Submitted Photo Anniken Huitfeldt, Norwegian Ambassador to the United States, right, presents Pam Davy with a certificate recognizing her selection for the Medal of Saint Olav, which Davy is wearing.

As North America’s largest Scandinavian festival, Norsk Hostfest played a major role in preserving heritage and strengthening bonds between America and Scandinavia.

One of the people behind the festival that ran from 1978-2025 was former executive director Pam Davy, who was recognized by the Norwegian Crown with the presentation of the Medal of Saint Olav on July 3 in Medora.

The Medal of St. Olav (also spelled Olaf) was founded by King Haakon VII in 1939 to recognize service in advancing knowledge of Norway abroad and for strengthening the bonds between expatriate Norwegians and their descendants and their country of residence.

Rolf Haugen, a former city manager for Minot’s Sister City, Skien, Norway, and former Skien Mayor Jan Terje Olsen proposed that Davy should receive the medal. They garnered support from former Mayor Hedda Foss Five, Telemark County Mayor Sven Tore Laukslid, former County Mayor and former Secretary of State Terje Riis Johansen and current Skien Mayor Marius Roheim Aarvold. The Norwegian consulate in Minneapolis and Fargo also gave their support, Haugen said.

Haugen explained Skien and Telemark County have had a relationship with Minot since 1981, when Hostfest founder Chester Reiten came looking for a Sister City in Norway. Since then hundreds of Scandinavian artists, musicians, dancers and politicians have participated in Norsk Hostfest.

“Pam was instrumental in helping us – always well prepared, always friendly and helpful. This also led to ‘The hands across the sea program’ and the Sondre Norheim ceremony every year, and the statue of him in the Scandinavian Heritage Park. Pam was central in making this happen. She was all over, working day and night, never more than one step behind Chester Reiten. Norsk Hostfest would not exist without her,” Haugen said.

Since Minot and Skien became Sister Cities, personal relationships have been established, he added. Every year Skien sends an official delegation, and Minot visits Skien. A special relationship exists with Minot State University, which has sent representatives to Norway.

Tourism has increased both ways, Haugen said.

“One of the main reasons for this is Pam Davy. She really deserves the Medal of St. Olav,” he said.

Anniken Huitfeldt, Norway’s ambassador to the United States, came from Washington, D.C., for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library celebration and presented the award to Davy at that time.

The presentation almost was a surprise. Davy said the “conspiracy” was revealed a few weeks before the presentation when she happened across correspondence between Minot’s mayor and a family member about the pending award. Having discouraged efforts around such awards in the past, Davy discovered this one had slipped through.

“I don’t like surprises. And I don’t like awards,” she laughed. “But anyway, I came to like this one.”

She said she accepted the medal on behalf of thousands of volunteers who made Norsk Hostfest a national attraction.

“Our volunteers worked tirelessly and they shouldered such responsibility,” she said. “Many years, we had 150 chairmen, and I know we worked seven days a week and through the night, and I recall I didn’t have to ask anybody to do anything. They knew their jobs, and, praise the Lord, they did them. They worked well together. There was so much cooperation. It was a big, complex organization, but it worked so well because of the volunteers. So, it’s really heartwarming to know the efforts of the volunteers were acknowledged and appreciated and known in Norway.

A reception is being planned in August for Norsk Hostfest volunteers and friends. More details will be announced in coming weeks.

In presenting Davy with the Medal of Saint Olav, Huitfeldt noted the impact of the more than 5,000 volunteers whom Davy brought together each year.

“They built not just an event but a community,” she said. “I attended Hostfest last year. It was full of warmth, pride and shared heritage. It even featured a wedding – a true testament to how it impacted the lives of so many.”

The legacy that lives on is Davy’s own and includes a lasting bridge between Norway and America, Huitfeldt said.

“Many Norwegian Americans never have an opportunity to travel to Norway. Yet through your efforts, Norway came to them. Through your dedication, traditions have been preserved, but also carried forward, by new generations. You spoke their language and made their heritage fun,” she said. “Beyond all of this, what stands out most is your spirit, your generosity and your ability to inspire others. That is precisely what this medal represents.”

The Medal of Saint Olav may be worn whenever the recipient desires but must be worn in the presence of Norway’s king, whom Davy has previously met.

Some members of the royal family also had visited Hostfest, receiving a first-hand look at what was happening in Minot, Davy said.

The outdoor medal presentation and reception brought some Minot residents, Davy’s family members from around the country, and a drop-in visit by Gov. Kelly Armstrong and First Lady Kjersti Armstrong, who is a native of Norway.

Davy joins a select group of Medal of Saint Olav recipients that includes longtime Hostfest presenter and Scandinavian American Hall of Fame honoree Rolf Stang of Minot and Chester Reiten, who passed away in 2013.