Michigan inn removes Norwegian flag over Confederacy confusion, but finds way to keep national flair
A Michigan inn that flew a Norwegian flag has bagged the banner after people mistook it for the symbol of the Confederacy, but the outpost’s owners have found another way to honor the Scandanavian country.
After hundreds of emails and phone calls poured in to Greg and Kjersten Offenbecker about their decision to scrap the tricolor flag at The Nordic Pineapple in St. Johns, Mich., the innkeepers ordered a Scandinavian vimple — a triangular pennant popular in Norway — to replace the old fabric, the Lansing State Journal reported.
The Norwegian flag is red and white, with blue lines crossing its left side like a T. On a glance, it can be mistaken for the Confederate flag, which has the same colors, and is split by blue lines that create an X.
The Confederate flag, a common symbol of racism in the U.S., also carries stars, which the Norwegian flag lacks.
The Offenbeckers took the Norwegian national flag down last month and later ordered a vimple from a company in Sweden, the Lansing State Journal reported.
“When you look at it, it has the feel of the Norwegian flag,” said Kjersten Offenbecker, whose grandfather was born in Norway. “I’m sure we’ll get a lot of questions about what it is, but no one will ever make a judgment about it that’s incorrect.”
St. Johns is nestled in the middle of Michigan about 100 miles northwest of Detroit.
With News Wire Services
