Harstad: Linn Hvattum ordered a luminous horse – received a luminous kangaroo

HARSTAD (VG) Have you heard the one about the Harstad væringen who ordered a horse, but ended up with a kangaroo? And should the city get a North Norwegian Christmas cod instead?

No, this is not an episode of NRK’s ​​legendary Northern Norwegian comedy program “Du skal høre muche”, but a small piece of real everyday drama from Harstad.

Ante owls in the bog

The story begins with around NOK 500,000 that the company Harstad Sentrum burned in to create a proper atmosphere in the city.

The money was spent on nighttime lights, including a now much talked about “horse”.

– We were going to order a luminous horse. Reindeer and moose are very nice animals, but it’s a bit worn out. So then we wanted a horse, and it should sit on a bench, says manager Linn Hvattum in Harstad Sentrum to VG.

The delivery was delayed. Among other things, due to the corona backlog. But in the end, the new dark-time lights arrived at the municipality in Sør-Troms.

The package was marked with “horse”, says Hvattum.

– At first I saw the ears and muzzle, and thought “everything is fine here”. But gradually I sensed inadvisability. “That’s a kangaroo,” says Hvattum.

Throughout December, VG presents a case every day in the Christmas calendar “Light in the dark”. In a time of economic uncertainty and war in Europe, VG will create issues meant to please you, move you or make you laugh. Feel free to submit tips for matters to [email protected]

Typical northern Norwegian?

And when Hvattum put the tail on the “horse” it was quite obvious what kind of animal she had got.

– Maybe someone in Australia is sitting there scratching their head and wondering why they got a horse, she wonders jokingly.

But there was no doubt that once the kangaroo had arrived, it was allowed to stay.

– We light up the city, but we try to see it from an environmental perspective. Sending him back as a matter of principle makes no sense, says Hvattum.

– I think I’m a great “horse”, says Caroline Reinland (32), who goes for a walk with her fiance Bård Wiik (32).

The couple are shopping for Christmas presents when VG meets them in the center of Harstad.

– Kangaroos are typically northern Norwegian, aren’t they? I think Harstad should get it into the municipal coat of arms. Preferably with twin babies, because there has been a twin boom in Harstad, says Bård Wiik, who, for the record, is from Molde and is expecting twins with Caroline.

Ordered a horse – got a light party

One thing is sure. The kangaroo has probably led to considerably more PR for Harstad than a horse would.

So far, the case has been covered by both the local newspapers iHarstad and Harstad Tidende, the state channel NRK, as well as on P4’s “Misjonen” and by the Instagram account “BAdesKen”.

On November 5, the city marked the festival of lights. And locally, a naming competition was announced and a jury was appointed. Ken-Guru became the name of the city’s new light mascot.

– I’ve noticed that people sometimes stop by it and take pictures, says Vilde Hveem (21), who works in the Stjernerom shop next to the kangaroo.

Wish list: North Norwegian Christmas cod

But not everyone is happy about Ken-Guru.

– I don’t think it belongs here. We can joke about it. It’s okay if it’s wrongly ordered, but then you deliver it back. What does a kangaroo do in northern Norway, asks Gro Dagsvold.

She runs the travel agency North Up – which is located right next to the glowing kangaroo in the center of Harstad. She would have liked to see that it was rather a moose or reindeer that lit up the entrance area.

– Or just as well a cod for that matter, she says slightly satirically.

– You would like a luminous northern Norwegian Christmas cod?

– Yes, rather that. At least not a kangaroo, replies Dagsvold.

She says that although she has many tourists visiting. So far, no one has asked about the kangaroo.

– What do you say if a tourist comes and asks?

– No, I have enough sense that I don’t answer anything that is negative for the city. But I can say exactly what I want to Harstad people. I don’t think the kangaroo belongs here. And then you look out onto the square here. It is almost completely dark. Also do they come with a kangaroo? There is no light in the poles here, and there hasn’t been for two years. Completely dark, replies Dagsvold.

Will be in winter

Whether you like it or not. The just over two meter tall Ken-Guru is here to stay. At least through the winter, says Hvattum in Harstad Sentrum.

– We have actually received several inquiries from private individuals and companies who want to buy it.

– Are you willing to sell?

– It is the money that decides. In any case, it will be allowed to stand this winter, she concludes.