Like everyone else in town, you’ve probably caught up in the frenzy and the fervor of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition centennial. After the Klondike gold rush a decade prior, the 1909 AYPE secured Seattle’s position on the map. As part of that celebration, 100 years back, our ample Scandinavian community crafted a long boat called the Viking that sailed from Kirkland to the AYPE, sited on today’s UW campus. (A voyage from Ballard was impossible, since the Lake Washington Ship Canal and Montlake Cut didn’t yet exist.) This year, you guessed it, they’re doing it again for the AYPE Norway Day Centennial Celebration. The Nordic Spirit will be launched amid much festivity—food, Norwegian choral music, kids’ activities, and perhaps some paddling around Salmon Bay. It’s a family friendly event, sponsored by the Nordic Heritage Museum. But should you see looters and flames at the fresh-pillaged Ballard Fred Meyer, you’ll know who’s responsible. BRIAN MILLER

Sun., Aug. 30, 1 p.m., 2009