration of Swedish Day in 1911 at Ravinia Park, north of Chicago.
But Hanson said rent kept increasing at Ravinia, so the Good Templars began looking for a piece of land to buy to host a festival to call their own.
They found 66 acres for sale in Geneva, which is now Good Templar Park.
The first Swedish Day in Geneva was held in 1925 and it was an immediate sensation with 20,000 people attending.
Good Templar Park once had an amphitheater where events were held with tiers of seats carved out of a hill.
Hanson said the amphitheater is still there, but it’s not in very good shape and is not used anymore.
“It was there until 1970,” Hanson said. “There was too much water damage and not enough people to keep it up.”
Currently, the Geneva chapter of Good Templars has only about 20 members who are still managing to maintain the rest of the park.
“It’s a challenge to maintain, but we’re blessed with dedicated members,” said Lou Horner, president of the Geneva Good Templars.
Horner said the Good Templars act as a welcoming organization for Scandinavians immigrating to the U.S.
Saving heritage
Now, there are not as many Scandinavians immigrating and when they do, they usually already have close family members or other networks and don't really need the Good Templars to become established, Horner said.
And Hanson said there aren’t as many first- or second-generation Scandinavians to keep the park going with its ethnic heritage.
And there aren’t many people who are willing to take the pledge of the Good Templars, which includes being free from alcohol and other recreational drugs, she said.
The park has become popular for use by Alcoholics Anonymous and other anti-alcohol and anti-drug groups.
Horner said the Good Templars welcome anyone who wants to be free of substance use and they don’t have to be Swedish.
Still, some Good Templars are hopeful that future generations of Swedish-Americans will pick up the torch and revitalize the park and the artifacts in it, such as the Viking Ship and the Swedish cottages.
Arlene Melton, of Wilmette, has had a Swedish cottage at Good Templar Park in her family for more than 70 years.
Melton, 73, remembers when she was a girl how Swedish-Americans would come from the Chicago area to visit Geneva’s Good Templar Park for a taste of the country life.
The park still has nearly 60 cottages.
Many are owned by Good Templar families from around the U.S. but Hanson said five are for sale.
However, she said prospective buyers must be willing to take the Good Templar pledge of being free from alcohol.
Melton still comes to the cottage for much of the year even though much of Geneva has become a lot less country.
“When you’re driving in there (Good Templar Park), you feel like you’re driving in the country,” Melton said. “There are a lot of trees and shade and it’s quiet. It’s very, very nice. I enjoy it out there.”
She said she has brought her children to visit.
“They’re not as interested as I was,” Melton said.
She said it’s different for her kids because there are not enough people in their same age group who stay at the park.
Still, Melton said she has seen some younger people who come out to the park and enjoy it.
“We are trying to keep it up and have some of that heritage,” Melton said.