BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 5, 2017 43
Danish Athletic Club holds gala
to celebrate 125th anniversary
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUS@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
Celebrating over a century of
a long-standing Brooklyn
fixture.
On Saturday, September 9, the
Danish Athletic Club, 735 65th Street,
held a dinner dance to commemorate
its 125th year anniversary where
members were joined by several
special guests to mark the milestone.
“All in all, the day was a great success,”
said Dave Thorsen, president
of Danish Athletic Properties. “It
was wonderful to have all of our
dignitaries here and reaffirming
the club’s relationship with its neighbors
and the community.”
Guests of honor included State
Senator Marty Golden, Councilmember
Vincent Gentile and Norwegian
Seamans Church Pastor Øystein
Kvarstein. “Aside from elected officials,
the guest list had the director
from the Danish Home for the Aging
that used to be in Brooklyn until the
1940s,” Thorsen said.
Also in attendance were representatives
from various Danish,
Norwegian and Swedish Fraternal
Lodges as well as their neighboring
Norwegian – Gjøa Sporting Club and
the Swedish Football Club.
Thorsen served as the evening’s
Master of Ceremonies as he and Erik
Bjornson, president of the Danish
Athletic Club, warmly welcomed
members and guests to the festivities.
“The event was special as there
hasn’t been one like it held at the club
in 25 years. Every five years they
used to hold a dinner dance
and have a big event,”
Thorsen said. “They haven’t
had this event, though.
The last big dinner dance
that the place held was in
1992. That’s the last we have
on record so this is a return to
an old tradition.”
Nostalgia also played an integral
role during the evening. “Some of
the older members recovered some
of the old journals going back into
the early part of the 20th century,”
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photos by Arthur De Gaeta
Thorsen
added. “Some of them are all in
Danish but it’s really interesting
reading the history and stories
of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and
downtown Brooklyn.”
As for the next venture, Thorsen
said, they are now sponsoring
sports teams, which the club hasn't
done in years. “We have a new
sports program where a soccer team
of Danes and Norwegians is about to
launch,” he added. “We were able to
announce some of these things on
the floor and have those members
here for the event. It was special all
around.”
The Danish Athletic Club commemorates its 125th anniversary.