The Rebild Festival began in 1912 as a way to celebrate US Independence Day, and as a homecoming for Danish Americans. The event includes food, music, and a lot of red, white, and blue. Supporters call it the biggest Fourth of July observance outside the United States-- and of course, wherever there are crowds, there are speeches.
“One hundred years ago today, my great grandfather, Max Henius, stood here and celebrated the realization of a dream that here in these beautiful heather-covered hills there would be a gathering,” said actor Keith Carradine. He was the feature speaker at the Rebild Festival back in 2012. During his career, he's played the President of the United States, Wild Bill Hickok on television, and Will Rogers on Broadway, but that's not the only reason he was there.
“Fifty years ago today, my beloved grandfather, Henry Henius, stood here and spoke of his father, Max, of his Danish heritage, and of his love for these hills, and his fond memories of roaming them as a child,” said the actor.
Carradine has Danish roots on his mother's side. His maternal great-grandfather was physicist Max Henius, who reportedly helped found the Rebild National Park, where the annual Fourth of July celebration is held.
“Though my travels have taken me many places in the world, it wasn't until last summer that I finally came here. Well, better late than never, as they say. When my wife and I walked into this Glen last August, it was the beginning of a long overdue odyssey of discovery,” he continued.
And Keith Carradine isn't the only American to take the mic at the Rebild festival. The list includes Walt Disney, Walter Cronkite, Raymond Burr, Ronald Reagan, and Richard Nixon. The overall message is one of freedom, unity, and democracy.
"It's a difficult word in America to explain what Rebild is,” said Sude Fredrikson. He's an organizer of the Rebild Festival. Job one is dealing with the festival name for English speakers, because I think it's about 'rebuilding' something."
Like Keith Carradine, Fredrikson straddles both nations. He grew up in North Jutland, but was always interested in the United States. Fredrikson flew back and forth between Denmark and the US around two dozen times before finally moving stateside. His time in America also included cross-country trips to California and Canada. Once back in Denmark, he began working with the Rebild Society, which organizes the festival. He says he identifies with the group since it's people connecting with each other and not governments.
“It is a friendship between two peoples, and that's very, very important for people to bear minds, so they don't mix things up. And I have met people from across America. It has expanded my relationship and horizon tremendously over the years,” he observed.
Governments may not be part of the Rebild festival, but that doesn't mean they can't have an outside influence. APR listeners heard how Danish citizens felt about President Donald Trump's ambition to take possession of the island nation of Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
“Just so baffled as to why this is happening, I don't understand, and I guess there's a lot of Europeans that don't understand, and obviously maybe also Americans that don't understand,” said Astrid Mikkelsen
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Her great grandfather was Ejnar Mikkelsen, the Arctic explorer who derailed a US claim to part of Greenland by leading the so-called Alabama expedition, that's how APR listeners heard about Mikkelsen and his great granddaughter.
“I think he would be very sad,” said Astrid. “ Obviously, he had the Greenlanders quite close at heart, and he was very supportive in not only their traditional way of living, but also their kind of involvement into being a modern day people.”
Rebild National Park and its annual July 4 celebration may seem far from the unrest in Aarhus over the US and Greenland, but apparently not far enough. The city of Aalborg, near where the Rayburn festival is held, reportedly threatened to withhold funding for the Fourth of July event if representatives of the US government or its military were to take part. Local politicians also told the media that they won't participate. However, no US personnel will be present at the event, so funding for the event has gone forward.
We contacted the US Embassy in Copenhagen for comment on a Rebild festival. We didn't hear back.
“They're exactly the same fantastic people as they always have been, and I think that's sometimes we forget a little bit the people view when we have all these geopolitical things going on," said Jørgen Bech Madsen. He’s President of the Rebild National Park Society. He works with Sude Fredriksen to put on the Rebild Festival every year. Madsen says by refocusing on the what the Danish and Americans have in common, the festival can keep to its original message.
“Maybe also going a little bit more into the heart, so that's what I expect. So, I think it would be a very good festival, and then I hope we will have a lot of dialog and lot of talks, and then celebrating and having fun together, I think that's also important," he said.
Still, all of this leaves Sude Fredriksen feeling like he’s stuck in the middle. He says he’s taking a wait and see attitude regarding the political unrest.and all of this leaves Sude Fredriksen sort of in the middle. He says he's taking a wait and see attitude regarding the political unrest.
“Sometimes good things come, sometimes they go, and I think it's very important to have patience with the political situation around the world when it comes to a non-profit tax incentive organization that wants to focus on creating bridges across the nations, but it is a political decision to support or not to support the rebel society. I think they're doing it because they can see the benefits, and I'm sure they want the money from all the tourists that come to Aurelburg and to Rebild. It's pretty significant, and it's been it over the years. They have to bear that in mind,” he said.
The Rebild Festival will occur on the fourth of July, and APR’s coverage will continue. I'll be there to see how things go, and how attendees feel about the United States. More to come on that.
