With the sunshine, Finnish music ramps up

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 night away, or at least tap your feet in rhythm with the beat.

Are you interested in the fiddle music of Finland? If so, plan to attend the Finnish fiddle workshop 6-9 p.m. Friday, May 3 at Peace United Church of Christ, 1111 N. 11th Ave. East in Duluth. Organized by Sara Pajunen, this workshop will introduce you to tunes from Finland. You will also learn songs to take home, including one by Konsta Jylhä. All instruments and levels are welcome. Melodies of songs will be the focus, but Sara will have some chord charts available for those who want them. The cost of the workshop will be $20-$30 on a sliding fee scale, but if you need more financial help let Sara know at [email protected]. Registration is preferred, but if you find yourself with the evening unexpectedly free, you can just stop by and join them. Please register at http://www.sarapajunen.com/workshops-1/may-3-2019-finnish-fiddle-music-wokshop.

If you enjoy and appreciate accordion music, you will love World Accordion Day. Held in conjunction with the seventh annual Dr. Willard A. Palmer Festival, the weekend of Friday and Saturday, May 4-5 will bring many accomplished and well-known accordion players to our area. All events will be held at Harrington ARTS Center’s A World of Accordions Museum, 1401 Belknap St. in Superior, Wis. For more information, check out http://www.worldofaccordions.org or call 218-393-0245.

If you want to kick up your heels and dance, plan to attend the Vapputanssit (Vappu dance), an old-fashioned Finnish tradition to welcome spring, 1-4 p.m. Sunday, May 5 at the AAD Shrine building at 5152 Miller Trunk Highway in Hermantown. Sponsored by the Minnesota Finnish American Historical Society, this Vappu will celebrate the beginning of spring with the old-time Finnish music of the Mae Prachar Band. Besides dancing and toe-tapping, you will have a wonderful time visiting with friends, enjoying free pulla and coffee (as well as a cash bar), and bidding on Finnish treasures at the silent auction. Admission is $10, and free for kids age 12 and under. This is a fundraiser and all proceeds from the dance go toward student scholarships. For more information, contact Jeff at 218-591-0944 or at [email protected]. If you would like to donate Finnish items for the auction, please contact Jeff by Sunday, April 29.

Enjoy listening to Sami folktales Tuesday, May 7 at 7 p.m. at Fitger’s Spirit of the North Theater in Duluth, featuring Barbara Sjoholm, who translated Sami folktales collected by author Emilie Demant Hatt. “By the Fire” was recently published by the University of Minnesota press and is the first English publication of Sami folktales from Scandinavia collected and illustrated in the early 20th century. The Sami Cultural Center and the Bookstore at Fitger’s are sponsoring this presentation, and Sami Cultural Center board member Laurel Sanders will be reading some of the stories. This is also a great opportunity to purchase signed copies of the book. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

Juli Wood, jazz artist and 2019 Finlandia Foundation Performer of the Year, will be performing in our area at two locations (and maybe more) in May. This means you’ll have at least two chances to hear her award-winning program of Finnish music with a jazz twist. If you can’t make it to one performance, catch her at the other. Locally Juli will perform in Carlton at the Oldenburg House on Friday, May 17 beginning at 6:30 p.m. A cash bar and Finnish-inspired refreshments will be available. Seating is limited, and reservations are required. Tickets are $20 per person and available at oacc.us. Juli will also be performing at Mesaba Co-op Park in Hibbing Saturday, May 18 starting at 7 p.m.

Now, on to Finnish meetings for these Finnish, hard-working groups that plan such great events for our immediate area, although there are several others on the Iron Range. Any of them would love having you join them in planning Finnish events of all kinds for everyone to enjoy.

•The Ladies of Kaleva Aallottaren Tupa No. 15, Duluth, will meet Monday, May 13 at 6 p.m. at Kenwood Lutheran Church, 2720 Myers Ave. in Duluth. The evening will start with a program followed by a coffee time and the meeting. Visitors are encouraged to attend.

•The Ladies of Kaleva Väinnöttâren Tupa No. 24, Cloquet, plan to meet Wednesday, May 15 starting at 6 p.m. at Thomson Town Hall, 25 E. Harney Road, Esko. They welcome all guests and prospective members.

Looking ahead … Plan to attend the Finnish Americans and Friends meeting Tuesday, June 4 at 2 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, 4010 Ninth Ave. West in Hibbing. The guest speaker will be Chad Salmela of Duluth, who gained national recognition as a highly enthusiastic commentator for NBC during the 2018 Winter Olympics. Chad brought a wealth of Nordic skiing knowledge to TV viewers. As a teenage competitor, Chad was one of the top Nordic skiers in the Midwest, competing nationally and internationally. In 1998, he became an assistant coach for the U.S. biathlon team and currently coaches men’s and women’s cross-country and Nordic ski teams at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. Chad will talk about growing up Finnish-American on the Iron Range and his experiences skiing in Finland and other countries, as well as announcing during the Olympics. The public is welcome, and coffee and refreshments will be served. Members are encouraged to bring a refreshment to share.