By Birger Hoelstad and Thor Langli
All photos by the authors except where noted
Originally published in the May-June 2020 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 354.)
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The first weekend of August 2019 it was finally here! After two years of planning, it was time for the Norway Region of the LCOC to sit back and enjoy its 20th Anniversary. One by one, the beautiful Lincolns came rolling into the front of the hotel just outside of Lillehammer, Norway, the site of the 1994 Winter Olympics. A separate room was reserved for us for the Friday “meet and greet,” but the weather was so nice and warm that we all ended up outside. The cars were lined up just a few feet away, so the view was fantastic, with 22 Lincolns and 47 people participating.
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ABOVE: Quite an impressive line-up of Lincolns on the show field.
On Saturday morning, it was time for a car wash before our driving tour took off for the scenic countryside. During the tour, we crossed paths with some even older cars from the 1920s and earlier. Due to this, some of our admiring members were delayed, but eventually, we all made it back to the hotel. A lovely green field was made available to us for the car show. It may seem wrong for a Norwegian to say something like this, but it was actually too hot in the sun on the show field, so we had to retreat to the shade! After the judges had inspected all the cars, it was time for our group to walk over to the newly-opened Norwegian Road Museum.
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ABOVE: 1970s Lincoln convertibles ore scarce in the United States, so seeing Ingve Jensen’s 1973 Continental Convertible on display In Norway was a rare treat.
The celebratory banquet was held Saturday evening. A pair of Lincolns, a 2019 Navigator, and 1973 Continental Convertible greeted us outside. We were so lucky that Mr. Tristam Perry, the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, and his lovely wife, Maria, joined us at the banquet. Mr. Perry gave a very personal and funny speech, and we all enjoyed their company.
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ABOVE: A new Lincoln Navigator set an elegant but fun mood at the 20th Anniversary reception.
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ABOVE: The LCOC’s overseas contingent, including some of our Norwegian friends, at the Lincoln Motor Car Heritage Museum’s dedication in 2014.
For seven years, the Norway Region has had an award named after one of our founders, Tore Solberg. Tore passed away several years ago. This award goes to a person with a long-standing devotion to the Lincoln Motor Car. The award has now been renamed “LCOC Special Award,” and this year, it went to Per Malme. He has owned many Lincolns, has served as our treasurer, and never says “no.” He has worked with Ford his entire life and coined a new term, the golden detour. This is defined as “a detour does not matter, as long as you can enjoy it in a Lincoln.” Previous recipients include Ove Loen, Ragnar Wehn, Tor Haakon Hognestad, Svein Stokstad, Rita and Sigmund Espeland, and Aage Gustavsen.
Various other awards were also handed out, including one to Alf and Anne Marie, who both have done a lot for LCOC, going as far as to change their last name to “Mercury-Lincoln!” Asbjorn Simonsen got the “Longest Distance Award,” having driven 2,200 miles round-trip to the meet. Thor and Randi Loktu were honored, as they have been members since our inception in 1999. The award our region received from LCOC National President John Talbourdet was also much appreciated. It was passed around for everyone to see and will stay with our region director. Every attendee received a Norway Region 20th Anniversary badge.
This event was a wonderful way to celebrate this important anniversary for the Norway Region. Everyone went home with fond memories and will be looking forward to the next grand event.
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ABOVE: With Ingve Jensen’s 1973 Continental Convertible in the foreground, Norwegian revelers enjoyed a reception before the banquet.
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ABOVE: Festive and edible, these cakes speak for themselves.
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ABOVE: Lincoln treasures of all sorts were on display.