"Rockford, Illinois .... My home town " a Rockford Travel Page by KaisaL

Swedish immigrants arrived by the first train in Rockford on Aug. 4, 1852. It was by chance they ended up in Rockford. the conductor of the train heard of the cholera epidemic in Chicago and was instructed to go as far as he could with the train. Thus they ended up in Rockford, Illinois. Our Swedish-American industrialization began witn many inventions, furniture, tools, etc. being still used today all over the world.

Rockford has been visited by many well known people like Jan Eliasson, former Swedish Ambassador to the United States, Former President Grant , former Swedish Prime Minister Tage Erlander , poet Carl Sandburg, tennis star Bjorn Borg, and many more.

Most recently were known for "Jane" our tyrannosaurus rex and musical band Cheap Trick.

Midsummer, the celebration of the summer solstice and the longest day of the year, is a prominent holiday in Sweden. Every June, during the weekend of the summer solstice, people celebrate the holiday by collecting flowers and greens which are used to decorate doorways, make wreaths to be worn or displayed, and to create the maypole (or midsummer pole). The maypole is erected outside where everyone sings and dances around it. Food, marknad, music, childrens crafts & games are part of Rockford's Midsommar Fest.

Children are able to nail together Maypoles, viking ships, Volvo's, Vikings, stuga's and Dalahest's and paint them.