OK, so I took the idea of having kubb friendlies as a way to meet and
spread kubb, if you will. I decided to start having them quarterly,
but then a group on campus brought up the idea of having them the
first Saturday of every month. Here is a recap of last weekend.

I get to the park at 11:45. I take the grill and two of the kubb sets
out of the trunk. I start talking with a friend named Corey (studied
in Sweden for a semester, actually Växjö) who is a Foodlum. The sun
is out and it is pushing 60. I notice a young guy in the parking lot
across the street playing the banjo and I cannot help but think, man
that would be cool if he would come over and play some tunes during
this thing, not knowing how today was going to turn out for our April
kubb friendly. It was local food week on campus and the friendly was
the last event of the week. Next thing you know, it is a few minutes
before noon (it was planned from noon to 2pm) and a few more people
start showing up. I am thinking, wow, we might get 20 people here
today. Corey says to me that he has a surprise and pulls out a big
Swedish flag. I have to do a couple of things then I wrap some string
from the Grand Marquis around the flag and hang it up in the tree.
Next thing you know, music is being played and it is the banjo guy
and two of his buddies. Then a young lady shows up with some sort of
fiddle and they just start jamming under the tree. I am thinking,
what the heck is going on. A couple of friends show up from Chippewa
Falls and there is a line for the grill. We start the second grill.
At about 12:30, we have four games going, a bluegrass band playing, a
Swedish flag hanging from the tree, buffalo brats on the grill side
by side with some veggie burgers. Erin comes walking up with Maja and
Cecilia. Come to find out, a guy saw one of the band members playing
on campus yesterday and invited him to come on by, and he did. A
couple professors then come. A buddy says that he is going to set up
his game too. Now we have five games going at one time and probably
15 bikes along side the sidewalk. More people show up. At one time,
there must have been 50 people there. People playing kubb, kids
kicking soccer balls, people throwing the frisbee, and of course
people eating. I stopped in my tracks and thought to myself, wow,
this has really taken off. A guy from Just Local Food says that the
store really wants to keep up with kubb and they would like to sell
some sets if that is possible. People ask about it. I see our CSA
farmer who stopped by and was his oh shucks self. A wedding party
that was from the church a block away is taking pictures on the
pedestrian bridge. The bluegrass music is still going. The flag is
waving in the spring air. I am cleaning up and go and talk to a
couple of the band members, who played for a solid two hours with
only a small break. I said, hey if you are interested, I have a
tournament in August. If you want, feel free to come by. I can't pay
you, but you are more than welcome. They said that they are there.
What? Now I have a bluegrass band at the tournament. I get everything
packed up after Erin and Cecilia head back home with the stroller and
I am getting Maja in the car and our international host student
Allen. I look over and there is one more kubb game being played, by
six kids on a short field. I take Allen home, decide I need to head
back to JLF and get a couple of things. It is now getting close to 4.
The kids are still playing and there are still about 15 people in the
park. We get back in the car, make a couple of waves and head home to
Cecilia and Erin. Not a bad spring day in Eau Claire.

Yesterday morning it was about 20 degrees with a fresh inch of snow
on the ground. We got lucky with the weather, that is for sure. You
can check out some pictures of the April Kubb Friendly at:
http://www.wisconsinkubb.com/kubb_photoskubbfriendly.htm

Not sure if this will keep up, but with the summer coming up, I
cannot help but think that it is going to pick up steam. In addition,
a principal in one of the schools here wants me to introduce the game
to the students, and the downtown organization in town wants a kubb
demonstration at a summer event downtown and part of a new winter
carnival.

I am not sure where everyone lives, but I will be in Rockford over
June 14th at the Swedish Historical Society's Midsommar playing kubb
and in Fargo/Moorehead playing at a big Nordic event there the last
weekend in June. Maybe we can meet there if any of you live close.

I hope everyone is doing well and happy kubbing!
Eric