Wow! What a contest! The 2022 Lefse Limerick Contest produced such fun and fine limericks that it forced me to go to weeks of DOGGONE IT, MAKE A DECISION!! training — which I failed. It started, I suppose, with difficulty in choosing between Zoom and in-person. I blame it on carrying the burden/gift of being a Gemini.
But in my defense, these limericks were good and plentiful. One guy submitted 64 of them, and most of the entrants emailed multiple submissions, often with notes of thanks for offering the contest and giving them a chance to get away from the pandemic and the war and let loose the dogs of creativity! What a wonderful image of them noodling away at the kitchen table in winter’s bright slanting sun, with coffee and notebook and a grin to go with the limerick’s punchline.
This year’s contest was about lefse and love, not only about the fervor of loving lefse but also about the passion in loving someone. The charge was to do your best to follow the limerick’s engaging rhythm and rhyming. If you were a bit off in counting the beats, it hurt your chances slightly, but with just one slip, I let it pass.
So limerick lovers in Lefseland, without further adieu, I give you the winners of the 2022 Lefse Limerick Contest!
Margie Oloughlin, from Northfield, Minnesota, won the contest, and frankly, choosing the winner was relatively easy. Her entry had all the elements of a limerick — it reads with easy rhythm — and her combining lefse and love and passion and humor were spot on. Nice!
There once was a lefse-less Dane Whose diet was woefully plain Til she met a Norsk troll And with him she did roll And her night times were never the same Under stars and the light of the moon Lefse steamed amid kisses and soon Through flour and frost Their minds became lost And the dish ran away with the spoon!
And for her wit, Margie wins the all-walnut lefse rolling pin below!
John Ofstehage, from Greenwood, Minnesota, tied for second place with this limerick combining online dating and lefse:
Online dating, I’ll give it a go My profile, I want it to show That I’m a skilled baker A great lefse maker Seeking someone, kneading the dough
Sonja (last name withheld), pictured with son Brandon, tied for second place. Sonja is from White Rock, New Mexico, and her limerick has some sass!
My love, it is high time we ate. What is this round thing on my plate? It's lefse my dear. Please try not to jeer, Or we may not have a next date.
Third Place Winners
OK, I was doing pretty well in my decision making until it came time to decide on third place. Then my decisiveness got decidedly worse. So I finally decided to duck the decision and award all who were in my third-place file. In no particular order, they are:
Howard Hoganson, from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, went on limerick bacchanalia and submitted 64 of them! My man! Here’s one:
Lefse is precious and blind Each thin sheet is one of a kind Mother them sweetly And so completely Love treasures so dear to the mind
Lisa R. Lukis, from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, saluted family tradition with this limerick. ‘Tates, btw, are potatoes.
Dad knows how to handle the ‘tates ‘Cause he hails from one of the greats Norwegian great-gran’ Came to this land Love and lefse were her sweet traits
Heidi Bacon, from Red Wing, Minnesota, was one of last year’s winners. She’s back with this rather spirited limerick personifying lefse and butter:
There once was a lefse named Larry - Sweet Butter he did want to marry He gave her some sugar, (She sure was a cougar) But, uff da! She worth it? Yes, very!
Judy L. Halbakken, from Bellingham, Washington, submitted a lefse photo that matched the beauty in the above photo of her in the Pacific Northwest. Here is her limerick that mixes lefse, love, and …
There once was a young Norsky man Who said to his wife, "If you can Make lefse — I'll love you With love always true, But lutefisk she made, and he ran!
Jim Leet, from Roseburg, Oregon, is another winner from last year. Judging from the above picture and the number of limericks Jim submitted, it’s puppy love with him and limericks. Here’s one:
If lefse’s your favorite food Enhancing your Norse attitude Your passion for rounds As strange as it sounds Just makes you a loveable dude
Sheryl Hove, from St. Paul, Minnesota, submitted eight limericks, and here is her winner:
The lefse took hold of his heart They pledged to never be apart Then lut'fisk she cooked And he suddenly looked Like, so how did this marriage start?
Charles E. Voigt, from Bonfield, Illinois, pulled away from his Herculean task of cracking some 2,500 black walnuts to write six limericks, including this one about black walnut lefse.
Black walnuts make lefse appealing, Rolled with brown sugar and feeling. The flavor’s intense, We’re not on the fence. You’ll love it, so don’t hit the ceiling!
Mardi Knudson, from St. Cloud, Minnesota, proudly stands near the “Welcome Poets” sign, so you know her limerick has to have deep, deep thought and feeling. Here it is:
There once was a Norsky that cried, "Make lefse dear Norwegian bride!" Liv did roll those rounds Feeding Leif big mounds Till her hands and temper were fried!
John Ziegenhagen, from Minnetonka, Minnesota, was last year’s winner. John is a bit of a loose cannon with limericks, never afraid of inventing words to fit the line and always looking for the limerick gut punch. He submitted six limericks, and here’s one, influenced by the Bard, about a truly tragic kind of lefse love:
There once was a doofus named Romeo. Who put in his lefse hemlockeo. Poor Juliet took a bite, And out went her light. He’d killed her, of that, there’s no doubteo.
Portly Bard prefers not to use his name or reveal his location. He says he simply wants to be left alone to produce poetry and limericks, including this sweet winner:
True love is like lefse I'm told, Hard work and delight to unfold. If it's worth it today, Make your lefse and say "Next course is more Norse to behold."
All third place winners receive my lefse novel, Final Rounds: On Love, Loss, Life, and Lefse.
Thanks, all lefse limericists who entered the contest. You have lightened the last couple of months, and let’s do it again next year. All of you who entered will receive the 2022 Let’s Make Lefse! Calendar.
