Summer Calendar - Finnish American Cultural Activities

NEWSLETTER OF THE FINNISH AMERICAN
CULTURAL ACTIVITIES, INC.
June/Kesäkuu 2007
Summer
Calendar
FACA 2006–2007
Board of Directors
President:
Alan Norgard
651-786-5988
norgard@winternet.com
Vice President/Program Chair:
Floyd Niskanen
763-540-0121
fniskanen@aol.com
Secretary:
Luella Zibell
651-482-1965
Treasurer/Publicity:
Andreas Ostenso
651-646-9604
tostenso@yahoo.com
Hospitality/Special Activities
Chair: Kaarina Kotkavuori
651-646-7783
Special Activities Director:
Barbara Nikula Owens
651-774-3551
barbnikulaowens@yahoo.com
FACA Newsletter
Committee
Editor:
Mary Belanger
mary.belanger@dctc.edu
218-839-1566
Graphic Design:
Beth Jarvis
763-536-9561
brjarvis@umn.edu
Contributing Writers:
Tiina Watts, Al Norgard,
Luella Zibell, Joan Dwyer,
Gil Kinnunen
Mailing:
Urho and Pam Rahkola
Finnish American Cultural Activities
By Alan Norgard
I would like to write a quick note to formally
introduce you to the two newest FACA
board members —Stella Arola and Ruth
Wilkman. They were elected during the
Annual Meeting portion of the May program
and will be replacing Luella Zibell and Floyd
Niskanen.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Luella for her long, and
much appreciated term as secretary (six or seven years!) You have
made a wonderful contribution as secretary —keeping minutes, sending
out cards and correspondence, providing treats for the board meetings,
and being willing to help in any way you could with special projects.
Floyd has kept the FACA program schedule interesting and varied and
has come up with some great programs that entertained and educated
us. Many times the formal question and answer time was too short for
all the questions the audience had —a good indication of an interesting
topic. Floyd still has a number of good ideas left in “the book” of possible
programs, so I’m sure the tradition of great programming can continue.
Kiitoksia paljon to both of you!
It is the efforts and skills of everyone that keep FACA going, and I want
to take this time to thank all the members for their time and especially
their interest. Without you, there would be no FACA!
Have a wonderful summer and we will see you in the fall!
U of MN Welcomes Two Finnish Scholars
Thanks to the support of the Finnish government and private donors, the
University of Minnesota is pleased to welcome two Finnish scholars for
multi-year visiting professorships. The current Government of Finland/
David and Nancy Speer Visiting Professors in Finnish Studies are Dr.
Jukka Savolainen and Dr. Mika Aaltola.
Professor Mika Aaltola specializes in international relations, and has
research interests ranging from international development and humanitarian aid to the politics of medicine, terrorism, and great power politics.
Professor Jukka Savolainen’s research focuses on individual and community level explanations of victimization and criminal recidivism, and
has a strong emphasis on cross-national comparisons. He will be with
the University of Minnesota through 2008.
The Government of Finland/David and Nancy Speer Visiting Professorship in Finnish Studies was established in 1999 to stimulate interest in
Finland and raise awareness of Finnish contributions in cultural, political,
and social spheres. The professorship was further designed to establish
new networks between scholars in Finland and the United States, and to
promote strong relationships between Finnish scholars, the University of
Minnesota and the community.
Page 2
June 2007
Festival of Nations Café
Board Notes
By Luella Zibell
By Junelle Bernard and Merja Wilenius
FACA once again ran a successful café at
Festival of Nations making a nice profit to
add to the coffers. The café is a big undertaking and could not be done without our
tireless volunteers who showed up as scheduled and cheerfully completed all that
needed to be done.
Strawberry shortcake was the big seller
and kept us busy slicing cake and strawberries as well as whipping cream. Thanks
to a teacher at a St. Paul school, pickled
herring was in demand as students
received extra credit for trying it.
Even though we were busy, we all enjoyed
the sights and sounds of all the ethnic
groups taking part in this wonderful
celebration.
A special thank you to our set-up and take
down crew: Pam and Urho Rahkola,
Marlene and Ernie Banttari, Jane Olson
and Stu Bernard. These folks also worked
one or more shifts during the festival.
Kiitos paljon to Dixie Luoma, Kathy
Chambless, Anita and Ron Wiemeri,
Wayne Mikkola, Laura Bernard,
Merryalice
and Bob Jones, Ramona
A
Larson, Clyde, Theresa, Cassie and
Richard Lund, Jesse Johnson, Gene
Karjala, Ray and Carol Pesola, Ruth and
Marlyn Ervasti, Jeanette Weidner, Aune
and Bette Ruskanen, Bob Nelson, Tiina,
Leila and Clayton Watts, Stella and Harvey
Arola, Jenny Borovsky, Gil and Dawn
Kinnunen, Betty Wheelecor, Ruthann
Swanson, Andreas Ostenso, Kaisa Taipale,
Linda Davis, and Bernice and Anna Kuure
for working one or more shifts. We hope
you all enjoyed the experience.
Profit for FACA operating expenses and
Salolampi scholarships: $2000+; being part
of the global community: priceless.
Finnish American Cultural Activities
L-R: Andreas Ostenso, Luella Zibell, Barbara Nikula Owens, Alan
Norgard, Kaarina Kotkavuori, Floyd Niskanen
Plans for the Annual Meeting of FACA were at the heart of the
agenda at the Board’s May meeting. Nominations for board
positions were needed.
After the regular secretary and treasurer reports, we reviewed
the Festival of Nations. The Exhibit received an Award of
Excellence and the café booth was well organized and successful. Volunteer participation was good, and the Chairs are to
be commended for a job well done.
We look forward to a successful Membership Drive this
summer as well —prizes will be awarded to those who bring in
the most members —brand new, or those who have let their
membership lapse and want to renew.
The Nordic Art Exhibit this summer at the Minneapolis Institute
of Art will involve many FACA members — we encourage all
to view this once-in-a-lifetime exhibit.
FACA Membership
A one-year membership provides you with eight issues
of this newsletter plus other benefits for $25. To
subscribe or renew, complete this form and mail with
your check to FACA, P.O. Box 580708, Minneapolis,
MN 55458-0708. (Check mailing label for membership
expiration date.)
Name__________________________________
Address________________________________
City/State/Zip____________________________
Phone__________________________________
Email__________________________________
Page 3
June 2007
June Calendar:
Membership Challenge
By Andreas Ostenso
The membership challenge has now officially
started! As readers of the May newsletter know,
the Board has decided to make a concerted effort to
expand the membership. The first prize winner of
this challenge will receive free Pikkujoulu admission. Second prize is a one-year membership dues
waiver. Everyone is eligible to participate. For
purposes of this challenge, a “new” member is
anyone who has not paid dues for more than two
years. This means that lapsed members may count
towards the total. All memberships must be received by November 16th, 2007. Challenge participants
should forward the names of the new members
whom they have recruited to me by November 16th
as well. In the event of a tie, the winners will be
drawn at random amongst the most prolific recruiters. Feel free to contact me with any questions or
comments. Good luck!
Let the world know . . .
Let the world know that FACA exists! As part of its
membership drive, the Board would like to increase
FACA’s community profile. One effective way of
doing this is to advertise our monthly programs. The
Board feels that FACA can sell itself on its own
merits. Namely, the monthly programs and other
FACA events are well worth the cost of membership. The challenge is to get the message out. To
this end, we are looking for volunteers who would
help make sure that the media give us some ink.
This has already been done sporadically and on a
small scale. For instance, we have placed free ads
in the City Pages, the Star-Tribune and other local
publications. We have also placed paid ads in the
Finnish American Reporter. Whoever volunteers
would certainly not be expected put on a hard sell.
However, the job would require providing the media
with short, concise written advertisements in a timely
fashion.
Please feel to contact me if you are interested in
volunteering or simply have questions at
tostenso@yahoo.com.
Finnish American Cultural Activities
June 8, 9 The 8th annual Nisswa-stamman
Scandinavian folk music festival will be held at the
Nisswa Pioneer village in Nisswa, (a three hour drive
north of Minneapolis/St. Paul). This year approximately 150 folk musicians are expected, among them
Haugaard & Hoirup, seven-time Danish Grammy
award winners, world class duo on fiddle and guitar
from Denmark; Alvdalens spelmanslag, 20 fiddlers
strong from Alvdalen, Sweden; and Marie Klapbakken
& Olaug Furusaeter, talented young fiddlers from
Norway. Special guests from Maryland are Hoag,
Kelley and Pilzer, Grammy nominated trio playing
Scandinavian folk music. Midwestern groups and
soloists include the ASI Spelmanslag, Skal Klubben,
the Twin Cities Nyckelharpalag, Finn Hall, the Twin
Cities Hardingfelelag, Paul Dahlin, Skalmusik, Ole
Olsson’s Oldtime Orkestra, Footnotes trio, Swedes in
the Weeds, LiljeDiket, Nordic Jam, Karen Solgard,
Ross Sutter, Arna Rennan, Georganne Hunter, Kip
Peltoniemi, Arne Salli, Duane Swanson and many,
many others. Dancers take note.... all day and lateinto-the-night dancing opportunities, and an intimate,
log “dance barn” with dance teaching and open
dancing “shoulder to shoulder” just like they do in
Scandinavia.
Questions? Call Paul Wilson, (218) 764-2994,
pwilson@brainerd.net, www.nisswastamman.org.
Friday, June 8
Instrumental and dance workshops will be offered by
several visiting Scandinavian musicians. Concert, 7
p.m. Admission $10 adults, children 12 and under, $5.
Concert featuring all of the visiting Scandinavian
musicians and several other selected stamma
musicians at the Lutheran Church of the Cross, south
of Nisswa on County Road 13.
Dance: The concert will be followed by an old-time
dance featuring many stamma bands at the Pequot
Lakes Seniors Center, downtown Pequot Lakes,
starting at 10 pm. Admission free for concert goers,
$5 for others.
Saturday, June 9
Stamman admission: $10 adults, $1 children 5– 15,
free for children under 5. Fiddlers parade starts at 10
a.m. in downtown Nisswa and leads to the Nisswa
Pioneer Village, site of the stamma. At 10:15 a.m., ongoing folk music presentations on five stages, dance,
teaching in the barn, lots of jamming and all day
dancing, special children’s tent with day-long cultural
activities.
Page 4
June 2007
Alvdalens spelmanslag
Smorgasbord, 4:30 p.m., $15, at the Nisswa Community Center. A late-into-the-night old-time dance
starting at 7 p.m. at the American Legion Club in
Nisswa. Uffda! Is it okay for us to have this much
fun?
Tickets: All tickets are available only at the door of
the events. No advance sales.
This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided
by the Five Wings Arts Council with funds provided
through an appropriation by the Minnesota State
Legislature. We are grateful to the Anderson and Mills
foundations for their generous support and to the
Crossing Arts Alliance of Brainerd, a 501c3
organization, for their services as our fiscal agent.
HOUSING: For information about housing call the
Nisswa Chamber of Commerce at (800) 950-9610 or
visit the website and follow links at: http://
www.nisswastamman.org/stamma/camping.html.
June 9 Finnish-American Summer Festival:
Experience the Finnish culture, music, crafts, and
food in a one day celebration. This event occurs on
Saturday, June 9, at the Embarrass Timber Hall. A
fun and cultural event for everyone to enjoy. For
more information on the Finnish Festival, please call
(218) 984-3012.
June 14 Singing Strings will perform Kalevala
theme piece “Väinämöisen synty.” Performing with
the Singing Strings are Julie Hanson-Geist, soprano
and John Driscoll, drums . 6:30 p.m. South View
School Auditorium, 4725 S. View Lane, Edina. For
more info: lepakheli@msn.com.
June 16 A Midsummers Evening with The Finn Hall
at the Park Pavillion in Cromwell, MN. Dancing
begins at 6:30 p.m and goes to 10:00 p.m.
June 22–24 Celebrate Midsummer Juhannus at
Palmquist Farm (800) 519-2558 Brantwood, WI
www.palmquistfarm.com . Palmquist Farm has a
rich Finnish heritage that is still celebrated today.
Your Midsummer Celebration includes everything
from traditional Finnish meals to bonfires, saunas and
wine tastings!
June 24—September 2
“A Mirror of Nature: Nordic Landscape Painting,
1840–1910.” Tickets for exhibit: $8 adults; $6
students, seniors, adult groups; $4 children 6-12, free
for children 5 and under. To reserve in advance, call
(612) 870-3000. For listing of all Nordic events, go
to www.artsmia.org.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
FACA needs your ideas and your helping hand. If you
can help with any of the committees or events, please
return this form. Thanks!
Program
Meeting Hospitality
Newsletter
Visitor Hospitality
Advertising
Library
Membership
Laskiainen
Scholarship
Pikkujoulu
Property
Festival of Nations
Website
Information Phone
Name______________________________
Haugaard & Hoirup
Address ____________________________
City/State/Zip ________________________
Phone _____________________________
Return to FACA, P.O. Box 580708, Minneapolis, MN
55458-0708 or bring to the next program.
Finnish American Cultural Activities
Page 5
June 2007
Ameriikan Poijat also performed the entire brass
septet repertoire of Jean Sibelius at the International
Sibelius Conference at the University of North Texas
(Denton) in 2005.
June 22-24
Fargo-Moorhead Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival.
Embark on a “Voyage of Discovery” at the Nordic
Culture Clubs’ 30th Annual Scandinavian Hjemkomst
Festival scheduled the last full weekend in June in
Fargo, ND and Moorhead, MN!
The group’s participation in the 2007 Scandinavian
Hjemkomst Festival is sponsored in part by a grant
from the Minnesota Finnish American Historical
Society.
Climb aboard an imaginary Viking ship and sail to all
five Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland,
Norway and Sweden – where you can learn about
modern Scandinavian cultures as well as deeply
rooted Nordic heritage and traditions. Take part in a
feast of Nordic foods and sing or dance along with
some of the most talented musicians in the world.
Shop for unique Scandinavian arts and treasures in
the Nordic Marketplace and take part in the
Traditions Passport Discovery Tour!
In addition to these fine Finnish musicians, there will
be music representing all five Nordic countries and
special programs to highlight the celebration of the
25th Anniversary of the Viking ship Hjemkomst sailing
to Norway as well as Norwegian Expo 2007.
Something Unique Every Day
Friday features the Parade of Flags and Opening
Ceremonies and the Nordic Style Show. Saturday is
Family Day with the Swedish Midsummer Dance
and more. Sunday winds up with Worship Services in
the replica Hopperstad Stave Church and a Festival
Concert featuring a Smörgåsbord of music. These,
in addition to hourly performances on two stages,
heritage presentations, and daily features, make the
Festival a “do not miss” event!
For more information call (218) 299-5452 to receive
an Official Festival Guide or visit
www.ScandinavianHjemkomstFestival.org where
updates will be posted regularly.
Ameriikan Poijat is featured Finnish Entertainment.
This “Boys of America” Brass Septet will have your
toes tapping which may lead to spontaneous dancing
all three days of the Scandinavian Hjemkomst
Festival! The spellbinding repertoire of Ameriikan
Poijat features waltzes, schottisches, polkas,
mazurkas, polonaises and other social dances as well
as distinctly Finnish dances including the jenkka,
humppa and the Finish version of the “tango”.
Nothing will compare to this group’s music which is
based on hand manuscript sources found among
bands and archives throughout Finnish communities
in the United States.
Founded in 1990, the group has an impressive
resume of performances. They have performed for
many Finnish and Scandinavian festivals in Finland
and throughout the United States and Canada. The
group was a featured band during Finland’s 75th
Anniversary in 1992. In 1997 they were the first
Finnish style brass septet to perform at the Great
American Brass Band Festival in Danville,
Kentucky.
Finnish American Cultural Activities
Ameriikan Poijat features Finish American musicians and
teachers from Minnesota and Michigan including: Brian
Borovsky (alto horn), Marko Foss (Bb cornet), Don Hakala
(trumpet), Tracey Gibbens (tenor horn), Roger Gomoll
(tuba), Paul Niemisto (euphonium), Denise Pesola (cornet),
Russel Pesola (Eb cornet). For more information about
Ameriikan Poijat visit their Web site at
www.ameriikanpoijat.org.
Page 6
June 2007
July Calendar:
Summer Reading
July 8 Family Day, Northern Lights - From the
Mountaintops. 11 a.m.– 5 p.m. Celebrate the arts,
crafts, and music of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark. This event is related to the
exhibition, “A Mirror of Nature: Nordic Landscape
Painting, 1840-1910.” Free. Minneapolis Institute
of Arts, 2400 Third Ave. S., Mpls. More info:
www.artsmia.org/mirror-of-nature/.
July 12 Lecture: “Landscapes of the Mind” Leena
Ahtola-Moorhouse, chief curator at the Ateneum Art
Museum, Helsinki, 6 p.m., Pillsbury Auditorium, MIA
(NOTE: Change of time) Cost: $5, free to Minneapolis Institute of Art museum members. To reserve
tickets, call MIA, (612) 870-6323.
July 14 Group tour of “A Mirror of Nature: Nordic
Landscape Painting, 1840-1910” 10:30 a.m. Cost: $5.
To reserve, contact Betsey Norgard by July 9:
norgard@winternet.com or (651) 786-5988.
July 15 Nordic Music afternoon concert, 2 p.m.
Tuomas Kyyhkynen, Sibelius Academy, piano. Cost:
Free. Info: www.artsmia.org.
July 15 Chamber Music with Osmo. Finnish-born
clarinetist and composer Bernhard Crusell wrote a
dozen chamber works, and this is one of his shining
stars. With our very own Osmo Vänskä in the
leading role on clarinet, you’re in for sweet delight
with this alluring piece. Orchestra Hall.
July 26–28 Finnfest USA 2007 Ashtabula, Ohio, “A
Great Lake: A Great Heritage.”for information/
registration: http://finnfestusa2007.com.
July 28 Conge Se Menne at the Blueberry Art
Festival, Ely. The musical style of Conga Se
Menne runs the gamut of blues, funk, Latin, reggae,
rock, Caribbean beats and ethnic Finnish sounds.
Finnish lyrics (hyvää kesää baha poika) and
yooper-accented crooning are familiar to fans of all
ages. The music of Conga Se Menne is second to
none!
Pieniä Paloja
Correction: Last month we listed a new members
name incorrectly. We apologize. The name should
have been listed as Rudolph Roy. Welcome once
again!
The servers last month were Junelle Bernard and
Merja Wilenius (Café chairs) and Marlene
Banttari.
Finnish American Cultural Activities
By Beth Jarvis
Su
Many of us are unfamiliar with some of the
classics of Finnish literature. We may have read the
Summer
Kalevala and started Kivi’s Seven Brothers but
that’s about it.
Here are a few I’ve read that you might find of
interest. My goal is to better understand conditions in
Finland around the time my grandparents fled (18801900s).
Väinö Linna is famous for his account of the
Winter War, The Unknown Soldier. He also wrote
a three volume series that covers Finland from the
1880s-1950s. These books are:
Under the North Star.
Under the North Star 2: The Uprising
Under the North Star 3: Reconciliation
Kalle Päätalo wrote the five volume Koillismaa
series, set in NE Finland. These include:
Our Daily Bread —Finland’s Great Depression
Before the Storm––the years between the Depression and War
Storm over the Land—set in 1939-44, the Winter
War
After the Storm— Post-WW recovery
The Winter of the Black Snow—covers the time in
the late 1950s-1960s. (TV has come to small town
Finland.)
Others to read include:
Winter Fire by the historian William Trotter who
also wrote A Frozen Hell: The RussoFinnish War
of 1939-40. (He appeared in the film “Fire & Ice.”)
Suomalaiset–People of the Marsh by Mark
Munger. Largely located in Duluth, this novel is set
in the early 1900s.
Women of the Kalevala: stories based on the
great Finnish epic by Mary Caraker. Fun read that
gives insight into the female characters of the
Kalevala.
Nikolai’s Fortune by Solveig Torvik. Three
generations of women in Finland, starting in northern
Finland during the war and ending in Idaho.
Lion Among Roses: a memoir of Finland by
David Bradley. Professor’s family goes to Helsinki
for a year around 1960.
Books unavailable at your local library may be
requested through an inter-library loan from the
University of Minnesota or other library systems at no
charge.
Page 7
June 2007
Finnish American Cultural Activities, Inc.
P.O. Box 580708
Minneapolis, MN 55458-0708
FACA
FinnishAmerican CulturalActivities,
Inc. is an organization dedicated to
preserving and promoting the crosscultural heritage ofAmericans with
Finnish ancestry.
Information
612-374-2718
www.finnfaca.org
FACA CALENDAR
August Calendar:
Aug. 4 and 11 Film: “Tommy and the Wildcat”
Poika ja ilves (1998) 102 minutes, noon, in English.
Aug. 4 Film: “Mosku” Mosku – lajinsa viimeinen
(2003) 139 minutes, 2:15 p.m.in Finnish Minnesota
Institute of Arts, Pillsbury Auditorium. Fee: $5 per
movie; free to museum members. The Minneapolis
Institute of Arts, 2400 Third Avenue South, (612)
870-3204 For more info see: www.artsmia.org.
Aug. 5 Nordic Dance Party with Finn Hall at the
Minneapolis Institute of Arts. There will be a tango
demo and lesson as well as other dance participation
for all the family. This event will be held at Target
Park at 2:00 p.m. It is free.
Aug. 11 Film: “Dog Nail Clipper” Koirankynnen
leikkaaja (2004) 105 minutes, 2:15 p.m, in Finnish
Minnesota Institute of Arts, Pillsbury Auditorium.
Fee: $5; free to museum members.
Aug.12 Family Day, Nordic Sights - Meadows of
Flowers, 11 a.m.– 5 p.m. Celebrate Nordic arts,
music, dance, and folktales. This event is related to
the exhibition, “A Mirror of Nature: Nordic Land
scape Painting, 1840-1910.” Free. Place: Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 Third Ave. S.
Info: www.artsmia.org/mirror-of-nature/
Aug. 25-26 Finn Creek Festival, New York Mills
www.kulcher.org
Aug. 24-26 Embarrass Region Fair—A three day
event loaded with family fun including exhibits,
softball, horse show, mud run, demolition derby, Flying
Finn 10K run, dog show, horse shoe tournament and
much more. Embarrass Timber Hall. For more
information please call (218) 984-2155.
Aug. 24 September Uutiset deadine. Send copy to
Mary at: Mary.Belanger@dctc.edu. Images to Beth
at: brjarvis@umn.edu.
Aug. 26 Pesäpallo (Finnish baseball) game
sponsored by Suomi-koulu at Newell Park, 900
Fairview Ave N, St. Paul - http://www.stpaul.gov/
depts/parks/userguide/newellpark.html