Vasa Order of America - Drott Lodge #168

06/17/2026

The Embassy of Sweden invited Members of Drott Lodge to help celebrate Midsommar on the National Mall - and help decorate the Maypole this year! We met Ambassador Urban Ahlin his wife, danced, sang, experienced some rain showers, and then the most beautiful summer skies and double rainbow.

06/12/2026

06/12/2026

Drott's Lazy Days of Summer 1:
Bake Swedish Meringue Cake & Learn Some Swedish!

St Luke's Episcopal Church
2:00 PM - 4:30 pm

Register here: https://www.drott-lodge.org/event-6685723

We are excited to announce the first event in our series, "Lazy Days of Summer," where we will come together to have fun and learn something new. Whether you've never baked a cake from scratch or have always wanted to pick up some basic Swedish for enjoyable conversation, this is your chance to do both! Join us for two engaging sessions:
Karin Weeden, our enthusiastic chairman, will lead the baking class. Her passion for baking guarantees that you will enjoy learning how to create a delicious cake!
During our Fika break, we will enjoy the delightful Meringue cake.
The Swedish lesson will be taught by our talented member, Christina Lazdins. With 13+ years of experience teaching both adults and children at the Swedish School, and at the FSI since 2010, Christina promises a lighthearted and enjoyable session filled with useful words and phrases.
Feel free to come as you are and bring a friend along!
We kindly ask that you sign up, so we can prepare accordingly.

2 PM Baking with Karin
3 PM Fika
3:30 PM Swedish lesson with Christina

06/08/2026

A Summer Evening by Kalmar Nyckel: Four Centuries of Friendship

Drott Lodge was honored to attend a special embassy reception at the Capital Yacht Club celebrating the return of the historic tall ship Kalmar Nyckel to Washington, DC.

The Ambassador of Sweden, H.E. Urban Ahlin, welcomed members of the Swedish-American community for an evening that celebrated our shared history and enduring friendship. During his remarks, Ambassador Ahlin expressed his appreciation for the work of Swedish-American organizations and the important role they play in strengthening the ties between Sweden and the United States.

We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in this memorable event and to continue fostering the connections that unite our communities. (The Ambassador's closing comments are included on the attached video).

06/05/2026

Drott Lodge & ASA enjoyed an absolutely beautiful day celebrating Midsommar!

05/30/2026

Members of Drott Lodge were honored to participate in the 100-years
commemoration of the John Ericsson National Memorial on the National Mall in Washington,
D.C. The celebration was not only of a brilliant engineer and inventor, but also about a
remarkable immigrant story - the story of John Ericsson, a Swedish-born innovator whose ideas
helped shape the future of the United States. He emigrated to the United States in 1839.

During the celebration, there were speeches about the history of the memorial, about John
Ericsson and how he revolutionized naval engineering, developed new propulsion technologies
to include the screw propeller. He designed and supervised hands-on the construction of the
USS Monitor, the ironclad warship that changed naval warfare during the American Civil War.
From 1913, Drott Lodge, Vasa District No. 9 and Vasa Order of America were very instrumental
in realizing the memorial. Other local Vasa lodges across the country started to organize
meetings, circulate petitions, raise funds, and support appeals for a national memorial to
Ericsson, including petitioning the U.S. Congress.

One hundred years ago, on May 29, 1926, the memorial celebrating John Ericsson was dedicated in
the presence of President Calvin Coolidge and Crown Prince Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden.
Afterwards, some of the Drott Lodge members were invited to join the Ambassador for a
delightful luncheon.