A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
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Winters can be snowy, cold and gloomy in the Northland. But March usually comes with signs of spring and new life. March is also the month we Finnish-Americans celebrate St. Urho’s Day. March 16 is a day when the wacky reigns, where you can eat grapes and pet grasshoppers, and wear purple and green in honor of St. Urho, the Finnish saint created right here in northern Minnesota. Here are the St. Urho’s Day events that will be celebrated in or close to our area. It’s the 45th annual St. Urho...
What does winter in Finland consist of? Snow. Cold. Dark. But, if you really look, there’s more to Finland’s winter. Snow ... but with the excitement of skiing, sliding, skating, hiking, winter camping and all kinds of winter sports that Finns enjoy and love. Cold ... but with the sharing of warmth and connections during sauna time and other gatherings with friends and family. Dark ... but with the brilliance of the dazzling lights of Revontulet (the Northern Lights) that dance and sway to nature’s music during cold winter nights. We in north...
Over the last few decades, like many others around the world, I have listened to the “gurus” and have spent the end of every year planning my New Year’s resolutions for the upcoming year. Some years I am able to keep the resolution momentum going for a month or two, but usually my will doesn’t last that long and I end up ignoring the list as the guilt is too much to bear. This year, however, I am not making resolutions. This year is going to be my UFO year. No, I am not into space travel or Star Wars or Area 51. My UFOs are “UnFini...
As I write these words, the year 2019 is almost completed. Another year come and gone, another chapter in history lived, experienced, recorded. Since there is not much happening in January, the coldest month of the year for us in the Northland, I don’t have much to share about Finn events so I figured I would bring you something to think about, to contemplate on during these wintery days ahead. As I look back on this past year, I think to myself, “What did I learn? What have I done? What am I leaving for future generations?” I’ve been applyin...
Swamp. It's a word that can conjure negative thoughts and feelings. A place filled with dirty, dank, dark water. An area that is almost impassible and can literally suck your shoes right off. That swampy place where tons of much-hated mosquitos and swamp critters live and breed. Most landowners consider wetlands as useless areas that get in the way. Many want to fill them in, a practice in the past that has affected ecosystems. The truth is that wetlands are some of the most important and...
Most people want to leave a legacy, to know that their lives mattered, to leave their mark on the world, a contribution of some sort to future generations. But many don’t consciously think about what they want their legacy to be or how to build it. They also don’t realize that they aren’t alone, that they can involve others in creating their legacy. Warren Tester has done that. Tester is being honored as Carlton County’s 2019 Outstanding Conservationist for his work on what he calls his “strategic” property in the Nemadji watershed....
December. Christmas. And what country is more in tune with Christmas than Finland, the home of Santa Claus. Take some time this month to explore online the Santa Claus Village near Rovaniemi with your children or grandchildren by going to www.santaclausvillage.info. You can see live video from the Arctic Circle, visit the reindeer, see Mrs. Claus’ little cottage, watch the elves, and view lots of pictures and videos of life with Santa Claus. Here are some of the celebrations that Finnish groups in the region are hosting. The Knights and L...
I take solace in the fact that along with thoughts of winter come thoughts of Christmas. So, I’m putting these upcoming Christmas bazaars and festivals on my calendar and I hope you do, too! Plan to carve some time out of your busy days to attend. These events will give some extra pizzazz to your Christmas holidays! The 51st annual “Finnish-American Holiday” bazaar, sponsored by the Ladies of Kaleva Soinnuttaren Tupa #32, will be held Saturday, Nov. 16 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Kaleva Hall,...
Before I get into sharing the Finnish events in the area that will be happening in October, I want to give thanks to the many Finns and friends who attended September events. It’s only through you that these events are able to be organized and presented. And it’s only because of you, the attendees, that these events continue to be offered. The month of October starts off with another great program at 2 p.m. Oct. 1 at Grace Lutheran Church, 4010 Ninth Avenue West, Hibbing. It will feature Duluth author Mark Munger, who is a retired district cou...
Several weeks ago, the Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) sponsored a tour of the Nemadji Watershed to highlight the parts of a watershed and how they work together. Stops included forests, streams, farms, and culverts. What do culverts have to do with a watershed? Quite a lot, actually. Culverts are something that most of us seldom think about or even notice in our surroundings. Culverts are barely given a glance by people unless they are plugged by debris or blocked by ice....
Fall is the time to harvest the garden, start getting property ready for winter, send children back to school, and go back to regular meeting schedules. Regular schedules of the local Finnish groups will not be the focus of this article, however, so you will have to contact those groups as to what is on their September schedules. Here are some fantastic opportunities that are coming. I plan to attend a good share of them, and I encourage you to mark your calendars and make plans to attend, too. A great way to start your fall is by attending...
There’s only one month of summer left, and some are probably happy while others are sad to see summer coming to a close. But we have sisu and we do what we must do! For some, it’s working on harvesting the garden and finishing up outdoor projects. Others are enjoying the last of the swimming days and trying to stay cool in the August heat. Maybe you are in the group planning the last summer trip before school starts and busy fall schedules begin again. Or maybe, like me, you are doing a combination of all of them! Speaking of schedules ... ther...
ROI: Return on Investment. For those who don’t know, this simply means what you get (return) for what you give (invest). And as a taxpayer, you have the right and responsibility to ask about the returns (services given) for your investments (taxes). Every year, the Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District SWCD publishes an annual report that tells taxpayers and Carlton County landowners what their ROI is for the federal, state, and local public funds that support SWCD programs, projects a...
Are you enjoying your summer so far? If not, you'd better get out and have some fun during the next couple of months! There aren't too many Finnish events happening during July as most Finns, both in Finland and in the U.S., tend to head to the lake with their families and friends. In fact, Finland's Finns are too busy relaxing at the lake to even celebrate holidays! After Juhannus (Midsummer) in mid-June, there are no public holidays in Finland until All Saint's Day at the end of November. Following are a couple of Finnish-American events...
Have you heard the old saying, "How do you eat an elephant? ... One bite at a time." I heard this saying often when I was young and wondered what it meant, and: Who would want to eat an elephant? As I got older, I found the explanation was quite simple. How do you do anything that seems like a huge task? One bite at a time. So take the "elephant" and apply it to the big tasks in life. How do you spring clean your house? One room at a time. How do you advance your career? One skill or...
We were enjoying some beautiful spring days with warmer temps and melting snow, when all of a sudden —BAM! — winter hit us again. Cold, strong winds and wet heavy snow sent us back to winter. Thankfully, we northern Minnesota Finns have lots of SISU. We’ll come out on the other side of this, welcoming the real spring and ready to dig into the soil and dance in the sunshine. Speaking of dancing … This month has a lot of music scheduled. So pull out your dancing shoes and get ready to hit the road, enjoy some wonderful music, and dance the nig...
Well, I did it. I took the plunge! The water's great and I aim to help keep it that way! No, I didn't literally jump into the water, especially this time of year! Brrrrrr! But after thinking about it for several years, I decided that now was the time to put away "all talk, no action" and jump into being a citizen water monitor (CWM) volunteer. As with any job, especially volunteer work, you have to learn what to do and how to do it, where to do it, why it needs to be done, and why you should do...
Last week, the Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District brought you Part 1 of a story on water quality and agriculture, which highlighted the ways farmers can make an impact - positively or negatively - on local water quality through the choices they make in raising cattle. This week, we'll concentrate on the use of manure pits and how to properly handle abandoning them when they are no longer needed. Most farmers who have feedlots or barnyards have had manure pits constructed. These are...
It's finally springtime and, after a long winter, many people want to get outside and get busy with outdoor projects. That includes local farmers. For them, spring means that after a long winter of mostly barn living, their animals can finally get out, kick up their heels, and enjoy the spring grasses and warm, sunny weather. However, we have to get through the spring rain and snowmelt season first. With the thought of floodwaters comes the question of what each of us can do to help prevent...
Winter is finally leaving! Kevät on täällä! Spring is here! And all around there are signs of spring (“kevät” in Finnish), higher temperatures (yay!), snow melting, rain falling, roads and yards flooding, dangerous combinations of precipitation, etc. I just can’t wait until the REAL spring is here with flowers popping up, trees budding, and days filled with warm breezes and lots of sunshine. I’ll even welcome the thunderstorms, if they don’t include any form of cold, ice or snow! Along with spring popping, Finnish groups are starting to po...
Wise woman, cultural anthropologist and author Margaret Mead once said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world." This describes what the Carlton County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) has been attempting, but recently it has undergone big changes of its own. At the end of 2018, Carlton SWCD bid farewell to three board supervisors who left SWCD service: James Nynas, Mark Thell, and Joe Lambert. "We are sad to see Jim, Mark and Joe leave...
Well, It's now February, the month of Laskiainen, the Finnish sliding party. And it's almost March, the month of St. Urho, the patron saint of Finland. And it's getting really close to the start of spring .... And, after the winter we've had in the Northland, most everyone is very, very eager to have spring get busy getting started! Here are some upcoming events and meetings in the Finnish community in the next couple months to help you get out and enjoy the last of winter and the (finally! hopefully!) start of spring! The Ladies of Kaleva Aall...
"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style." ~ Maya Angelou For many of us, life sometimes becomes mere survival. We feel that each day is like the one before ... going to work to make the money to pay the bills that enable us to live and be able to go to work to make the money to pay the bills. Over and over, ad infinitum. However, there are also many people who have found their passion, something...
Many of us like to keep our lives on an even keel without too much rocking the boat. However, new ideas, new facts and new treatments all lead to new ways of doing things, to change, to rocking the boat. When faced with changing the way they have always lived, some people kick and scream and fight against changing. Others will change, but only after great and prolonged consideration and under much duress and in distress. But there are also those who, after reasonable research, see the...
In this second article about the 2018 Carlton County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) conservation awards, we introduce you to Cloquet's Bob Nelson, who was given the title of 2018 Urban Forestry Conservationist. Nelson is another winner who has taken what he has learned and shared his experience and knowledge with others in educational settings. Nelson has worked with urban forestry since 1968, when his family planted red pines on a third of an acre of their Cloquet property. Years...
