Finn News for September

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 the Community Night Out in Embarrass on 4-7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8. Held at the Seitaniemi Housebarn (located on Comet Road north of Highway 21 between Embarrass and Babbitt), the evening will include friends, food, and the entertaining music of Pat Surface. Chili and pie will be available for purchase, and the Housebarn will be open for tours. It’s all free, with donations welcome.

Back by popular demand, live, from Finland ... Kardemimmit, in concert. This group of young Finnish women will perform fantastic vocal and kantele music in concert at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13 at the United Protestant Church, 830 88th Ave. West in Duluth. Admission is $10 per person (no charge for children). Get there early to grab a good seat.Contact Arlene at [email protected] or 218-289-5080 for more.

Mojakka Day is coming. The Sampo Association will hold its annual Mojakka Day on Saturday, Sept. 14 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Sampo Beach on Little Grand Lake just north of the Highway 2 and 194 intersection in Saginaw. The cost for a very delicious mojakka meal (which also includes bread, coffee, milk and dessert) will be $10 for adults. Besides a great meal, beautiful lake vista, and lots of Finnish and non-Finnish friends to visit, you will have the chance to get in on the raffle and door prizes, white elephant sale, bake sale, and silent auction. All funds raised will be used for the preservation of this wonderful family getaway, Sampo Beach.

The Wirtanen Farm Fall Festival will also be held on Sept.14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a family-friendly, free event (donations welcomed) sponsored by the Friends of the Wirtanen Farm. The festival will be held at the preserved little Finnish farm (owned years ago by Eli Wirtanen), located at 5312 Markham Road, 45 miles north of Duluth and just west of Highway 4. Wander around and check out the house, barn, sauna, and other buildings. Investigate how the Finnish settlers lived “back then.” Relax and enjoy the music. Take a ride in the horse-drawn carriage. There is lots to do and see! And don’t forget to bring your family, especially the kids!

The Minnesota Finnish American Historical Society, Lakehead Chapter, Duluth, will hold its fall general meeting on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. at the Kenwood Lutheran Church, 2720 Myers Ave. in Duluth. Following coffee time, everyone will enjoy a multimedia presentation, “The Fascinating World of Music – and how it impacted a shy, Finnish kid from Northern Minnesota,” prepared by Jeff Iisakka.

The Northland welcomes Diane Jarvenpa, who is known in Finland as “Minnesotan Satakieli” (“the Minnesota nightingale”). Diane will be at the Cloquet Public Library, 320 14th St. in Cloquet, on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. to give a kantele performance and read poems from her book, “The Way She Told Her Story,” which was awarded a 2019 Honorable Mention in Poetry at the Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards. Diane’s program is sponsored and funded by Friends of the Library, and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

And, here’s an exciting event to put on your calendar for October: Join The Third Generation members and friends on Saturday, Oct. 19 for a concert, “Midwest Accordion Princess: memories of Finland and Viola Turpeinen” 4 p.m. at the Cloquet Senior Center, 1100 Olympic Drive in Cloquet. This concert will highlight the rich baritone voice of Gregg Santa and evocative violin melodies played by Jeanne Santa Doty and Johanna Santa Lorbach.

The program will include a variety of Finnish and Finnish American tunes, from the old favorite folk melodies recorded by The Third Generation and Viola Turpeinen to fresh new dance tunes. Jeanne will also play some pieces on the last accordion Turpeinen owned before her death in 1957. Plan to join us for this concert of Finnish favorites performed by this long-standing, beloved, Finnish American ensemble. The concert is sponsored by the Sons of Norway Heimsyn Lodge, and admission is free.