Celebrating Scandinavia

California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks will host its annual Scandinavian Festival on Saturday at the campus’ Kingsman Park.

Co-sponsored by the American Scandinavian Cultural Heritage Foundation of Thousand Oaks, the daylong event will offer a wealth of activities for people of all ages to enjoy, including theatrical performances, music, folk dancing and art exhibits.

Besides the plethora of entertainment, the festival will feature a variety of booths offering traditional food. A smorgasbord feast will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the campus cafeteria.

Now in its 19th year, the event draws more than 3,000 people annually.

The following is a schedule of other activities:

Drama

* The Scandinavian Theater Company of North Hollywood will present the comedy “Mr. Rustlebustle.” (1 p.m., Preus-Brandt Forum)

Dance

* Sweden’s Halsingehambo winners, Margareta and Leif Virtanen, will join 20 other dancers performing in native costume. (10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Festival Stage, Kingsman Park)

* The Vasa Hambo Dance Contest, featuring 30 couples competing in the traditional Swedish dance, will be held at various locations on festival grounds. (Finals at 6 p.m., gym)

* Area dance groups will perform an exhibition of traditional Scandinavian dances. (7 to 9 p.m., gym)

Lectures

* “The Life and Poetry of Carl Michael Bellman” will be presented by James Massengale, a scholar of Scandinavian literature. He will discuss the works of Sweden’s national poet. (3:30 p.m., Preus-Brandt Forum)

Children’s activities

* Kids of all ages can take part in making a variety of crafts. (10 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 3:30 p.m., Nygreen Hall, Room 3)

* Magician Daniel Cooper will create illusions to entertain fans of all ages. (2:30 p.m., Festival Stage, Kingsman Park)

Music

* University faculty member Carl Swanson will present a program of organ music. (1 and 3 p.m., Samuelson Chapel)

* Swedish fiddler Al Miller will roam festival grounds throughout the day.

The festival will begin at 10 a.m. and continue to 6 p.m. Admission is $3 (general) and $1 (children under 10). Parking is free. Tickets for the smorgasbord are $15 (general) and $10 (children under 10), and must be purchased in advance. The campus is at 60 W. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks. For more information, call 493-3151.