vase with colored feathers and decorative hanging eggs added. Swedish tradition also found in Swedish American homes has a traditional , a large meal that is eaten together by families with foods such as deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, meatballs, pickled herring and other fresh fish like salmon. Midsummer is celebrated at the summer solstice, recognizing the longest day of the year. Many Swedes dress in traditional folk costumes, often with girls and women wearing flowered head garlands, and gather together to eat, sing traditional songs with bands playing, and dance around a maypole. Festivities begin with decorating the horizontal maypole as people gather to affix greenery first, then after thus covering most of the pole, they add various types of flowers until the whole pole is covered. The men then lift it upright while the women follow in a line behind singing as they walk around with the maypole. At the end of the song, the men place the maypole in a hole in the ground raising it to its final position. The celebrations in Sweden often last all day and night with food and alcoholic beverage accompanied with songs and . Swedish American of the Year Annually a Swedish American of the Year is awarded through Vasa Order of America District Lodges 19 and 20 in Sweden. Swedish-American business owners Nordstrom stores – John W. Nordstrom South Coast Plaza, South Coast Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom High School – Henry Segerstrom O.F. Mossberg & Sons firearms; uses Swedish iconography in their logos. Ragnar Benson Inc., founded by Ragnar Benson, was at the time one of the 10 largest general contracting firms in the United States. The company became one of Chicago's top builders, and erected many Fortune 500 landmark buildings. Churches Formal church membership in 1936 was reported as: Augustana Synod (Lutheran) – 1,203 churches – 254,677 members Mission Covenant – 441 churches – 45,000 members Swedish Baptist – 300 churches – 36,820 members Swedish Evangelical Free – 150 churches – 9,000 members Swedish Methodist – 175 churches – 19,441 members The affiliated membership of a church is much larger than the formal membership. Other churches Swedish Seaman's Church – located in many states Church of Sweden, Los Angeles – Swedenborgian Church Danish Church Until 2000, the Church of Sweden was the official state church of Sweden. Nobel Conference The Nobel Conference is an academic conference held