The Sons of Norway fall culture classes offer Norwegian enthusiasts the chance to become experienced in a specific skill, whether that be rosemaling, making lefsa or speaking Norwegian.

"Even though we live in a culture where everything is made fast and then thrown away, here you learn the appreciation for crafts that will last generations," said Nancy Burke, current president of the Sons of Norway.

The culture classes are offered at 7 p.m. on Mondays for six weeks in the fall and again in the spring at Canyon Lake Senior Center. The classes are free to members of Borgund Lodge and $45 for non-members.

According to cultural director Kathy Didier, anyone can join Sons of Norway, regardless of their heritage. A membership costs $38.50 a year, making it much less expensive to become a member, especially when taking the classes twice a year, Didier said.

"However, the majority have Norwegian heritage or some other type of connection, like hosting a foreign exchange student," Didier said.

There are six different types of classes offered: Norwegian language, woodcarving, hardanger embroidery, Norwegian cooking, rosemaling and Norwegian/American literature. About 70 people participate in the classes.

"The theme is to promote and preserve our Scandinavian culture," Burke said. "We have a lot of really talented people, which is good, because people want to learn from a master."

The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in Rapid City used to have a large contingency of Norwegian students who would help out with the culture classes, according to Didier. The language classes especially benefited from their presence.

"That was when it was fun because we always used to do the parades with them," Didier said. "And the boys were always very good looking."

Didier said she has been a member of the Sons of Norway for 15 years and has visited relatives in Norway five times in the past nine years.

"Norwegians are such crafty people," Didier said. "And these classes are a neat way to learn a craft that is slightly different than what you would normally do. For example, the rosemaling is a type of painting that you don't normally see."

Rosemaling, which is "rose painting" in Norwegian, is elaborate floral painting done with single strokes on wood. Everything is done by balancing the painting hand on the opposite arm.

Rosella Beaumont made her first plate with rosemaling in 1989 for her Norwegian father. He died a few years after that, and Beaumont quit doing rosemaling.

"Finally, I decided that he wouldn't have wanted me to quit that," said Beaumont, who joined the Sons of Norway six years ago and now travels around the region attending Norwegian festivals showcasing rosemaling.

According to Beaumont, rosemaling takes patience and attention to detail.

"Nothing is done in a hurry," Beaumont said. "When we do something, we want to do it well, so we practice a lot. At first, it took me days and days, but once you can do one tulip, you can do them all."

Jo Aarsby, whose father came from Norway, was practicing a rosemaling design on a piece of paper before attempting to paint her bowl.

"I absolutely love rosemaling," Aarsby said. "I'll never do it well, but I'll keep trying."

Another group was working on hardanger embroidery, which is an elaborate needlework design based on square patterns and Viking ship-based patterns. Even though it is geometric and at times even blocky, it still looks dainty and complex.

"You'll give it to people, and they will think they need to frame it and not use it, but it is made out of cotton and is pretty durable," Peggy Nielson said.

Nielson said that unlike other needleworks, you cannot cover up mistakes with hardanger because the edges need to be secure to cut out designs. A magnifying glass is a necessity, as the threads weaved together are very fine.

"You think of doilies as being old-fashioned, but there is something so magnificent about the hardanger pieces that they become heirlooms," Didier said. "It's the same with the woodcarving. It becomes that special heirloom that you keep those love letters in."

Leonard Raad was instructing the woodcarving and chip carving class. The ornate chip carving designs are made by holding the knife at a 65-degree angle and chipping the wood away in three cuts.

"They would hand carve these elaborate plates just to set their bread on," Didier said. "That's what it was all about - to have everything beautiful."

The woodcarving is done by long cuts that leave the figures looking rough.

"It's just like peeling a potato if you have the right kind of wood," Raad said. "However, we do have Band-Aids, because we do bleed every once in a while."

It takes practice to become skilled at woodcarving, but it is very calming to do, according to Raad.

"The other day, I sat down and just carved this head," Raad said of a wooden stick boasting and old man's head, complete with a long beard and a squished hat. "I'm an accountant, so this relieves stress for me. I can sit down and carve and forget everything else."

Halfway through the classes, everyone takes a break and samples what the cooking class is making.

"I just want to stick my finger in each bowl and sample it all right now," Didier said, walking in the kitchen where they were making thick rice pudding and iced puff pastry under the direction of Terry Satrang. "That's why I could never be in this class."

"It drives all of the people nuts because there is a pound of butter in it," Satrang said of the puff pastry. "It's like anything good: You have to use the real stuff. Otherwise, it won't turn out."

Although they mostly make pastries, the cooking class also makes other dishes, such as steamed cod.

"A lot of the food is about the presentation," Satrang said. "For example, with the open-faced sandwich, you decorate the bread with lettuce, salmon, tomato and goat cheese so that all of the colors are exposed."

Satrang said that most of the cooking they do is "heritage food" from when they had no refrigerators, and many things were salted or dried to keep longer.

"Many Norwegian foods are partner recipes, like in lefsa, when you need a roller and a flipper," Didier said. "That is why Norwegian food is great for a husband and wife to make together."