Danebod Family Camps 2022 Annual Board Meeting

Hello Campers:

The 2022 Annual DFC board meeting will take place on Saturday, October 8th, beginning at 9:30am. It will be held at the Danish American Center at 3030 W River Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55406. A Zoom call-in option will also be available for those who chose not to attend in person. Those details will be available when the agenda for the day is finalized.

Blue skies,

SvenErik Olsen
Danebod Family Camps Secretary

Danebod 2022 June & July Camp Registration Is Open

Dear Danebod Campers:

We are excited to be planning to resume June and July camp sessions in the summer of 2022.

JUNE CAMP: June 19th – 25th 

Directors: Janet & Nansi Brown

Early Registration Deadline: May 8th

JULY CAMP: July 10th – 16th 

Directors: Quinn & Gus Maynor

Early Registration Deadline: June 1st

Registration materials can be found HERE

The registration materials consist of:

  • Registration Form and deposit (Check made payable to Danebod Family Camps)
  • General Camp Information document
  • Covid-19 Waiver

For your registration to be considered complete, you must complete and return both the registration form and the Covid-19 Waiver. In addition, documented proof of Covid-19 vaccination must be included with your registration. (Note: this does not apply to campers under 5 years of age; they may be registered and may attend camp without being vaccinated, as they are not currently vaccine eligible). 

Please carefully read the General Camp Information document. Details regarding the camps’ 2022 Covid-19 policy can be found on page 2. Further information and guidance will be provided to campers by the Danebod Family Camps (DFC) executive committee and the June & July camp directors as CDC and Minnesota Department of Health Covid-19 guidelines are updated. In the meantime, please direct your questions to: danebodsecretary@gmail.com

Blue skies,

SvenErik Olsen
Danebod Family Camps Secretary

Summer 2022 Camp Announcement

Greetings campers!

How exciting is it to see the sun shining more, the days getting longer, and the prospect of summer just around the corner? I’m sure many of you may recall that this time of year has historically been accompanied by camp registration forms in the mail, but the unrelenting pandemic has made that feeling of joy unfamiliar for far too long.

It is with great excitement to announce that the Danebod Folk School Committee in Tyler has given us the green light to hold June and July Family Camps this year!

With the pandemic still very present in the world today, the Family Camp Executive Committee has identified several stipulations that will be put in place to help protect our campers and the people of Tyler. These include limiting each camp capacity of campers to 130 people; all campers that are eligible must be vaccinated against COVID-19; and all campers will be required to obtain a negative COVID-19 PCR test no less than 72 hours prior to attending camp. Additionally, in the event of a COVID-19 surge or variant, the Executive Committee will cancel camp.  If camps are cancelled or if pre-registered attendees have to cancel at the last minute due to illness, full deposit refunds will be provided to those affected.

We fully recognize that some of these requirements may go against people’s opinions or beliefs, but we need to ensure the health and safety of everyone who chooses to attend camp this year.

Our Executive Committee Secretary, SvenErik Olsen, will be sending out registration forms before the end of the month which will be accompanied by a detailed letter of the 2022 Danebod Family Camp COVID-19 stipulations. If you have any questions or concerns around camp this year, please feel free to send me an email or give me a call.

Blue skies!

Rus Weikle

President, Danebod Family Camps

Danebod Family Camps 2021 Annual Board Meeting Minutes & Updates

Hello all:

Please see the documents below from the Danebod Family Camps 2021 Annual Board Meeting that took place on Saturday, October 9th.

2021 Annual Board Meeting Minutes

2021 Annual Finance Committee Meeting Minutes

Revised Danebod Family Camps Guidelines

Proposed 2021-2022 Key Dates

The DFC board elected new executive committee members to four year terms: President Rus Weikle and Vice President Gerta Sorensen-London. The positions of treasurer (Janis Weikle) and secretary (SvenErik Olsen) will next be up in 2023 and 2024 respectively. 

Please send any questions, corrections or concerns regarding these documents to SvenErik at danebodsecretary@gmail.com or simply reply to this email. 

A Message from DFC President Rus Weikle:

Greetings fellow campers!

Every fall a few of us gather (this year virtually) to meet and discuss what many would call the “nitty-gritty” of Danebod Family Camps. During discussions of financial reports and structural guidelines I found myself thinking about how much has changed in the last few years; to say I miss camp is an understatement. I’m sure many of you can relate when reflecting on the memories we have made year after year, and while it feels like camp may never again be the same, I want to assure you that our highest priority is to find a safe path back to Tyler for everyone. We do not know for certain when in-person camps will begin again, but rest assured we will keep you closely informed as we get closer to Spring.

In the meantime, many campers have expressed interest in leading singing and dancing, teaching a craft, being a director, or serving as a board member for the camps. I know from personal experience that the opportunity to learn these trades during camp is very challenging, and can be difficult to coordinate during the other 51 weeks of the year. One of our biggest initiatives in the coming year is to identify and mentor future generations of resource leaders by hosting a Leadership Summit that would offer a day-long session of teaching these trades. If you have an interest in becoming a resource leader to help sustain our future family camps, please watch for further communication on this event coming soon. 

Lastly, I want to extend a huge thank you to Maia Olsen. Maia served on the board as president during the pandemic and accomplished so much while balancing work, life, and everything else! Her leadership and guidance over the last few years has prepared us for success in the coming years, and while she is no longer president, she has volunteered to stay on the board as a July member to help continue the momentum of our progress. Thank you, Maia!

Blue skies,

Rus Weikle

President, Danebod Family Camps

2021 Danebod Family Camp Session Cancellations

Dear Danebod Campers:


We hope you are healthy and safe as the COVID-19 virus continues to impact all aspects of our daily lives. We are heartened that vaccinations are ramping up and that we will make great strides in conquering the pandemic during the coming months.


As some of you may have heard, the Danebod Lutheran Church Council and the Danebod Folk School Board have made the decision to once again cancel June and July 2021 sessions of Danebod Family Camps due to the pandemic. There has not been a decision yet on the August session. 

The DFC executive committee and June & July directors respect the decision-making process of the church council and folk school board, and we agree that this difficult decision was the responsible one under the circumstances. While we are all again disappointed that we won’t be convening in Tyler for these sessions, we look forward expectantly to the day when we will be able to do so. 

In the meantime, the Danebod Family Camps executive officers will be holding a virtual working session on Sunday, March 21st from 1:00 – 3:00 PM central time. We will continue our ongoing work on updating the camp guidelines and governing structure. We will also be discussing potential plans for virtual activities for summer 2021. All campers are welcome to attend.  Please check your email for a Zoom link to this virtual meeting. If you wish to have your email address added to the list, please email danebodsecretary@gmail.com.

Thank you,

Maia Olsen, President

Rus Weikle, Vice President

Janis Weikle, Treasurer

Sven Olsen, Secretary

Janet & Nansi Brown, June Directors

Laura & ErikPeter Walker, July Directors

2020 Danebod T-Shirt Fundraiser

We are pleased to be able to put to good use Nate Johannes’ Danebod 2020 “I Can See Clearly Now” T-Shirt design, intended for this past summer’s camp that was unfortunately cancelled due to COVID-19.

Danebod Folk School Fundraiser - unisex shirt design - front

Please click on this link to order T-shirts, the funds which will be donated to Danebod Lutheran Church and earmarked for the Danebod Folk School. Order now to get yours by Christmas!

2020 Danebod Family Camps Board and Finance Committee Meeting Minutes

Greetings campers!

The Danebod Family Camps annual board and finance committee meetings were held the morning of Saturday, October 10th, 2020.

The finance committee meeting minutes can be found here.

The board meeting minutes can be found here.

The board proposed meeting again virtually in early to mid-December to review the camp’s current guidelines in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Stay tuned for more information on this upcoming meeting.

Questions or comments can be directed to danebodsecretary@gmail.com.

Thank you and stay safe!

SvenErik Olsen,

Danebod Family Camps Secretary

A message regarding Danebod “Virtual” Folk Meeting registration:


Greetings, everyone — hope this finds all of you safe and well in these unsettled times.
I’m writing today to remind you about the “virtual” Folk Meeting that will be held in August this year since we are unable to meet for an in-person event.  We have a wonderful program planned which will include singing and excellent speakers, and we hope you’ll choose to join and be part of the community.
Details about the event–including speaker bios and session schedules–can be found here. The registration form can be found here.  Registration will close on July 15, so please print out the registration form and send it in today!
We hope to “see” you in August!

Anita Young, on behalf of —
Danebod Folk Meeting Committee