Exhibits, Activities, Etc.

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FINN FLING DAY - at THE FINNISH HERITAGE HOUSE

It will a again be time for some Finnish Fun !

On September 17th, 2011 from 10 am to 2 pm

Our popular Finn Fling Day will be here soon. This will be a joint event with the Mid-Coast Finn-Am Society. Mark your calendar for Saturday, September 17 from 10 am to 2 pm. There will be a weaving demonstration by one of our members, kantele music to enjoy, peppy live music by Reino Greenrose, Finnish food to delight your palate, door prizes, a raffle, and as always, good fellowship. Most of the food will be provided by the Board members, so there will be a $3 charge. However, if you would like to bring food to share, that would be appreciated. Don’t miss this exciting event!

We will look forward to seeing you there

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Bake and Tag Sales

at The Finnish Heritage House

Saturdays 9:00-12:00
April through Mid·December

(click here to see a list of items available in our Tori)

Shop in our Tori, chat, view the exhibits, and remember ...

The coffee (kahvi) pot is always on !

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2011 SUMMER RAFFLE

We have been fortunate to have two Finnish quilters donate a beautiful quilt, with the proceeds to be divided equally among the Finnish Heritage House, the Finnish Congregational Church, and the Finn-Am Society. Linda Joyce Anderson Upham and Mary Ellen Anderson created this quilt in multiple shades of blue (including Finnish blue), and lovingly stitched it in memory of their grandmother, Jennie Harjula Anderson; their father, Arthur Anderson; and their aunt, Ina Joyce Anderson Hill. It is queen size, measuring 86” by 86”, with machine quilted feather stitching.

Pasted Graphic

The tickets are $5.00 each, and only 500 will be sold, with the drawing to be held on Labor Day weekend. Please call Kirsti Fish at 207-594-5032 or Jacqueline Harjula at 207-354-6547 to purchase tickets, or if you are willing to take some tickets to sell. Buy some chances and maybe you’ll be the lucky winner!

Also, FHH has a separate raffle, with the opportunity to win a beautiful handmade item. We have two prizes available. First prize is a wooden blanket chest, hand crafted and donated by Arvo Salo in memory of June Ranta Wilcox.

The second prize is a Finnish style handwoven rag rug, in many shades of blue and white, measuring 27” x 80”, made and donated by Tooty Wilson. The tickets will be $1.00 each, or 6 for $5.00, and will be available for sale at FHH, with the drawing to be held at our Finn Fling in September.

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FINNISH LANGUAGE LESSONS

We have finally scheduled our “experimental” language classes, which begin here on Saturday, July 9th, 2011 @ 11:30 am. The classroom is in “Jura Hall”, which is downstairs in the Finnish Congregational Church on Route 131 in South Thomaston. Each session will last two hours (11:30 am—1:30 pm), on alternate Saturdays, for a sub-total of five sessions. (July 9 & 23, August 6 & 20, and Sept. 3.) We take a five-week break, and then start a continuation on Oct. 15th. (Oct. 15 & 29, Nov. 12 & 26, and Dec. 5.)

The name for this course is “Finnish FOR Dummeys*”. (* = experimental) It will consist of unequal amounts of spoken & written Finnish, via the Internet, radio, digital projection, tapes, and music. Students will also learn something of the history, culture, and genealogy of the Finns. The “opettaja” (teacher) is the “Frugal Finn”, who will be ably assisted by Paula Waisanen. She will play the part of the Finnish maid (Suomalainen piika), who speaks ONLY Finnish!

You need to register for this course NOW. You can do this by stopping by at the Finnish Heritage House on Saturday mornings, between 9 am and noontime, or by mailing your check and information to their PO Box 293 in South Thomaston, ME 04858. The cost is only $15.00, which is as close to “free” as you will ever get! All of this also includes a year’s membership for you in both the “Finnish Heritage House” and the “Finn-Am Society”! If you’re already a member, this simply represents your renewal for a year.

Our hope is, that by working together on this style of “repeatable” language course, Finnish can be taught in the future by volunteers who need not be bilingual. However, it will be a challenge! Wait until we ask you to translate “frugal finn” into Finnish! It takes 23 letters, and four of these use diacritic marks!!!

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KANTELE LESSONS

Suomalaiset Jouset
(Finnish Strings)

The kantele ensemble, sponsored by the Finnish Heritage House recently celebrated its' one year anniversary and continues to hold bi-weekly rehearsals, with up to twelve students at each session. The ensemble meets for rehearsals in Jura Hall beneath the Finnish Congregational Church in South Thomaston, Maine. The instruments are ten string kanteles made for the group by instrument craftsmen in Finland and cost about three hundred dollars. They are learning many new songs, including those with three-part harmony, chords, and harmonics. The Director, Celia Jones, and three of the students, Jackie Harjula, Steve Gifford & Mary Gifford attended a Finnish Folk Music Camp in Hancock, MI this summer, and Celia even built her own five-string kantele! A great deal of new kantele music was given to the director for the group to use.

Soumalaiset Jouset (Finnish Strings) is the name the group has chosen. During their performances, they wear a black skirt or slacks, a white shirt or blouse, and a black and white scarf with musical notes on it. Our spokesperson, Jackie Harjula, wears her Finnish outfit, introduces each song, and speaks about the history of the kantele.

Finnish Strings has performed at two nursing homes (Bartlett Woods and the Knox Center), at the South Thomaston Historical Society, and at the home of Hilda and Malcolm Wiley. The group also participated in a “Finnish Immersion Day” at the Thomaston Elementary School. After the performance the students enjoyed trying to play the kantele, and two of them are now taking lessons with the group.

A limited number of instruments are available for loan to beginning adults and students under the age of 18. The cost of lessons for adults is thirty dollars for 5 two hour lessons and again students under the age of 18 are not charged for the lessons.

Please contact Celia Jones, our Instructor at 594-1971, Steve Gifford (our “roadie”) at 989-1971 or Jackie Harjula at 354-6547 to schedule a performance or learn about taking lessons.

The group in the pictures below are the "Finnish Strings". The first picture was taken after a rehearsal on Saturday, December 18th and the second picture was taken Sunday, December 19th after their performance at the Christmas service at the Finnish Congregation Church also in South Thomaston, Maine.
About 80 Finnish Americans and their friends attended the service. Sarah Cummings-Ridge (director of the Maine Kanteles) worked with the group for eight two hour lessons during July, August and September and local music teacher Celia Jones is continuing as music director of the group.

Thanks to the efforts of Steve Gifford The Finnish Heritage House presented its fifth summer exhibit during the summer of 2010 titled “Remembering Grandmother and Grandfather”. This exhibit featured the memory boards from previous exhibits (sauna, Finnish-American music, blueberry farming, granite industry and the poultry business) and photographs of Finnish families of the midcoast. The exhibit opened June 19th and closed in the middle of October. If you have additional memories or photographs of Finnish-American families, or life in the Finnish-American community, and are willing to share them, would you please contact Steven Gifford, either by mail at 4 Park Avenue West Brewer, Maine 04412 or by telephone at 207-989-1971.

Also exhibited was June Wilcox's documentation of the Finnish families who settled along the River Road (Route 131) in South Thomaston, St. George & Tenants Harbor. June's exhibit included a special feature regarding the Finnish girls who worked as maids (Piikas) for well to do families.

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During the summer of 2009 Steve Gifford presented an exhibit entitled "Finns and Feathers: The Poultry Industry in the Midcoast." The focus was on the years 1930 to 1970. As with the blueberry business and the granite industry, the Finns played a major role in the poultry industry. Topics covered in the exhibit included: the poultry farmers, the local poultry processors, the egg business, the hatching egg business, the Belfast broiler industry and the United Farmers Co-Operative (UCF).

Also during the summer of 2009 June Wilcox's documentation of the Finnish families who settled along the River Road (Route 131) continuing from the South Thomaston / St. George line to Tenants Harbor was exhibited. Her work included a number of interviews with those who grew up along this stretch of highway and contained many interesting insights into the families and villages along this road. The centerpiece of the "River Road" exhibit was be a 15-foot map of the road, with ownership designations and illustrations.

These exhibits at the Finnish Heritage House would not have been possible without the assistance and generosity of the local Finnish community. Kiitoksia paljon.

The Finnish Heritage House has prepared a cookbook titled "From A Finnish Kitchen".

It features recipes from members of our Finnish community.
The cookbook is bound and is sure to be treasured for many years.
The book makes a wonderful gift.

The Cookbook is available at the FHH Tori for $12.00. For an extra $4.95 it can be mailed it to your home.

Thank you for your help with this project.

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