Sunday, July 7, 2013

Pacific Viking Ship Foundation acquires a new ship in the form of a parade float!

First post in a long time.  Status: Old ship dismantled, trailer removed after registration for the trailer located.  then.. (reprinted from the Scandanavian Heritage Foundation Newsletter from June/July 2013: (Pictures of the float later!)

Pacific Coast Viking Ship Foundation
Acquires Parade Float
Judy Gervais Perkiomaki was wearing a grin ear to ear at Portland’s
Midsummer event June 15th at Oaks Park. The reason, she finally has her own
parade float, well sort of, it is actually the property of the Pacific Coast Viking
Ship Foundation and she is its President. Mrs. Perkiomaki found the float in
Olympia were it was owned and operated by the local Norse Hall but for sale.
The Pacific Coast Viking Ship Foundation was formed in about 1997 for the
purpose of building a forty foot Gokstad Viking Ship replica. The hull was
partially finished but the project languished in the elements due to its
President’s regrettable illness. The ship was eventually moved to SHF’s
property where its hull unfortunately separated, with the wood damaged
beyond practical repair.
It was Dr. Bernard Fedde’s dream to have a Viking Ship to promote the
activities of the Scandinavian/Nordic Community. So, when Judy Perkiomaki
saw the opportunity to facilitate this shared vision, she went to work, by asking
the Viking Ship Foundation “How often do you have the opportunity to buy a
turn-key Viking Ship float?” Since she posed her question at the PCVSF
annual meeting, the attending foundation members not only agreed but they
also elected her their next President