Good Templar Park in Geneva, established in 1925 to celebrate Swedish Day without the use of alcohol, symbolized the temperance movement throughout the United States as well as the preservation of Swedish traditions in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

To preserve these traditions, Carl Ramstedt, of the Svea Lodge of IOGT proposed a large picnic for all the lodges. A few of the Good Templar lodges on the north side of Chicago decided to sponsor a large Swedish festival at Linden Park in Evanston. The speaker at that picnic was Carl Holmsten. The picnic was so well received that in September 1911, the Grand Lodges voted to hold a festival called, "Svenskarnas Dag" (Swedish Day) on the day closest to Midsummer in Sweden. In later years, the festival was held at Ravinia Park, and eventually the Illinois Scandinavian Grand Lodge became a cosponsor.

By 1924 the festival had grown immensely, to about ten thousand people. Some of the Good Templars thought that they needed a place of their own to celebrate the holiday. To look for possible sites, different committees were appointed, and a suitable piece of land was found near the Fox River on the east side of Geneva. This land seemed perfect for the Swedish festival; therefore, when the Grand Lodge met on September 14, 1924, it decided to buy the sixty-six acres of land.

When the deal was closed, work began immediately to transform the real estate into a park. Crews of members numbering in the hundreds volunteered on the weekends. Mostly Swedes but also some Norwegians participated. They laid bricks, carried water, mixed mortar, built the restaurant, the refreshment stands, the circular stage, and the picnic tables. The park board asked the city council for permission to bring water and sewers into the park; eventually, the park board convinced the city council to bring the necessary utilities into Good Templar Park. Contractors were hired to build the pavilion, build the fence, and do the plumbing and floors in the bathrooms; however, the rest of the work was done by the members, free of charge.

These members worked every spring weekend until the park was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 31, 1925. The mayor, councilmen, county officials, and reporters all joined together in a parade to the park. The first officers of the park were, Axel Nelson, president; William Nelson, secretary; and Victor Bergstron, treasurer. Bands played, flags waved, and there were speeches by many of the important officials.

Nearly a month later, on Sunday, June 30, 1925, the first Swedish Day was held in the park. Fourteen thousand people paid admission. It was estimated that nearly twenty thousand people attended due to free passes, and many others snuck in. The festival included delicious food, dances around the maypole, Scandinavian music, speakers of state and national reputation, and meeting friends.

For years this tradition has been preserved, every year people from all over come to join in the memorable event called "Swedish Day." As one walks through the park even today, as society has become fast paced, one can feel the peace and imagine the wonderful dances and music that once were highlights of the summer. Swedish Days now have grown to an enormous week-long festival all throughout Geneva, and the Park remains a symbol of temperance and of the preservation of Swedish traditions.

— [From Earl Hanson, ed., A Place for Midsummer; Julie M. Ehresmann, Geneva, Illinois.]

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