Festival høsts Military Appreciation Day Published Oct. 8, 2013 By Airman 1st Class Apryl Hall Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT, N.D. -- Authentic Scandinavian cuisine, craftsmanship and entertainment attracted thousands of people from all over the world for the 36th Annual Norsk Høstfest hosted at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds in Minot, Oct. 1-5. Founded in 1978 by the late Chester Reiten, Norsk Høstfest is North America's largest Scandinavian festival. It celebrates culture from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. For military members and their families, a highlight of the festival was Military Appreciation Day. Active duty military members and their families received free admission to the festival and were offered discounted tickets to the main events throughout the day. "Military day is a very nice treat," said 1st Lt. Ricky Martin, 5th Medical Operations Squadron physician's assistant. "It was a wonderful activity for Airmen and their families." His favorite part of the festival was trying the different Norwegian food, such as bread pudding, lutefisk and potato dumplings, Martin said. One of his favorite discoveries was called "Viking on a Stick," a delicacy consisting of a deep-fried, breaded meatball on a wooden stick. "The food was delicious," Martin said. In addition to the food and handmade merchandise, the festival also featured several live shows. The entertainment included small-town, local performers as well as more recognized names including Frank Sinatra Jr., Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Bill Cosby and country band Alabama. Later in the evening in a speech that took place before the start of the Alabama concert, David Reiten, son of Norsk Høstfest's founder, communicated his appreciation for active duty military members to more than 5,000 concert-goers. "Tonight we honor and thank active and former military personnel," said Reiten. "Because of their sacrifices, we can enjoy nights like this." Along with the other benefits military members took advantage of on Military Appreciation Day, 20 Team Minot Airmen were selected for an exclusive meet-and-greet with Alabama after their show. Airmen were offered the opportunity to meet and have their photos taken with the band. As one of the Airmen who met the band, Martin said he was excited and grateful to be chosen. He also commended Reiten and the rest of the Norsk Høstfest team for hosting a Military Appreciation Day. "It's really awesome for the community to give us the opportunity to come down and experience this," said Martin.