Little Finland celebrates 60 years

By MEGAN HUGHES

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Hurley - Members of Little Finland have dedicated themselves to preserving local Finnish roots for 60 years.

That's the word from Ken Hannula, board president of Little Finland, which is a National Finnish American Festival Cultural Center.

To celebrate those 60 years, Little Finland held a gathering on Sunday, complete with live music, good food and tours of the historic structures surrounding the main hall.

According to Hannula, Little Finland began at a storefront in downtown Hurley in 1964, until it eventually moved to the dry storage building of White Pine's mine when it closed.

"It was where the men would go and change their clothes when they worked at the mine," said Hannula.

In the late 1960s, the non-profit moved to its final location to U.S. 2 in Kimball, directly west of Hurley.

"The building was built around 1969-1970, and was made out of wood from the Ashland ore docks, when they took those down, so even the logs have history in them," said Hannula.

Sunday's celebration began at 1 p.m. with live music provided by one-man polka band Steve Solkela, a resident of Minnesota who performed a variety of songs written and composed by Finns.

Following his performance, the Finnish American Singers performed a series of songs in Finnish while dressed in traditional garb.

The celebration lasted well into the afternoon, with games for kids planned throughout the event.

According to Hannula, Little Finland's main goal is to preserve Finnish heritage in the region and to educate.

As a non-profit, the group is run entirely by volunteers who make events such as the anniversary celebration possible.

For more information on Little Finland, its celebrations and upcoming events, as well as the historic structures on its property, visit the website littlefinland.org.