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| Two fishing trawlers |
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Norwegian Commercial Club member, Commander Carl M. Moe, U.S. Navy (1890 – 1989) is recognized as the founder of fishermen’s Night. Moe organized the first event at the Gowman Hotel on March 5, 1950. Over 150 members and guests attended the first celebration. Ivan Haglund of Ivar’s Restaurants and Byron Fish, a popular Seattle Times journalist provided the entertainment. Upon the completion of Norway Center in 1951, the Club meetings and Fishermen’s Night were held there until 1988 when the event moved to Ballard. Since then the King Neptune Seafood and Social Hour has been held at the Sons of Norway, Leif Erikson Hall in Ballard with the banquet dinner and program being held at the Eagles Lodge next door.
Bringing the event to Ballard seems to have made it more popular than ever, a reflection of the communities’ vibrant fishing heritage. It is also symbolic of Seattle’s role as homeport for the Northeast Pacific fishing fleets and one of the major seafood industry port cities in the World.
Olav Lunde of Lunde and Raynes Electric and Art Hvatum of Seattle Ship Supply made the first donations to support this event, when they furnished the prizes and financing of the first social hour. The initial financial and seafood donations started a tradition that has grown over the years to the list featured in tonight’s program.
Attendance has grown steadily and today it has been capped at 500 with the event now being a complete sellout within a mater of a few days of ticket sales.
Programs have varied from speakers representing the fishing industry to state and federal officials and politicians. Musical Programs have been popular with performances by the Norwegian Male Chorus, the Ronning family; in 1973 Dr. Alf L. Knudsen conducted the Ballard Youth Band and most recently Stan Boreson.
In 1977, an awards program was instituted wherein appreciation plaques were awarded to individuals or companies relative to life-saving at sea and meritorious accomplishments in varied fields. Recollections of a crab boat rescue by a NOAA vessel, rescues by U.S. Coast Guard helicopter pilots and the heroism of Tor Tollessen who dove over the side of a large Bering Sea crab catcher processor to rescue a young crew member are still vivid.
In recent years, the tickets and programs for fishermen’s Night have been artistically designed with illustrations of commercial fishing, representative of halibut longlining, salmon seining and gillnetting; and deep sea trawling and crab pot fishing. Historical caricatures of the pioneer days of sail in the Alaskan Bristol Bay salmon industry have also been featured by the committee’s artist and historian C.E. “Pete” Pedersen.
Arne Einmo, whose family has long been active in the seafood industry, originated the King Neptune Seafood and Social Hour. Arne organized a team of wives and daughters of Club members to prepare, according to tradition, a wide variety of seafood specialties. Today, Arne is assisted by Marit Rockenss Thomson in organizing the wonderful help in preparation for the King Neptune Seafood and Social Hour.
The banquet meal over the years has used a rotating variety of seafood to represent the many fields of fishing in which our members and companies are engaged. The past years, the popular Ballard Oil Seafood Barbeque Team has prepared barbecued salmon and halibut, hot off the grill for the banquets.
The Fisheries Committee meets once monthly during the year at luncheons to discuss and plan the yearly event. The committee members have diverse roles in planning and executing all aspects of the event, including soliciting proceeds, procuring seafood donations, program planning, design and printing, entertainment and financial oversight. The late Roy Petersen, a long-time committee member recruited the Ballard Oil crew for preparation of the banquet entre´, which has become a traditional part of the event.
Proceeds from the events over the past years have been donated to the Seattle Fishermen’s Memorial, safety training at sea, the Dutch Harbor/Unalaska Trauma Clinic, and the Norwegian Commercial Club’s Scholarship Fund.
The committee has on occasion in the past proposed noncontroversial legislation regarding the fishing industry and brought it before the Club Trustees and membership for endorsement.
Mr. Henning Boe and Dr. Alf L. Knudsen, retired Publisher/Editor of the Western Viking have been succeeded by the able and charming Kathleen H. Knudsen. All three have faithfully covered Club meetings and Fiskernes Aften in the publishing. For many years, the articles have provided the main source for the archive albums, for recording highlights of his meaningful and popular event.
The success of fishermen’s Night represents a unique combination of individuals and companies drawn together by the Pacific Ocean and competition for its abundant resources. The event rightly occurs during the holiday season, a time for socializing with family and friends.
We acknowledge what has become a cultural event, a symbolic celebration of the fishermen and the camaraderie in the fishing industry, the central themes that must not be forgotten in the success of the event.
Prepared by: C.E. “Pete” Pedersen and Arni Thomson
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