Grace Lutheran Church dedicates historic 360-pound church bell

A church bell with a long history in Blaine is ringing again for the first time since 1980. The Grace Lutheran Church, a church with Icelandic roots dating back to the Blaine Snofurdur (Blaine Congregation) established in 1914, will hold a dedication ceremony for its new bell tower at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 17 at Grace Lutheran Church at 702 G St. Refreshments and an Icelandic cake will follow the dedication. The 360-pound bell has been in Blaine since about 1920, but stopped ringing in 1980 after a church remodel. In 2016, a group began raising money to install the bell in a new tower. In a letter, Laura Lynne Goodman, a member of the church’s bell committee, said: “Our beautiful cast bell has had a makeover, and looks better than new, and sounds even better than we had dared to hope!” Photo by Lynne Shelton