The early stevner (conventions) of the Telelag were truly affairs to remember with many thousands of Telers attending. Specific regional organizations were established under the umbrella of the national Telelag. As the immigrants passed away, interest faded in the organization. In the 1960s and 1970s, only the Northwest Telelag continued to meet. In 1979 a meeting was held in Fargo to reorganize a national Telelag. The focus switched from largely social to educational - focusing on genealogical research - and its ever-growing membership has come together for a stevne every year since 1980.
Below is a year-by-year list of stevner. The list was compiled by Elaine Nordlie from issues of the Telesoga and from the book A Folk Epic: The Bygdelag in America by Dr. Odd Lovoll. Many early Teler gatherings were not reported in the national publication so this list is likely incomplete; however, it does reflect the broad participation of immigrants from Telemark in these community organizations. The first stevne (tour) in Telemark occurred in 1937. Since 1992 these have been scheduled regularly.
