BEMIDJI, Minn. — The Sankta Lucia Festival has always been a special holiday event in Bemidji, drawing attendees from near and far. For many families of Swedish lineage, it’s a meaningful December ritual.

And this year’s 50th annual festival, on Saturday, Dec. 13, will take on even more meaning for some of the revelers.

“Here's our chance to look back 50 years and then look forward to the next 50,” said Michelle Dahlby, who chaired the festival for about 12 years. “I just hope that people will honor what Lucia stands for. She was feeding the hungry in Sweden. We still have that same situation here in our community and in our nation. And so I want people to think about how they can be part of the solution, just as Lucia was.”

When this year’s Sankta Lucia brings in the light early Saturd

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