POULSBO — As the Poulsbo Sons of Norway lodge swarmed like a beehive in preparation for the 38th annual Viking Fest that kicked off Friday, it did so with an added bit of pride.

The lodge was honored as the District 2 Family Lodge of the Year at the district convention earlier this month.

The award recognizes lodges that improve family participation and involvement during the year.

“It’s the first of its kind, and it’s the first time the lodge has received this award,” said lodge secretary Stan Overby, who also teaches Norwegian classes at Grieg Hall.

The Poulsbo lodge celebrated its 90th birthday in February and has recently dealt with differences of opinion over its mission and the way it conducts business.

“It was a big surprise when they called up our president (Bob Moseng) and told him we’d won the award,” Overby said.

All lodges within the district were eligible for the award, which was introduced in 2005, so receiving it is a special achievement that lodge members can take pride in, he said.

As lodge secretary, Overby said he was tasked with filling out the paperwork for the award, which focused on the lodge’s family and children’s programs.

“I filled out what I could and our children’s director Joan Graves helped out as well,” Overby said.

Currently, more than 100 children participate in the Leikarringen folk dance program. They will be performing at Kvelstad Pavilion and during the parade at Viking Fest.

Former Sons administrator Mariann Samuelsen said much of the credit for the award belongs to Moseng, who has made families a priority during his tenure.

“That has been his goal to see to it that we involved families and that the Sons of Norway is a family-oriented place,” Samuelsen said.

Moseng along with his wife, Lisa, have worked tirelessly in their efforts and more people have been drawn to the lodge to discover their roots and find out where they came from, Samuelsen said.

“This is a big step for the Sons of Norway to show that we’re family-oriented,” Samuelsen said.