Nordic Fest Board wins approval for moving its beer tent to the Vesterheim block

The Decorah City Council has unanimously approved a special event application for Nordic Fest which includes a proposal to move the beer tent for the celebration from its former location in one of the city's parking lots to a location on Water Street, in the same block as Vesterheim Museum.

The revised proposal will set up a beer booth in the parking lot between the Chamber of Commerce offices and the KVIK studios.  An entertainment platform would be erected at the west end of the block.  Vesterheim would have demonstrations on the street itself and there also would be a food vendor and a booth selling Nordic Fest merchandise.  Access to the block would be limited to one entrance on the west side of the street and two entrances on the east side of the street.

Vesterheim Executive Director Chris Johnson Monday night told city council members the revised proposal "takes a more nuanced approach" than the proposal presented in December.  He said he has met with Nordic Fest Board members and they approved "good productive suggestions."

Johnson said that while "a segment of my audience is not comfortable with having alcohol served," beer making is a Norwegian tradition and the museum hopes to have a display about those traditions.

Museum neighbor Peter Van Der Linden testified he is concerned about the noise from the music grandstand, since his house is across the street.  Downtown business owner Kate Rattenborg said she is concerned about the move of the beer booth to the same block as Vesterheim, since she feels it is not a fit with the other activities of the museum and of Nordic Fest.