BLANCHARDVILLE — The Blanchardville Public Library will present Ole from Norway: An Overlooked American Folksong by Jim Leary at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15.

American folksongs are deeply rooted in the experiences of our nation’s diverse peoples. Yet the rich folksong traditions of the Upper Midwest, including those chronicling immigrant adventures, are largely neglected. “Ole from Norway” is one of several overlooked “Scandihoovian” dialect songs that emerged and flourished in the region. This talk combines rare recordings with images of performers to reveal the song’s significance and spread, beginning with a classic version Bruce Bollerud learned in the 1940s from hired men on his family’s Hollandale dairy farm.

Jim Leary is emeritus professor of Folklore and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he co-founded the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures. A two-time Grammy nominee for Best Album Notes, Leary co-produced the Down Home Dairyland series on Wisconsin Public Radio, and is the author of many books, including: So Ole Says to Lena: Folk Humor of the Upper Midwest and Polkabilly: How the Goose Island Ramblers Redefined American Folk Music.