Mark your food calendars for a Swedish 'midsommar' celebration, a discussion of northern food and an Oregon wine dinner

It's called a midsommar celebration, but it's a party in honor of the solstice, not of the middle of summer. The American Swedish Institute (2600 Park Av. S., Mpls., 612-871-4907, asimn.org) will celebrate in fine form on Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. with plenty of flowers to make wreaths and crowns for the head, with Nordic know-how sessions every 30 minutes, craft demonstrations, food (strawberry cake, Swedish hot dogs) and drink from its restaurant, Fika, and more. Don't miss the dancing around the midsommar pole (raising of the pole at 11:30 a.m., dancing at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.). Tickets are free to ASI members and available to the general public as part of the regular museum admission, $5-$10; available day of event only.

Is Minnesota part of the North or part of the Midwest? The question, prompted by Eric Dayton, owner of the Bachelor Farmer restaurant in Minneapolis, has moved into the food world. It's the focus of a discussion on June 25 at the Walker Art Center auditorium (725 Vineland Place, Mpls., 612-375-7600, walkerart.org). Twin Cities food writer Steve Hoffman will moderate a panel discussion, "Beyond Hotdish, The Quiet Sophistication of Northern Food," that includes Lynne Rossetto Kasper (former host of "The Splendid Table" radio show), Alex Roberts (chef/owner of Alma in Minneapolis), Ann Kim (chef/owner of Young Joni in Minneapolis), Beth Dooley (cookbook author), Yia Vang (chef/owner of Union Kitchen) and Beth Kracklauer (food editor at the Wall Street Journal). The event, from 5-9 p.m., begins with a social hour, then a keynote talk by Roberts at 6 p.m., followed by a panel discussion and socializing. Tickets, at $9, are available at sjrhoffman.com.

The wines of Hiyu Farm, in Oregon's Hood Valley, will be featured at a four-course dinner, with wine reception, on June 18 from 6-9 p.m. at Alma (528 University Av. SE., Mpls., 612-379-4909, almampls.com). Winemaker Nate Ready of Hiyu will be on hand to talk about the wines. Tickets are $150; a $75 deposit is required to hold a seat (the remainder charged at the end of the meal). Tickets are available from almampls.com.