A brief history of the Lindsborg Midsummer Festival Kubb Tournament
The Swedish Midsummer Festival is a common celebration in many areas of the world as it welcomes summertime as well as the season of fertility. Lindsborg is a small town in central Kansas boasting the title of “Little Sweden.” To anyone driving into town, it is apparent that the love of the Swedish heritage is alive and well. There are many dala horses in various forms and whether you have a sweet tooth or a penchant for shopping, you can find both downtown in surplus.
The Midsummer Festival in Lindsborg has been a tradition in Lindsborg since the early 1970s. A gentleman by the name of Corey Peterson worked at Hemslojd growing up, and years later when he and his family moved back to Lindsborg, he purchased Hemslojd. He began a kubb tournament to add to the wonderful festival activities but realized managing the storefront and the kubb tournament is difficult. This is where Craig Lofton comes in. Lofton, a Lindsborg resident and lover of kubb, had played in the early kubb tournaments in Lindsborg and even traveled to play in Des Moines kubb tournaments with his daughter and friend, Rodger Bokma and Rodger’s son, Tyler. Lofton and his wife, Holly, moved to Lindsborg over 20 years ago and, while not of Swedish descent, have truly immersed themselves in this midwestern gem. He saw a need for leadership and asked Peterson if he would like him to step in as the tournament director. The kubb tournament has taken place for 13 years with one year canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Peterson and Lofton still play in the Midsummer’s Festival Kubb Tournament each year. Peterson plays with his friend Mike Schirmer and Lofton now plays with his son-in-law, Brett and daughter, Paige.
The kubb Midsummer Festival Kubb Tournament is held in Heritage Square, quite literally surrounded by history. Along the perimeter of the pitches, fest-goers will find beautifully painted exhibits representing significant buildings such as a hotel, fire station, and horse stable from Lindsborg’s past. The stately 1904 World’s Fair Swedish Pavilion graces the far end of the green. Participants may sign up on the day of the tournament and for many returning teams, this has become a tradition for many. The overall vibe is one of casual competition. Every team is out there to win but are having fun doing so. A standout feature about this particular tournament is that it celebrates and encourages new players to help grow the game. The kubb community is often discussed using adjectives such as: supportive, inclusive and kind and the Lindsborg tournament is no different. Players typically look forward to reuniting with kubb friends they met over the years.
In 2022, Scott and Stephanie Taylor, of Kraken Kubbs, met a fellow teacher and her husband from Kansas City playing as Skulls Out for Midsummer. They were fun to play against but even more of a blast to chat with. Fast forward to year three and yet again, they’ve reconnected, shared kubb, professional and life stories with one another as well as the pitch.
The 2024 Midsummer’s Festival Kubb Tournament
The 2024 tournament began at noon. The temperature was 94 degrees that day, which is common in mid-June in Kansas. There were fourteen teams competing with delightful names such as: KUBBa Dudes, Keeper of the Kubbs and KUBB Krazy Killer B’s among others. Teams played best-of-three matches for four seeding rounds and then the top four went to the semi-finals. Right before this round, a thunderstorm rolled in and there was a 30 minute delay. The participants all ducked for cover, but the kubb pieces did not. Fortunately, the delay was short and the temperature dropped about 15 degrees. Unfortunately though, the giant killer mosquitos came out to play post-storm.
Kraken Kubbs (Scott Taylor, Stephanie Taylor) faced off against the Kubbinators (John Mellinger, David Stucky). The Kraken did not have a canopy and the Kubbinators welcomed them, hosting them for the day. Kraken Kubbs played the Kubbinators first and won 2-0 by starting fast, making it difficult for the Kubbinators to catch up. It was a quick match.
In the other semi-final match, the Keepers of the Kubbs (Dalton Miller, Kyle Stucky) squared off against the reigning champions, Kubb Cats (Craig Lofton, Brett Nurnberg). The Cats won game one, but the Keepers won the second and then pulled out the match win after a bit of a battle.
In the final match, Kraken Kubbs faced off against yet another host team, Keepers of the Kubbs. The Keepers had just traveled up north to Kasson, Minnesota to play in the Kubbing to Kick Cancer tournament, where they had just seen Kraken Kubbs. In game one, Kraken Kubbs were still on fire and won quickly. In game two, The Keepers of the Kubbs started out ahead, but Kraken Kubbs answered back and a couple of turns later, ended up taking the game and match victory.
In the match for third place, the Kubb Cats won game one, the Kubbinators won game two and then Kubb Cats won game three. It was a real even battle back-and-forth.
Final Results
- Kraken Kubbs (Scott Taylor, Stephanie Taylor)
- Keeper of the Kubbs (Dalton Miller, Kyle Stucky)
- KUBB Cats (Craig Lofton, Brett Nurnberg)
- KUBBInators (John Mellinger, David Stucky)
