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Icelanders to gather

Icelanders of the Comox Valley host an annual Christmas get-together Dec. 3 at the Florence Filberg Centre.

What do k.d. lang, William Stephenson, Frank Fredrickson, Charles Thorson, Tom Cochrane, Byron Johnson and Bjarni Trygvasson have in common?

That’s right. They’re all Canadians of Icelandic descent.

Do you want to talk about that?

Well, on Dec. 3, Icelanders of the Comox Valley will do so at their annual Christmas get-together at the Florence Filberg Centre from 7 to 9 pm. They will also view a visual of a Comox Valley Icelander’s recent trip to Iceland.

Anyone with a drop of Icelandic blood in them, is related to someone with a drop of Icelandic blood in them or is interested in the Icelandic experience is invited.

So, who are those people listed above?

Cochrane and lang are noted musicians.

William Stephenson was the agent known as Intrepid and Frank Frederickson was a member of the Icelandic Canadian team that won Canada’s first Olympic hockey gold medal.

Charles Thorson was the cartoonist who created Bugs Bunny and Snow White (modelled after an Icelandic girl in Winnipeg), Byron Johnson was a premier of British Columbia and Bjarni Trygvasson was one of Canada’s astronauts.

So come to the annual Christmas get-together of Icelanders. You’ll probably get a chance to sing “Heims um ból” (to the tune of Silent Night.)

For more information, call Erik Eriksson at 250-334-3306 or e-mail at erik@eriksson.ca.