Leif Erikson's statue has been a fixture at the Shilshole Bay Marina since 1962 and a campaign is now underway to inscribe the names of Scandinavian immigrants to a granite rune stone as part of a new plaza.

The Port of Seattle is currently renovating the marina. The project is being done at a cost of $80 million with completion in April of 2008.

The new plans call for moving the Leif Erikson statue further north in front of a new Anthony's Restaurant where a plaza will feature the statue prominently. The Leif Erikson statue will be mounted lower to the ground than it is now.

Kristine Leander, project coordinator with the Leif Erikson International Foundation said the rune stones are an ancient Viking tradition, which marks significant events and tells stories about the people.

The names will be engraved on plaques. The plaques will be on 13 upright granite rune stones arranged around the statue. The stones will be carved with Viking designs and can accommodate 75 to 100 names.

Each name will cost $125 each. Monies raised will help pay for the design and construction of the base, runes stones and plaque.

An example of the inscription as explained on the Leif Erikson International Foundation web site is: "Andrew Johan Hansson, Nord-Trondelag, Norway 1908."

The plaza design will incorporate the footprint of a Viking ship.

Artist Jay Haavik, the grandson of the former pastor of Ballard Lutheran Church, Rev. O.L. Haavik will design the statue's new base.

Jay Haavik has studied Viking art at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway.

"It's very exciting for the community. We have been hearing from people all across the U.S.," said Leander.

Names will be added, representing Scandinavians who not only came to Ballard, but anywhere in America.

This project is a tribute to the Scandinavians who settled in the area and is expected to be a tourist attraction.

Leif Erikson was a Norse explorer who is believed to have led the first European expedition to mainland North America. He was the son of Eric the Red, the man who established the first settlement on Greenland.

Leander said Ballard was settled by Scandinavians from all the Nordic countries who were attracted to the area's cedar mills and fishing industry.

The statue was unveiled during the 1962 Seattle World's Fair and was a gift from the Norwegian American community, which formed the Leif Erikson League to raise the funds.

Project organizers have many Norwegian names lined up for the base and is looking for more Danes, Finns, Icelanders and Swedes.

"We're excited it will be a focus for the Shilshole Marina," said Leander.

Visit http://leiferikson.org or call Kristine Leander at 778-1081 or e-mail leif@leiferikson.org. Historical information in this article is from the World Book Encyclopedia computer version written by James E. Cathey, Ph.D., Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; coauthor, Old Icelandic.