ICELAND STILL ON MY MIND

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

Although I don't believe it was officially announced to the general public, our trip to Iceland in early June was cancelled.   This move was made in mid-March, at a time when the forecast for travel and group activities suddenly was limited, or shut down.

Unfortunately for members of our group who had already obtained flight tickets and lodging, this has meant unwinding reservations for which refunds are not readily obtained.  That's a huge hit, and a disappointment.  A few folks have held on, hoping to perhaps defer their travel to later in the season, shifting their reservations.  I hope this can happen.

In the planning build-up for Celebrate Iceland 2020, I took it upon myself to design a commemorative medallion that would be distinctive, and one that could be worn by our group when in Iceland, or displayed at home otherwise.

I now confess to having a need to peddle approximately 25 medallions with neck ribbons, as modeled by Mary Jo and me (above), and approximately 100 "coins."  Since retail shops are not up and running at this time, I'm offering them through my personal website for originally set up to retai my books:

    www.RichardPurinton.com

Cost is $30 each (plus sales tax and shipping). Please specify if a neck ribbon is preferred (limited number), or as a coin (comes in a small plastic case).  

I dealt with a local, Green Bay company, Medalcraft Mint Inc., and I can say that the detail and the quality is even better than I had hoped.  A die was created from which the medallions were struck, an additional manufacturing step with additional cost. These were hand-painted with enamel for the flag of Iceland, overlaying the outline of Iceland.  A tiny star represents the the seacoast village of Eyrarbakki, along the southern coastline.    On the reverse side are names of the four first Icelandic immigrants, tucked under the southern shore of Washington Island.



The medallions are a meaningful souvenir of this 150th anniversary year, and hopefully we will be able to display / wear them with pride when, and if, our Icelandic guests visit us in early October.

Our opportunity to be host remains to be seen, but for the present we're still planning an evening at the TPAC for one and all.  This program will be sponsored by the Island Archives, intended as both commemoration and fun.  

Let's hope we can make this happen!    -   Dick Purinton