newsletter of the finnish heritage house no.35 ~ fall 2012

NEWSLETTER OF THE FINNISH HERITAGE HOUSE NO.35 ~ FALL 2012
2012 Finn Fling Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 15th, 9:00 – 2:00
Finnish Heritage House Newsletter
A quarterly publication mailed to our
9:00 to 12:00 - Coffee and pulla at Finnish Heritage House - Register for
Door Prizes - Purchase Rag Rug Raffle Tickets - Quiz - Sign the guest
book.
membership prior to the meetings on the 3rd
Saturday for January, March, June and September
Send articles to [email protected]
9:00 to 10:45 - Jura Hall - Continuous showing of the DVD “Old Finn
Hall Variety Show” - This two hour show was produced for Minnesota
Public Broadcasting and features many Finnish-American musicians and
personalities of the upper mid-west. You are welcome to view the entire
show or stay for only part of it. Coffee and pulla will be available.
Officers
President: Jacqueline Harjula
Vice – President: Gary Aho
Clerk/Secretary: Jacqueline Laffley
11:00 to 12:00 - The Finnish Church - Combined concert featuring
Suomalaiset Jouset (our kantele ensemble) and A Chord’n to Kantele
(kantele ensemble from western/central Maine).
Treasurer: Edna Montgomery
Trustees
12:00 to 1:00 - Jura Hall - Lunch Buffet ($3.00 Adults, Children 12 and
under Free)
Fred Webel (January 2015)
Elsie Brown (January 2015)
1:00 to 1:30 - Jura Hall - Announcements
Steve Gifford (January 2013)
1:30 - 2:00 - Jura Hall - Door Prizes awarded - Drawing for the Rag Rug Finn Trivia Due
Anne Little (January 2014)
Kirsti Fish (January 2014)
Building Committee
Chairman: Neil Harjula
Finnish Heritage House
P.O. Box 293
South Thomaston, ME 04858
Finn Fun for Kids story on page 2.
Pictured front row left to right: Mariam Rowland, Kate
Upham, Jeremiah Rowland, Lotus Pearlman, and Amanda
Wheeling.
Pictured back row left to right: Lydia Laslavic, Avery
Nichols, Beth Wheelis, Alexis Nichols, Paige Gammon,
and Damian Henry.
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NEWSLETTER OF THE FINNISH HERITAGE HOUSE NO.35 ~ FALL 2012
“
GENEALOGICAL STUDIES
I have finally begun the Genealogy course for which FHH and FAS have so kindly granted me the funding. The course is
through the University of Toronto. It is online and self-paced, consisting of fourteen separate modules. I have completed
two of these, titled “Methodology and Skillbuilding” Parts One and Two. I took the exam and received a score of 88.8%
which did not exactly please me. Much of the information was very rudimentary, and I probably gave myself credit for
knowing more than I do!!! So, it’s onward and upward. The next two courses will be “Internet Research”, and “Using the
Family History website”. This last is the Mormon church repository. Again, I feel like I am quite familiar with both these
topics, but we have to start from square one. After completing several Basic modules, there will be Intermediate and then
Advanced modules. Then at some point I will be allowed an elective which will be Scandinavian research. I want to again
express my appreciation to FHH and FAS for their generous help to me. I am enjoying my studies immensely, and look
forward to being of assistance to any of our folks who seek it
Peggy Oliver
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NEWSLETTER OF THE FINNISH HERITAGE HOUSE NO.35 ~ FALL 2012
FHH Gift Shop
Blueberry Cake
from Marion Salminen
Mother of Martha Calinda
Tori
The tori has new t- shirts. They come in
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
dash salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg whites, beaten stiff
1 1/2 cups blueberries, floured
sugar
Cream 1 cup sugar and butter and beat in the egg
yolks. Sift flour with baking powder and salt.Add.tothe creamed mixture with the milk and vanilla. Fold
in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Add the floured
blueberries.
some new colors.
Finnish coffee,
CD’s, books, flags, educational toys, gift
baskets, refrigerator magnets, luffa
sponges, handmade aprons and many
more items are also available.
Great gift ideas
Gift certificates are also available!
Computer Corner / September 2012
Pour into a greased and floured 8 by 8 pan. Sprinkle
with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Our FHH website averages about 70 new visitors every
month which is indicative of continuing interest and a
growing audience.
The website contains copies of our Newsletter, recent FHH
Directors’ Meeting Minutes, a page on Exhibits and
Activities, an Events Calendar, etc. Check it out. Remember
that for those pages restricted to FHH Members access only,
the User Name is: “member” and the Password is:
“fhh2009”.
If you have not “tuned in” to Art Jura’s Blog you should take
a look as he posts pertinent information related to FHH, The
Finn-Am Society, and the Finnish Congregational Church. It
can be found at the following web address:
http://knox.villagesoup.com/opinion/#Blogs.
Jura Hall now has improved audio-visual capability. A public
address system and microphone is available for speakers,
and for the playback of old records. A wide screen TV and
audio system is available for the viewing of DVDs and
playback of CDs. A computer is available for the viewing of
internet content and interactive distance learning using the
same wide screen TV. Consider the possibilities.
By: Fred Webel
Pictured from left to right are:
Ronald Creamer Jr., Debbie Johnston, Susie Taylor, Laurie
Stephenson, Kirsti Fish, Arthur Fish and Kauko Wilson
Another Tale from the Counterfeit Finn
Travels in Finland
My wife, Kirsti, her brother, her children, and I left Portland, flew to JFK airport, on to Helsinki, Finland, and then
on to Stockholm, Sweden. Boy was I tired of being on airplanes! In Stockholm, we boarded the cruise ship Isabella and then
went on to three other ferry boats for a trip through the Åland Islands, with one overnight stay on the island of Brande before
arriving in Kustavi, Finland. The scenery was beautiful, but unlike the Maine coast, I don’t think I saw a single sailboat,
power boat, or any type of fishing boat all the way through the islands. When I have time, I’ll look on the computer to see
what they have for fishing in that area and why there were no pleasure or working boats in the islands.
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NEWSLETTER OF THE FINNISH HERITAGE HOUSE NO.35 ~ FALL 2012
The next three days were filled with bus trips to cultural centers and museums, and time spent swapping stories with
our traveling companions, with stops to enjoy some of the best Finnish home-cooked meals in Finland. July third was a great
day, when we arrived in Oulu. My wife’s mother grew up here and her second cousins still live in and around Oulu, in
northern Finland. What a welcome! They picked up the family (seven of us) and took us to meet Kirsti’s Finnish family. A
fantastic Finnish meal was served, with blueberry and strawberry cakes for dessert. There was no losing weight on that visit.
Kirsti and her brother Kauko were speaking Finnish with the family like they were born there (they were). After the family
get-together, they took us to the cemetery in Oulu to check on family plots. The walk through the cemetery was interesting. I
saw many familiar Finnish names on the gravestones – last names of classmates I grew up with and friends that I worked
with. I wish I had written down the manes and dates to bring back with me.
On the next to the last day in Finland, we took a bus ride to Heitaniemen Hautausmaa cemetery to check on Kirsti’s
father’s and grandparents’ grave sites. This is an enormous cemetery, and we should have had a GPS to find the site, but
persistence prevailed and we found his gravestone before my legs gave out. July fourth found us on the way to the Arctic
Circle and a tour of the icebreaker Sampo. This stop is one of my favorites, with all the pumps and machinery, and other large
ships bringing supplies to the area.
On July fifth, we went white water rafting through beautiful scenic rivers and lakes, surrounded by land owned by the
phone manufacturing giant Nokia. Then we were back on the bus for a trip to the Russian border, along the Raate Road
where a Winter War battle took place. This was an unforgettable bus ride; you could visualize the miles of destroyed Russian
war machinery all along the road.
The next couple of days held more walking tours and museum visits and a lot more fine food, with my favorite being
the Iiola farm. This family moved here from the Karelian area, since they had lost their original farmland to the Russians after
the Winter War. The mother, father, daughter and her husband all worked at the farm and at the guest house. With little
children running in and out of the dining room, it felt like home.
The last two days were spent in Helsinki shopping and saying our goodbyes to our traveling companions, with a
festive meal at the Helsinki Yacht Club.
By: Arthur Fish
January Membership Meeting
January 19, 2013
Celia Jones, accompanying Irene
Vaino, who is singing "To a Wild
Rose" in Finnish. These pics are from
the Finn Sing at Casco Bay’s
Retirement Community.
Story on page 5.
Irene Vaino singing, Tooty Wilson
Looking on.
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The first FHH meeting of 2013
will be held at 12:00 noon, with
a pot luck meal, a program, and
election of officers. The officers
to be elected include President,
Vice-President, Secretary,
Treasurer, and two Trustees.
Please contact our Secretary,
Jacqueline Laffely at:
[email protected] if you
would be willing to serve on the
Nominating Committee, or
would like to serve as an officer.
Kiitos paljon.
NEWSLETTER OF THE FINNISH HERITAGE HOUSE NO.35 ~ FALL 2012
Finn Sing
A few weeks ago the Finnish Kantele group received an invitation from Aila Clausen, director of "Suuret
Kiitokset" to attend their Finn Sing at Casco Bay's Retirement Community in Yarmouth. On August 26th many of
the members of our kantele group including Kay Dodge, Peggy Oliver, Paula Szabo, Jackie Harjula, Celia Jones,
Jackie Laffely, Irene Vaino, Brenda Barrett, and Steve and Mary Gifford journeyed to Yarmouth to join in the
festivities. We were welcomed by a wonderful group of people who made us feel right at home. After a short time
of introductions we settled down to a delicious luncheon. An assortment of foods beyond compare was served.
Before the Finn Sing began, we had a little time so many of the group walked around the grounds enjoying the
perfect weather and lovely views. And then the Finn Sing began. Many of our group brought their kantele's,
guitar, violin,and auto harp. All of the music was written in Finnish, and as many of us could not read the
language we did our best to try. The sound of the combined singers was absolutely beautiful. Stories and songs
were shared by participants from Portland, So. Paris, Frye Island, Sebago Lake region, Brewer, Boston, N.H.,
Rockland, Owls Head, Yarmouth and So.Thomaston. Soon it was time to leave and return to our homes taking
with us many wonderful memories.
Jacqueline Laffely
Finn Funn Weekend 2012
20th Anniversary
November 9-11, 2012
Don’t miss the opportunity to attend this wonderful event, filled with Finnish music, dancing lessons, crafts,
lectures, foods, and a chance to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. This year, FinnFunn will be held in
the Catskills, at the Villa Roma Resort and Conference Center in Callicoon, NY. Registration forms are available
on the table at FHH. They also may be downloaded from this website: www.fahs-ct.org. Click on FinnFunn
Weekend 2012. There will be many opportunities for attendees to learn about researching their roots online,
education in Finland, traveling in Finland, the life of Jean Sibelius, silence in conversation, and several more. Our
favorite duo, Brent Buswell and Bert Stromholm will be performing on Saturday afternoon.
The Tori promises to offer many beautiful Finnish and American items to purchase. Several of the local
artisans from the area will be selling their creations. There are many exciting raffle items that have been donated,
to add to the excitement.
This is an event not to be missed! We hope to see you there.
September 15th - 4th Annual Finn Fling
The Finnish Heritage House and the Finnish-American Society of Mid-Coast Maine will once again join in
presenting the fourth annual Finn Fling celebration on Saturday, September 15th. It will be held in Jura Hall, the
Finnish Heritage House and the Finnish Congregational Church on Route #131 (River Road) in South Thomaston,
Maine. Everyone is invited to come early for kahvi ja pulla and stay for all the activities. The DVD “Old Finn Hall
Variety Show” produced by Minnesota Public Television features many musicians and personalities from the
upper mid-west, the heartland of Finnish-America. This show is representative of shows that took place in the
labor halls, temperance halls and churches in Finnish communities across America during much of the last century.
A special concert will be held in the Finnish Congregational Church from 11:00 to 12:00 featuring the
“Suomalaiset Jouset” (our kantele ensemble) and “A Chord’n to Kantele” (kantele ensemble from central/western
Maine). This will be the first time the two groups have played together in a public concert. A buffet lunch will be
served from 12:00 to 1:00 featuring Finnish and New England food items. Fred Webel, the master of the grill, will
be serving hot dogs and sausages as well.
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NEWSLETTER OF THE FINNISH HERITAGE HOUSE NO.35 ~ FALL 2012
September 15th - 4th Annual Finn Fling ~ Continued
Members of the board and officers of both organizations will be providing the main course, but anyone
wishing to provide a dessert would be appreciated. After lunch and announcements, door prizes will be awarded,
the drawing for the rag rug will be held, the “Finn Trivia’ quizzes are due and Lempi and her sister Sirkka may put
in an appearance. This event provides an opportunity for our members and friends to gather together after the many
activities of summer and before the holidays in November and December are upon us. Tervetuloa - Welcome.
Steve Gifford
Finnish Language Class to Be Offered In the Spring
Marja-Leena Bailey is planning to offer a Finnish language class in the mid-coast beginning in March
2013 and running for six weeks. The change in scheduling for this class was necessary following the
resignation of Dr. Kurt Madison from his position in the Maine University System and Marja-Leena
assuming a new position as chair of world languages and English as a Second Language at Middlesex
Community Collge in Massachusetts. It seems that the university’s support for the Finnish class was
withdrawn following the departure of Dr. Madison from the university system. However, Marja-Leena is
committed to providing Finnish language instruction to our community. She will team teach the class with
her friend and teaching colleague Aire-Maija Schwann on Saturdays at the Finnish Heritage House or Jura
Hall beneath the Finnish Congregational Church. We are very fortunate to have an individual of her skill,
enthusiasm and dedication. We will keep you informed as plans for this class are developed. Meanwhile,
anyone wishing to contact Marja-Leena may do so by [email protected]
Second Annual Finnish
Folk Music Camp
July 17-19, 2012
Three adventurous souls made the trek
from Maine to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
shores to attend the fun-filled Finnish Music
Camp, held on the campus of Finlandia University
in Hancock, Michigan. Jackie Harjula, Anne
Little, and Celia Jones’ journey was jam packed
with fun from start to “finn-ish”! Heading to our
destination, we stopped along the way for
sleeping, eating, exploration and shopping mostly
at Finnish-related halls, museums and shops. We
also relaxed for a day on Mackinaw Island-what a
beautiful spot.
On our first night at camp, the faculty recital
outlined what musical offerings would take place
over the next two days.
Linda Upham, Kirsti Fish and Mary Ellen Anderson
Finn-Am/FHH Juhannus Celebration and Honoring Dinner
On June 16, a joint meeting of the two groups was held to celebrate
midsummer and to honor two women who donated a beautiful
handmade quilt last year for us to raffle. It contained many shades of
blue, including Finnish blue, and the raffle proceeds were divided
equally among Finn-Am, the Finnish Congregational Church, and
FHH. Linda Upham and Mary Ellen Anderson each received gift
certificates to be used in the FHH Tori, and also life membership in
the Finnish American Society of Mid-Coastal Maine. We certainly
appreciate their efforts in supporting our Finnish groups
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NEWSLETTER OF THE FINNISH HERITAGE HOUSE NO.35 ~ FALL 2012
Second Annual Finnish Folk Music Camp – continued
That included professional instruction on harmonium, accordion, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, kantele, singing, storytelling, and folk
dancing. Other classes included Finnish cooking under the guidance of Norma Nominelli; building 5- and 11-string kanteles from Jim
Lohmann's kits; pictorial lectures on the Kalevala / Finnish history and legends by Dr. Carl Rahkonen; and local Finnish weaving and
craft making, led by Eileen and Marja. Despite how intensely our instructors made us work, evening jam sessions solidified the love
of traditional folk music far into the wee hours of the morning! Thursday night's final concert, open to the public, highlighted what
was learned by all participants on their specialty instruments. An encore accordion performance by Don Reinholm of Sibelius'
Finlandia instantly brought the audience to their feet for another standing ovation! A painting of Don is on the cover of this month’s
Finnish American Reporter.
Sarah Pajunen and Jonathan Rundman, of the professional duo Kaivama, also lent their talents by instructing classes and livening
up the evening jam sessions. What delightful young people and a pleasure to work with!
How much can one pack into an economical Prius sedan, you say? Over a dozen rag rugs, four wall hangings, three kanteles, special
gifts, books, music, CDs, cooler, snacks, luggage, road atlases, and three worn out travelers filled the car, and giggled and reminisced
mile after mile on the way home! But I'd drive another 3,100 miles just to be a part of the 2013 FinnFest USA, in Hancock,
Michigan.
FinnFest USA Event Organizer, Hilary Virtanen, says: " FinnFest USA 2013 will celebrate the arrival of the Finns to the Copper
Country on Midsummer’s Eve in 1865, commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Copper Miners' Strike of 1913 - including the
tragic Italian Hall Disaster - and remain authentic to Copper Country life and style - casual, friendly, without airs - copper over gold,
sauna over spa, and pasties over paté." It is our hope that Maine can make an impact with the anticipated 10,000 to 20,000
participants from all over the world! Check out their website: www. FinnFestUSA2013.org
By Celia Jones
Kay Seppala and Celia Jones, tuning kanteles.
Anne Little, Jackie Harjula and Celia Jones
(kneeling)
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