The Virginia Beach Borough Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary will hold its 48th Annual Norwegian Lady Ceremony on Saturday, March 27 at 2 p.m. at the Norwegian Lady Statue located at the Oceanfront at 25th Street. This year’s event is hosted in partnership with the Norwegian Lady Foundation and the Sons of Norway.

This year marks the 119th anniversary of the shipwreck of the Norwegian ship Dictator off the shores of Virginia Beach on March 27, 1891.  Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr. will give a brief history of the wreck and read a proclamation to commemorate the event.  The Princess Anne High School Band will play the national anthems of the United States and Norway, followed by the placement of a wreath at sea in memory of the Dictator and the Norwegian Lady.

In 1962, Moss gave the City of Virginia Beach one of two identical nine-foot high brass statues of the Norwegian Lady. The second stands across the Atlantic Ocean in Moss, Norway. Both statues were dedicated in memory of the sinking of the Norwegian ship Dictator in 1891 off the coast of Virginia Beach.

This event is free and open to the public. 

For additional information, please contact Carolyn Gray at (757) 428-5110 or email realcrablady@cox.net.

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