Plaque unveiling: March 22, 2026

You are invited to the Leif Erikson plaque unveiling ceremony!

Sunday, March 22, 2026, 3 p.m.
Shilshole Bay Marina
7001 Seaview Ave. NW, Seattle

Thank you for awaiting this date, when we will unveil the latest plaque at the Leif Erikson Plaza at Shilshole Bay Marina in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. The Leif Erikson International Foundation initiated this plaque to honor the 200th anniversary of the first ship of Norwegian immigrants to land on American shores.

Lath Carlson, chief executive officer of the National Nordic Museum, will unveil the plaque. A local pastor will bestow a blessing on the Nordic immigrant names inscribed on the plaque and—by tradition—the Norwegian Ladies Chorus of Seattle will entertain us with songs.

The founder of the Chorus, August Werner, was the sculptor of the statue of Leif in 1962, and the Chorus has performed at every event associated with statue and plaques in the past 20 years.

Since the beginning, the Port of Seattle has assisted with our project of placing the statue in its current location, creating the stones with runic-like inscriptions and plaques honoring immigrants, and now with our latest unveiling celebration. Thank you, Port of Seattle!

We are excited to reach this milestone, and we invite you to be present. We’re hoping for sunshine for this outdoor celebration—but please come dressed for the weather!

Please email with questions! We hope to see you there.

Kristine Leander, President of the Leif Erikson International Foundation
Board Members: Barbara Grande Dougherty, Mary DeVuono Englund, Dave Skar, and Sharon Storbo