The three-day celebration will begin on Friday, June 20, with free entertaining, informational, and hands-on workshops. The workshops begin at 7 p.m. in the LDS church at 300 E. Center Street in Spanish Fork.

Or, in a different workshop, you can learn three Icelandic folksongs. Because of its popularity last year, the final session is a "must-do"-- cooking and savoring your own pönnukökur (Icelandic pancake), complete with jam and whipped cream. Yummy! Thelma will be on hand to make sure that you have an Icelandic experience!

The traditional Iceland Days Family and Friends Fair will be held on Saturday, June 21, at the Spanish Fork City Park, at Center and Main Streets. This event begins on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. and is expected to formally end at 2 p.m.

New for this year's fair is Barnabaer (Icelandic for "Children's Town").

John K Johnson and his family have organized and arranged a variety of creative and enjoyable activities (and free popcorn!), so that children will have an especially memorable Iceland Days. Johnson said that it's even OK for adults to participate in Barnabaer activities. Barnabaer begins at 10:15 and ends at noon.

Other activities at the Family and Friends Fair on Saturday include an opening ceremony at 10 a.m., displays, Icelandic artifacts, memorabilia, family history, entertainment, and food. Because Icelandic sheep are always a popular attraction, Charlene Cummings, from Helper, Utah, is bringing Icelandic sheep again this year.

As expected, the fair will include pönnukökur (Icelandic pancakes). This year, two new Icelandic food items will be available: kleinur (Icelandic doughnuts) and pylsur (Icelandic hot dogs). The pylsur are imported from Iceland. They are made of lamb, are slightly smoked and are served with an Icelandic mustard and fried onions. If you want an Icelandic hot dog, come early because the Icelandic Association imported only 300 pylsur, as a special treat.

Entertainment will begin at 11:10 a.m., with the Barnakór (Childrens' Choir) singing a song in Icelandic. A medley by western-Icelander songwriter-singer Kathryn Warner and Icelandic tales, poems, music and "Did You Know" tidbits will follow. The presentation of honorees will be at 12:30 pm. Kathleen Reilly from Payson and Karen and Ed Anderson of Spanish Fork are this year's honorees.

Saturday's activities will include a bus tour of historic Icelandic sites in Spanish Fork. The first such tour began in 2005. The tour begins at 11:30 a.m. and ends at 1. It costs just $2.

Many out-of-towners look forward to the Iceland Days lamb lunch, which will be available again this year at a cost of $5. Drinks will be available at an additional cost. Only 100 lamb-lunch plates will be available, on a first-purchase basis.

The fair's formal program, entertainment, and displays are expected to end at 2 p.m. However, family and friends are invited to stay and visit. Several families plan their family reunions to coincide with Iceland Days.

The public is invited to attend. Iceland Days is for family and friends. Its purpose is for people to celebrate their culture and heritage, honor their ancestors, and build bridges between nations.

Iceland Days 2008 will conclude with the Icelandic Heritage Fireside, on Sunday, June 22. The fireside begins at 7 p.m. at the LDS Church, located at 300 E. Center Street in Spanish Fork. The fireside is for family and friends. The public is invited.

The Barnakór (Children's Choir) will sing a special Icelandic song, which touched hearts during last year's fireside. Also, Tyler Shepherd will report on missionary work in Iceland, and returned missionaries who served in Iceland will sing a special number in Icelandic.

The main speaker will be Dr. Jack R. Christianson, who is a popular speaker and author. Christianson was the Director of the Orem Institute of Religion and was visiting scholar at Brigham Young University. He has written several books and published numerous talks on tape and CD. He currently is an administrator at Utah Valley State College in Orem.