Little Finland celebrates Viola Turpeinen Day

KIMBALL, Wis. - Shade from the property's tall trees and a fairly steady breeze made Sunday's heat more pleasant at Little Finland, where a crowd gathered to dance and have a good time at the organization's annual Viola Turpeinen Day celebration.

"We've got a pretty nice turnout for a warm day," Little Finland president Ken Hannula said, adding a number of people even were dancing in the shade of Little Finland's pavilion to polka tunes from the Merrill-based band Finn Power.

Little Finland has been holding the annual event for at least 15 to 20 years, according to Hannula, as a way to honor Turpeinen, who was a famous Finnish-American accordion musician.

A plaque on Little Finland's wall celebrating Turpeinen's induction into the Michigan Music Hall of Fame said Turpeinen was born in Caspian in November 1909 and, "Became fascinated with the accordion as a small child by watching her uncle play the buttonbox."

Taking accordion lessons from an Italian instructor, the plaque said Turpeinen created a popular new type of music by playing the traditional Finnish songs with Italian-style staccato accents.

She made several records and toured the country, popularizing the music prior to her death in 1958 at the age of 49.

"Viola Turpeinen is remembered because she was the most successful Finnish-American musical artist of her time. While many of her musical contemporaries were Finns, Viola was an American-Finn. She wanted to play her style of music to appeal to everyone, and not just those of Finnish background," the plaque reads. "History proves she was successful. More than anyone else, Viola Turpeinen led the way to popularize Finnish oldtime music in North America."

A testament to her success was the turnout to Little Finland's original Viola Turpeinen Day, which organizers accidentally advertised as featuring Turpeinen. A crowd of 200 people showed up to see her perform, despite her passing at least two decades before the event.

Along with the polka and dancing, Sunday's celebration also featured a meal.