As usual, the day included an induction ceremony into Christian IV's Guild, and this year the event was significantly larger, with a total of thirty-six people inducted.
Rumor must have spread beforehand, as the Benchers entered the room to take their places around the high table with the necessary solemn tone but interspersed with many cheerful smiles and hearty greetings of "Hallo and good day." So, the mood was lively from the start.
Chief Bencher Niels Voss began in the usual manner with “our thirst first” and then “caps off.”
The 4th of July induction has been a longstanding tradition, involving the induction of individuals connected to the event. This has led to Christian IV’s Guild counting countless celebrities among its members, including Danny Kaye, Victor Borge, and Walt Disney, as well as many politicians such as Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan, and numerous other famous actors.
This year also featured notable speakers, including astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who was the main Danish speaker. Already a member of the Guild, we were pleased to see him again. The main American speaker was Dr. Rachelle Kick, president of the only remaining college or university in the USA founded by Danish immigrants. Since her appointment in 2022 at Grand View University, she has shown great interest in the school's Danish roots and continues to promote its relationship with Denmark. The youth speaker from the USA, Jay Cannon, was born and raised in North Carolina and now lives in Denmark, where he has started an online media outlet reporting US news in Danish. Also, Fidelma McGinn, president of the Scan Design Foundation, who has consistently focused on creating partnerships and relationships, was among the new inductees into the Guild, as was the honorary mayor for a day, Lisa Steen Riggs.
As usual, all new inductees were taken on a tour of both the old and new parts of Aalborg, though due to time constraints, it was the shorter version of the tour.
All thirty-six new inductees were in high spirits, which only increased when the Guild's splendid dinner was served, especially when the Guild Troubadours played, encouraging everyone to join in the songs from the Guild's songbook.
The next item on the agenda for everyone was the Tent Lunch in Rebild.
This year's Tent Lunch saw over seven hundred attendees. Here, too, Christian IV's Guild is a tradition, as the Guild customarily has a segment during the lunch where various individuals are honored with a C4 tie or a C4 scarf.
After the Tent Lunch, it was off to the hills to listen to the speakers of the year and the musical entertainment.
A note on the weather for this year’s 4th of July celebration: recent years have seen formidable rainstorms, and in one year, the event was postponed by 30 minutes due to heavy rain. This year was different; from around noon, it was dry and sunny until about half an hour into the program in the hills, when rain made its appearance. However, it was not a total downpour, so weather-wise, the day saw improvements. Let’s hope this trend continues to improve next year.
See the photos HERE
Photo: Private