Back in 1909 during the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, one of the most popular events during the three-month fair was “Norway Day”, a celebration which included a specially built Viking ship which sailed across Lake Washington.

This year’s celebration of the centennial anniversary of the A-Y-P includes a day to commemorate that Norway Day with the launch of another Viking ship, this one even older than the original. The Nordic Spirit was originally built in the early 19th century in Norway as a coastal fishing boat. Back in the 1960s, a dragon’s head and other decorations were added to make it look like a Viking ship. For the past 10 months, the Nordic Spirit has been docked at the Pacific Fisherman Shipyard where a dedicated crew has been restoring the vessel with a number of components including new planks, 10 gallons of pine tar, and hundreds of copper rivets.

On Sunday, August 30, the newly refurbished Nordic Spirit will leave the confines of the shipyard to be rowed over to Fisherman’s Terminal (3919 – 18th Ave W) for a special rededication ceremony featuring Honorary Consul of Norway Kim Nesselquist, Washington state senators Ken Jacobsen and Jeanne Kohl-Welles, representatives from the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Norwegian Male Chorus and the Norwegian Ladies Chorus.

The ceremony begins at 2 pm.