News Archives · Friends of the Finland Community

Spanish Camp at the Clair Nelson Center

Friends of Finland is excited to announce our first ever Spanish Camp, which will be held at the Clair Nelson Center at the end of July 2018. Spanish Camp is being planned as a day camp for children ages 5-13, with an emphasis on language, cultures and food in the many Spanish-speaking countries around the world. Spanish Camp will be July 25th, 26th and 27th. Each day will have a theme country – Wednesday will be Mexico, Thursday will be Guatemala/Honduras/El Salvador, and Friday will be focused on the Andean countries like Chile and Peru. We will have assistance from local folks with first hand experience in many of these countries, as well as from a few native Spanish speakers.

The food especially is going to be really fun. We want kids to have the hands on experience of making their own tortillas, pupusas, empanadas, different kinds of salsas and exotic beverages like jamaica and horchata. Many of the foods we take for granted, like corn and potatoes, and things like tacos have their origins in the indigenous cultures of the (now) Spanish-speaking countries of North and South America. Food is also a great starting point for learning a new vocabulary when it comes to learning a language like Spanish.

There will also be fun games and music, as well as cultural stories and legends from the various Spanish-speaking countries. Friday the 27th will wrap up with a skit performance from 2-3pm that is open to the public. Please come have a snack and hear what the group has learned from the 3-day experience.

Anyone interested in participating in Spanish Camp should contact Honor Schauland at 218-353-0300 in order to sign up! Please sign up ASAP as there is limited space available. This program is free this year due to grant support but we appreciate donations!

This new addition to our programming has been made possible by a grant from the Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation’s Global Awareness Fund.

We are the Solar Champions!

Crystal Bay Township (Finland, MN) was recently given an award by the Minnesota Department of Commerce and Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) for having the most installed solar photo-voltaic (PV) per person in the continental United States. There are a variety of factors contributing to the high amount of solar panels in the Township:

1. Wolf Ridge’s commitment to sustainability, including recent construction projects and newly installed solar.

2. Crystal Bay Township government’s commitment to sustainability, including solar PV at the Clair Nelson Center and the Finland Fire Hall.

3. Many township residents’ decisions to live off the grid due to personal choice or lack of infrastructure in more remote areas of the Township.

4. Many residents’ commitment to sustainability by choosing to install grid-tied solar PV at their homes.

The Township plans to put up a highway sign noting that this is a clean energy community, possibly even a solar-powered sign. In order to retain the title of most installed solar per capita, we need to install more in the coming years. For that eventual growth to occur, solar power needs to get less expensive. While solar power has gotten more affordable in recent years, it remains financially challenging for many people. Because it pays for itself over time, construction loans are available from local banks. However, it is very difficult for low-income people to access these loans. Other obstacles are few local installers and logistics of some home sites. There’s a learning curve here; it’s unfamiliar technology for many people.

With our 283 watts of PV installed per person, we have more installed than all of the country except Hawaii, which has twice as many PV installed per-person as we do. We are the champs of the continental USA! This can change rapidly as PV is being installed constantly all over the country. If we are to maintain champion status, we need to keep adding more solar panels.

To facilitate this growth, our Township has advocated for the Lake County Commissioners to consider adopting the Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) option. PACE is a new channel to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades for buildings of commercial property owners. This would make possible energy-saving measures to be pursued by businesses. Those eligible receive project financing that is repaid as a separate item on their property tax assessment for a set period. PACE eliminates the burden of upfront costs by providing low-cost, long-term financing.

Our Township recently requested on behalf of homeowners to be included in the SolSmart, an opportunity for Minnesota Local Governments to unlock the economic development benefits of solar energy. Through SolSmart, a national program, our township will get FREE technical assistance from national solar experts to address local barriers to solar energy development. We will see what we can learn to help us make solar installs more accessible, efficient, and affordable.

Some ideas to be explored include building a Community Solar Garden for those of us with limited solar access (trees shading our homes etc.) and limited time and money but interested in solar technology for our homes. All of this gives us greater opportunities to power our homes, businesses, and community with US made energy while reducing our impact on our environment.

We can find opportunities to learn more about solar and other renewable energy options through evening programs, workshops and community conversations around maintaining our champion status by installing more solar PV in our community. At least for now, we can really be proud of our accomplishments in regards to energy conservation, ecological and sustainable buildings and of our solar installations here in the north woods.

Welcome to Finland

You may have noticed that there is a new initiative promoting the distinctive culture and heritage of our area: Welcome to Finland (wtfinland.com). Welcome to Finland is meant to be Finland MN’s version of a local chamber of commerce, with a particular focus on building the online and social media presence of our unique community. Finland MN is made up of people who are proud to live here and be part of this community and its heritage. Welcome to Finland’s goal is to attract people who want to learn about and/or reconnect with our local culture and community. Wtfinland.com is about claiming our narrative in the digital world so that we attract people who are interested in the unique experience Finland, MN has to offer.

Though just launched in late 2017, blog and Facebook posts have been very popular, reaching tens of thousands of people, and there are plans for many creative ways to promote our area online. Welcome to Finland is excited to have the support of a growing number of local businesses and organizations. In collaboration, we can help get the word out online about the great things that happen in our area throughout the year. Look for more info at wtfinland.com and www.facebook.com/wtfinland/ .

Finland Farmers Market 2018

Get Ready for the Finland Farmers Market 2018!
Summer 2018 at the Clair Nelson Center
Starting June 14th and continuing through October 4th!
Every Thursday evening from 5-6:30 pm
Under the Pavilion at the Clair Nelson Center
6866 Cramer Road
Finland, MN 55603
Vendors: 1st week is free! – $5 per week or $50 for the season
More info or to register call 218-353-0300
We are able to accept credit cards!

We are working hard to keep up with the number of vendors in our expanding market! This year we applied to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Good Food Access Program for funds to install awnings and bricks around our Pavilion to expand the space for the Market. We’re crossing our fingers that we get this grant! This is the second year we’ve applied, so hopefully this is our year!

We are also permitted to accept EBT/SNAP benefits this year! We are still figuring out how this will work, but we are excited to have the opportunity to help folks of all different economic situations patronize our Market and have access to healthy food.

The Finland Farmers Market was started in 2014 as part of an effort to focus on local food in the Finland MN Area as an economic development strategy. The idea is to make space for local producers to sell their goods in their own community. The Clair Nelson Center also has a commercial kitchen space that is MDA certified and available for those taking that next step and creating a food product for retail sale.

Join Us For Community Rummage Sale 2018!

Finland Community Rummage Sale

Saturday May 19th, 2018

Time: 9am-Noon

Rent an 8-foot space for $10 to sell your own used items or crafts.

Inside the gym at the Clair Nelson Center in Finland, MN

Call 218-353-0300 to reserve a space or with questions.

We are not accepting donations this year, just selling vendor space and refreshments.

Spring Runoff Fundraiser 2018 – Dinner and Variety Show

Come one, come all to the Spring Runoff Spaghetti Dinner and Variety Show! The main event will take place on May 5th from 7-9pm on the Finland Community Center Stage. This is a fundraiser.

The spaghetti dinner will take place from 6-7pm before the show. A limited number of tickets are available, so get them ASAP! Tickets for the dinner are $15 and that includes the price of the show afterwards. Please call 218-353-0300 or stop by the Clair Nelson Center for tickets.

Money raised will support our efforts to improve the lighting in the Clair Nelson Center parking lot!

The event poster is to the right.

Celebrate the Everyday Heroes of St Urho 2018

The Theme of Finland’s 43rd Annual St Urho’s Celebration was Urho Means Hero: Celebrate Everyday Heroes. The Big Weekend was March 16th, 17th, and 18th, 2018.

Paljon kiitoksia (Thank you very much!) to all the heroes who helped to make the 43^rd Annual St Urho’s Celebration happen. From the guys who put the sign up over the highway, to the folks in the parade, to all the raffle ticket sellers, to the businesses that helped out by donating prizes or selling raffle tickets and buttons, you all help make this event happen. Thank you so much!

This year’s raffle drawing winners were:

1st Prize: $600 – Greg Neff from Hayward, WI

2nd Prize: $300 – Jace Larson from Silver Bay, MN

3rd Prize: $200 – Scott Williams from Mussel Shoals, AL (!!!)

4th Prize: $100 – Kalvin Ekroot from Two Harbors, MN

5th Prize: $100 – Richard Nikula (Dubs) from Finland, MN

6th Prize: $100 – Marcus LaBerge from Little Marais, MN

Dale Nikula was the Grand Marshal of the 2018 Parade.

Two of the winning tickets were sold at the Our Place this year, two were sold by Owen Klinker, one by Miranda Sve and one by Honor Schauland. Honor Schauland sold the most tickets this year at 610 with Miranda Sve close behind at 560. Renee Goneau sold 400, Colin Bischoff 330, Owen Klinker 310. Thanks again to all the individuals and businesses who helped to sell raffle tickets. Also thanks to everyone who bought raffle tickets and buttons – that’s how we pay for the party! We appreciate your support!

Thanks also to all of the many individuals and businesses that contributed items for the door prizes at the raffle ticket drawing. There were some beautiful items donated and it always helps to make the drawing a festive event. Thanks this year to the Silver Bay AmericInn, the Tofte AmericInn, Jimmy’s Pizza, Northern Lights, North Shore Oil, Northwoods Family Grille, Zup’s of Silver Bay, North Shore Barber Shop, Holiday Gas Station Beaver Bay, Camp 61, Teddy’s Plumbing and Heating, Elwood and Carol Youngberg, Norshor Agency, HyFashion, Co-op Light and Power, North Shore Federal Credit Union, Quilt Corner, Christmas Up North, Lake Bank, Julies Variety, Cindy Rowlee, J & H Auto Repair, Salon Haven, Vicki’s License, Anonymous, Lutsen Resort, Four Seasons, Maple Grove, Don’s Auto, Finland Co-op, Our Place, Tom and Rosemary Tyson, West Branch, Wildhurst, Hugo’s and the Knotted Pine.

Smokey and the Bandit were part of the 2018 Miss Helmi Skit.

Thanks to Carol and Elwood Youngberg for all of their work to gather door prizes. They are truly St Urho Heroes!

Thanks to all of the Miss Helmi Contestants this year: Colin, Paul, Calvin and Sam! You all did great. Miss Greenie Timbers (Sam) won with her lesson on proper use of a chainsaw. Also, big thanks to Smokey and the Bandit for being the Emcees. You were amazing! Also thanks to Kaare and Jeffrey for being our sound crew, Pam and Kristin for makeup and more, Charlie for being our prop guy, and all the people who put up with us. We had a fun time doing the show!

Special recognition this year to the Berquists and State Farm Insurance for their generous donation, to Cheri Bischoff for an amazing parade, to the Honor Guard for making it happen (we can’t have a parade without an Honor Guard!) to Bob and Diane at Our Place for hosting the drawing and putting in a lot of extra effort this year, to Adam’s AutoValu for the sober cab service, and to all the Miss Helmi Contestants, but especially Colin Bischoff and Paul Plante for stepping up at the last minute to make sure we had enough to have the show! Thank you to our Grand Marshal Hero Dale Nikula! Thank you to rescue heroes Kenny Albrecht, Lindsey and David Dietz, and Fuzzy for all of your chauffeuring and assistance. To all the helpers – you are heroes! Looking forward to next year!

With love, The St Urho’s Committee

Lots of photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/vK3LrhjRMdH0OH6c2

Finland’s St Urho Celebration is supported by the Silver Bay Area Tourism Association and Welcome to Finland, MN

Remember to tag us in your event photos! #StUrho2018

Community Outing to Laskiainen 2018

Laskiainen is a mid-winter Finnish cultural festival with sliding and craft demonstrations at the Loon Lake Community Center in Palo, MN. This is the 81st annual! Our St Urho Celebration’s got nothing on these intrepid Finnish folks!

This year, like last year, the Finland Community Youth Program is partnering up with North Shore Age to Age as well as our neighbors and extended families for an intergenerational community outing to the Laskiainen in Palo!

We have 2 buses leaving from the Finland Co-op at 9am and the Mary Mac in Silver Bay at 9am, and arriving at Loon Lake Community Center 10am.

Buses will return from Loon Lake Community Center at 2pm

Arriving Mary Mac Center at approximately 3pm

And arriving at Finland Co-op at approx. 3pm

Transportation and sliding are free of charge. There are refreshments, baked goods and crafts for sale at the event. More info here: https://www.facebook.com/loonlakecommunitycenter/

THERE ARE STILL SEATS ON THE BUSES! Please call 218-353-0300 to sign up!

This is made possible in part by Northland Foundation’s “AGE to Age” Program! AGE to Age is a program about bringing the generations together. We really appreciate that in this case, both young and old get to experience such a great Finnish cultural event together.

Get Your Troll On! An Evening of Storytelling and Troll Making

The Cover of Seven Ways to Trick a Troll, by Lise Lunge-Larsen, illustrated by Kari Vick

The Finland Community Youth Program enjoyed an evening of storytelling and troll making with North Shore artists, Kari Vick and Lauri Olson-Hohman this past Thursday, January 25th.

At Least…Seven Ways to Trick a Troll

The evening began with a slideshow and then a reading by Kari Vick from her and Lise Lunge-Larsen’s newly published book, Seven Ways to Trick a Troll. Kari is a renowned Troll Expert and helped the group with “getting our Troll Eyes on!” The slideshow showed photos of landscapes, moss, trees and rocks taken on a trip Kari made to Norway. Kari showed us how the photos evolved into her amazing illustrations in the book. Of course, the group also discussed how one DOES trick a troll! (Hints: Trolls don’t like sunlight, they can’t swim, and they POP if they get angry enough.)

THEN. . . . Lauri Olson-Hohman led a workshop on “How to Draw Trolls.” To the left are some drawings she made of the troll versions of herself (young and old). The group discussed how everyone has an “inner troll” – a part of yourself that is fearful and maybe a little mean or crabby. Participants were encouraged to try to illustrate what their inner trolls might look like – warts and all.

Finland Community Youth Program Troll Display

As you can imagine, the kids LOVED the evening’s activities. They paid utmost attention while Kari talked about how to spot trolls in the landscape, and then they went to work with gusto constructing their own trolls with Lauri. At the end of the evening, we created a display of trolls in the hallway of the Clair Nelson Center so that other community folks will get to see and enjoy the kids’ trolls. Stop out and see it if you have a chance!

There are many more fun photos of the evening here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/92oSBCOBsdip6Db82

Coming Soon: Laskiainen

Another exciting upcoming opportunity for our Youth Program kids and the whole community is that we will once again be making our outing to Palo, MN on February 3rd to the Laskiainen Finnish Sledding Festival! This community outing is sponsored by North Shore AGE to Age. 2 buses will be going, one from Finland and one from Silver Bay. All ages are welcome. Call 218-353-0300 to sign up!

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