Winter 2016 #48 - Finnish Heritage House

NEWSLETTEROFTHEFINNISHHERITAGEHOUSENO.48~Winter2016
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Iltatähti
KostiRuohomaaExhibitatMaineState
Museum
Evening Star
Thedisplaywaswonderful!Itincludednotonlyhis
worksandhislifestory,butalsohispersonal
scrapbooksandotherpersonalmemorabiliaofhis
life.Ican’tbegintodoitjusticehere;Youneedtogo
seeit!ItwillbeondisplayattheMaineState
Museum(whichisrightnexttotheStateCapitol
Building)untilJuly2016.It’snotonlyentertaining
andeducational,it’safrugalwaytospendtime:only
$2.00forgeneraladmissionand$1.00forstudentsor
seniorcitizens.Bytheway,thatsmallamountofcash
alsogivesyouaccesstothewholewonderfulmuseum
aswellastheKostiexhibit.
DeannaBonner-Ganterhasalsowrittenabookabout
KostiRouhamaathatiscomingoutveryshortly.It
mayevenbeoutnow.
Afterourwonderfultouranumberofuswenttothe
RedBarninAugustaforlunchandpartookof
deliciousseafood.However,thehighlightofthemeal
tomewasdeep-friedbutternutsquash.Oh,yum!!
Totopitalloff,Iwashomeintimeforanafternoon
nap!
By,GailRobinson
OnNovember18,2015elevenbraveFinnishsoulscar
pooledtothecapitolcityofAugusta.Makingupthe
groupwereReggieMontgomery,EthelPowell,Anne
Little,JackieHarjula,JackieLaffely,GailRobinson,
ArthurandKirstiFish,IreneHawes,GloriaDennisonand
EvaNiemiBurns.
UponarrivinginthebigcitywemetwithDeanna
Bonner-GanterattheMaineStateMuseum.Sheisthe
CuratorofPhotography,Arts,andArchivesthereand
hascreatedadisplayofthelifeandworksofKosti
Rouhamaa.Kostiwasnotonlyarenowned
photographicartistofFinnishdescent,hegrewupin
theRocklandareaandgraduatedfromRocklandHigh
Schoolin1931.Shegaveusaverypersonalizedtourof
thedisplayandsomeofus,particularlyEvaBurns,were
abletogivehernewinsightsintotheRocklandarea
duringKosti’stimethere.
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NEWSLETTEROFTHEFINNISHHERITAGEHOUSENO.48~Winter2016
DeannaBonner-Ganterpicturedabove.
DeannaS.Bonner-GanteristheCuratorof
Photography,Arts&ArchivesattheMaineState
Museum.ShegavethetouroftheKostiRuohomaa
exhibitforthegroupwhowenttoseeiton
November18.
Ifanyonewantstogetintouchwithher,shecanbe
reachedat(207)287-2301ore-mail,
Southside
[email protected]
PaintingoftheFinnishHeritageHousehas
beencompleted
RearThispicturewastakenbeforethetrimwaspainted.
NorthSide
Thepaintinghasbeencompleted.BouchardPainting
didtheinteriorlastwinterandgottheexterior
finishedinOctober.Theresultsarebeautiful!
FrontThisphotohasbeeneditedtoremovethewires.
2
NEWSLETTEROFTHEFINNISHHERITAGEHOUSENO.48~Winter2016
ThewinnerofthisYear’sRagRugRaffle
RecipeBox
AuntSelma’s
FinnishSourRyeBread
OnceagainTootyWilsonhasgraciouslydonatedoneof
herbeautifulragrugs,whichsheweavesbyhand.
TootyhasdonatedarugeachyearforourFinnFling
raffleforseveralyears.ThisyearRagnaWeaverhas
wontherug.PicturedbelowareTootyWilson(left)and
RagnaWeaverholdingtherug.FinnFlingwasonSept.
19.
(Ruisleipä)
Inalargebowlmixthefollowingingredientsandlet
sitinawarmplaceovernight:
5C.LukewarmWater
1tsp.GranulatedSugar
1Pkg.DryYeast
2C.WholeWheatFlour
3C.CoarseRyeMeal
Thenextdayadd½cakeyeastdissolvedin½C.water
andascanthandfulofsalt.Kneadinabout6cups
whiteflourandletriseuntildoubleinbulk.Shape
intoloavesonawell-greasedcookiesheetandletrise
again.Bake30minutesina425°ovenandanother30
minutesina400°oven.
CHECK YOUR MAILING LABEL!
HAS YOUR MEMBERSHIP
EXPIRED?
*************************************
Your name will be removed if you are
more than two years overdue.
Computer Corner / January 2016
Our FHH website (http://www.finnheritage.org)
gets regular visitors each month, and provides
good information about FHH, Finland & Finnish
Americans. It includes a link to our presence on
Facebook. Our Facebook page attracts a
significant number of visitors and comments. If
you have not looked at either in a while please do
so and recommend the sites to your friends and
neighbors.
NOTICE!!
TheFinnishHeritageHouseisclosedforthe
winter.
Wehadaverysuccessfulyearandgotalotofthings
accomplished.SteveGiffordcreatedawonderful
exhibitfeaturingKostiRuohomaa.Wehadthe
buildingrepairedandpaintedinsideandoutandthe
bakesaleswereexcellent.
Thankyouallforthewonderfulsupport.Wewill
reopeninApril,2016
Suggestions and comments regarding content
are welcomed. Please let us hear FHH from
members regarding additional ways to promote
Finnish Heritage & Culture via the WWW.
*************************************
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NEWSLETTEROFTHEFINNISHHERITAGEHOUSENO.48~Winter2016
Finn Fling!
FinnishHeritageHouse
Officers
President:JacquelineHarjula
Vice–President:GaryAho
Clerk/Secretary:JacquelineLaffely
Treasurer:EdnaMontgomery
Trustees
FredWebel(January2018)
GailRobinson(January2018)
SteveGifford(January2016)
AnneLittle(January2016)
KirstiFish(January2016)
BuildingCommittee
Chairman:NeilHarjula
NewsletterEditor:
ReggieMontgomery
FinnishHeritageHouse
P.O.Box293
SouthThomaston,ME04858
The Finnish American Society and Finnish
Heritage House joined together on September
19th to celebrate our 6th annual Finn Fling. The
doors opened at 10:00 AM for coffee and pulla. At
this time, members and friends were able to check
out the Tori as there were so many new things for
sale. Tickets for door prizes and Tooty Wilson's
rag rug raffle were available. Members completed
the trivia quiz and viewed Steve Gifford's exhibit of
the life and works of famous local photo journalist,
Kosti Ruohomaa. Attendees took notice of the
newly renovated FHH. Two games were set up on
the lawn for attendees to play. Unfortunately,
many people were at Jura Hall viewing a Finnish
film, Invisible Ellina, and did not take notice of the
games. This year, a delicious pot luck lunch was
served free- a big thank you to all who made this
possible! Following lunch, a presentation by
Deanna Bonner-Ganter was given on the life and
career of Kosti Ruohomaa, a local celebrity. After
the presentation, our very own kantele group
performed, very well I might add. When the day
was over, attendees returned to their homes with
memories of a festive, fun-filled day. We hope to
see everyone next year!
[email protected] FINNISH NEW YEAR CELEBRATION
- Did you cast tin this New Year’s?
New Year's Eve has traditionally been the time for
fortune telling and predicting of the future. People
have tried to secure a good fortune for the coming year
or get a glimpse of the future events by performing
various magical tasks and tricks. Some of these tricks
have remained until our times as an amusement and
games practiced for fun in New Year's parties.
Jackie Laffely
One of the most popular traditions is the casting of tin.
Everyone gets a small piece of tin, cast in the shape of
a miniature horseshoe, a traditional symbol of good
luck. The horseshoe is melted and the liquid metal
poured quickly in a bucket of cold water, making it
harden into a more or less irregular-shaped, solid
clump.
The shape and shadow of the resulting cast are
examined and interpreted to predict the various future
events of the coming year. Different shapes have
different meanings, promising either good luck or
health, wealth, happiness, sorrow, sickness, etc. If the
cast breaks down to pieces, it is a sign of "bad luck".
FHH ANNUAL MEETING
The annual meeting of the Finnish Heritage House
will be held on Saturday, January 23rd at 12 noon,
starting with a pot luck meal. Following the meal,
there will be a short business meeting to include
the election of officers, the Secretary’s and
Treasurer’s report, and any old or new business
that needs to be brought up briefly. If all goes as
planned, the program will be interesting and
informative. We look forward to seeing all our
members and guests.
In the event of bad weather, the meeting will be
held on the following Saturday, January 30th.
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NEWSLETTEROFTHEFINNISHHERITAGEHOUSENO.48~Winter2016
REMEMBERING JACK SMILEY
Kosti Completes a Successful Second Run
By Jacqueline Harjula
On Saturday, November 21, The Finnish Hall in Canterbury
was filled with over one hundred friends and family of
Galvanized Finn Jack Smiley. Many of you remember him
from our fun-filled FinnFunn Weekends, when he served as
Master of Ceremonies and kept us entertained with his goodnatured humor. He and his wife, Anita, were instrumental in
planning the first of now 21 annual FinnFunn events. The
celebration of his life continued for more than three hours,
with delicious appetizers and stories about Jack. Two of the
couples whom Jack introduced have now celebrated over 50
years of marriage! Another grade school classmate told
about how Jack found a dead skunk and put the scent gland
on the radiator at school in the winter. What a devil he was!
My favorite Jack story was this: when I asked him if his
daughter, Sharlann (who won our FHH poetry contest a few
years ago) was named after a family member, he responded
that since he grew up on a dairy farm, she was named
Sharlann after his favorite cow!
Jack was an integral part of his community, the organizations
he was a member of, and his church. Whenever he was
around you, he made you feel special. The celebration
closed with a wonderful slide show full of special
remembrances of Jack from boyhood to one of his favorite
roles-grandfather. What a surprise to many when the
announcement was made that we should now proceed
downstairs for a catered dinner, after filling up on all the
tasty appetizers! I consider myself fortunate to have known
Jack and felt privileged to be his friend. We will all miss his
smiling face.
5
The second year of an expanded edition of the Kosti
Ruohomaa exhibit closed after a successful season. Many
visitors to the exhibit had also seen the Kosti exhibits at the
Maine State Museum and the Farnsworth Art Museum.
Several visitors commented that it was wonderful to see
Kosti once again get the recognition he deserves and the
opportunity for a new generation to become acquainted with
his work. This past summer was the 12th year that Steve
Gifford has acted as the FHH host on Wednesdays and it is
always a joy for him to greet both returning visitors and
those visiting for the first time. One Wednesday this summer
sisters Cheryl Goddard Hale and Heidi Goddard of Carlisle,
PA were visiting FHH and mentioned that their grandparents,
John M. Johnson and Stiine Kolehmainen Johnson, had lived
in St. George and they were interested in finding information
about ties to the local Manninen family. It so happened that
Ethel Powell was working in the library at FHH that day and
Steve happened to recall that she had a connection with the
Manninen family as well. Ethel came out to meet the sisters
and they had a wonderful discussion (like old home week) of
possible family connections....it seems that their grandfathers
were brothers. The brothers had emigrated from Kivijarvi,
Finland to the United States. Steve did take the opportunity
to let them know of the wonderful service genealogist Peggy
Oliver provides for those wishing to explore their Finnish
roots. On another Wednesday a couple from Brainerd, MN
were visiting FHH and during a conversation mentioned
Donna Salli, a Finnish American who is an author,
playwright, and college English professor in Brainerd, MN.
She has written a play “The Rock Farm” which describes the
life of a Finnish family living on a farm in the upper
peninsula of Michigan. This play was performed in Brainerd
and then by a group of Finns in Finland who, after presenting
the play in Finland, traveled to the United States and
performed it both in Finnish and English in Brainerd. They
felt that FHH might want to contact Donna Salli for
permission to present the play here in the midcoast. Anyone
interested? The name Salli struck a chord with Steve and he
asked them if Donna was related to Arne Salli, a wonderful
Finnish American. Apparently, Arne, an uncle, recognized
Donna’s ability early on and helped to ensure her college
education and later success. Arne was a longtime and much
revered professor of biology in the University of Wisconsin
System. He was also a wonderful musician, performer of
Finnish American music, and great storyteller. Steve and
Mary Gifford, Jackie Harjula and Celia Jones had the
opportunity of meeting and listening to Arne and his wife at
the Finnish American music camp in Hancock, MI several
years ago. We are continually reminded that it is indeed a
small world. Steve would like to say Kiitos to all the
individuals and organizations that made this exhibit and all
the others possible.
Finnish Heritage House
P.O. Box 293
South Thomason, ME 04858
Please Join Us!
FINNSH HERITAGE HOUSE P.O. BOX 293 – South Thomaston, ME 04858
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