Young businessman wants to instill Swedish pride in Aroostook County
In a small town like New Sweden, it has become as common for young people to leave as it is for them to grow up with their traditional Swedish heritage.
Lukas Lagasse, 24, has not only bucked that trend, but has also become an integral part of his community while finishing college.
Ever since New Sweden closed the town’s only school in 2017, older generations spent more time maintaining Swedish cultural traditions, such as music and language lessons and the annual Midsummer, which welcomes summer and the growing season. That has been a challenge for the town of 577 as more young people leave to attend college or find work outside Aroostook County.
After attending college and working in the Bangor area, Lagasse recently returned to The County more determined to embrace his roots. He is the youngest president of New Sweden’s Historical Association and manager of Caribou’s only store dedicated to Swedish and other Scandinavian cultures.
Through his work, Lagasse, who lives in Caribou, is determined not to let the legacy of his and other local families fade into the past.
“They say people die twice. The first time they die physically. Then they die again when no one remembers them,” Lagasse said. “My family has always had an oral tradition [for remembering the past]. My [Swedish maternal] Grandma could point to an object and tell how it was connected to someone.”
Lagasse’s Swedish ancestors on his mother’s side arrived in Aroostook in 1871 as part of the first wave of immigrants from Sweden.
The town of New Sweden was formed after William Thomas, a war councilor to Sweden during the Civil War, brought 51 immigrants to replace Aroostook farmers who had migrated. Although more than half of these settlers, not yet accustomed to northern Maine winters, died in the first year, the town persevered thanks to cultural pride and work ethic.
While Lagasse has also learned about his French heritage, which came from his father’s side of the family, New Sweden’s place in Aroostook’s history meant that Lagasse was often more exposed to Swedish cultural traditions.
Growing up, Lagasse got to know other community members who trace their families’ ancestry to New Sweden’s founders, including Brenda Jepson, a member of the city’s historical society and Midsummer Committee.
Jepson first got to know Lagasse when he was one of the Små Folkdansarna, a group of children who sing Swedish songs while dancing at midsummer and other events. Over the years, Jepson has seen Lagasse become the little folk dancers’ teacher and the youngest historical association member.
The society chose Lagasse as its newest president because of his commitment to teaching young people about their Swedish culture and wanting to find new ways to showcase the region’s heritage, Jepson said.
“It’s rare for someone as young as Lukas to be so steeped in Swedish history and heritage,” Jepson said. “We’ve seen our best young people go out into the world to find themselves, but Lukas knows there’s a fascinating world right where he came from.”
Lagasse’s quest to find himself has also brought him to the neighboring country of Caribou, a city with many Swedish cultural ties that want embrace more young entrepreneurs.
In September, Lagasse became manager of Monica’s Scandinavian Imports, one of Caribou’s oldest operations.
The store’s history goes back to 1964 when Monica Söderberg, an immigrant from Stockholm, started selling traditional Swedish items from her home. Now located on Sweden Street, the store has expanded to include goods from Norway, Denmark and Finland and Aroostook-themed art, books and gifts.
Lagasse grew up shopping at Monica’s with his mother and started working at the store a few years ago when he returned home from college. As the new manager, he plans to incorporate more traditional Swedish products, such as dala horses, straw ornaments, clothing and 1890s-style candlesticks.
“I enjoy this job [at Monica’s] more than anyone I’ve had,” Lagasse said. “I get to meet people from all over the county and hear their stories.”
With a soon-to-be-completed degree in history and political science from the University of Maine, Lagasse admits he could have easily found work elsewhere, like many of his childhood friends. During college, he worked in the Caribou and Bangor offices of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and lived for a year in Sweden, working for an agency that connected immigrants with their Swedish roots.
But for Lagasse, home is just the place to put down future roots even as he honors his family’s past.
“There are a lot of opportunities here, but you have to seek them out,” Lagasse said. “I could have gone somewhere else, but it’s like they say: ‘Away is good, but home is best.’