Tomorrow, it’s off Minot, North Dakota, for the 40th annual Norsk Hostfest. I’ll be toting my four books, my Keep On Rolling!-related products, and great expectations in the eight-hour drive from Minneapolis to Minot. This is the largest Scandinavian festival in the U.S., attracting 55,000 to 60,000 people to the North Dakota State Fairgrounds, where the Hostfest takes place.
I remember my first Hostfest in 1993. I had one book to sell then, The Last Word on Lefse. On opening day of the festival, I stacked copies of the book on my eight-foot table in what is now called the Author’s Corner, and I waited. It was morning, and shoppers were excitedly checking out books and products but not buying much. I made a few sales but decided to take a break and leave the table to get coffee.
I returned 20 minutes later to a clutch of shoppers waiting by my table—for me to sign books! I did, and then more buyers came, and more, and more. All day there were lively conversations about lefse and the new book—and steady sales. That continued for the final three days of the festival, and I left the Hostfest exhausted but elated!
The Author’s Corner now has a small stage, and authors are interviewed there throughout the day. My time is 4 p.m. each day. I’ll talk about my new book, Keep On Rolling! Life on the Lefse Trail and Learning to Get a Round, and then end my time by singing the song I co-wrote with Erik Sherburne, “Keep On Rollin’”. This will be the first time I sing my song, so if you go to the Hostfest, stop by and let me know what you think!