Well, that was quite the weekend in Duluth (or 5 days, if you were one of the lucky ones to participate in all 5 days of programming!). FinnFest is a time to make new connections, while saying Terve! to the people you know well already. It is never the same year to year, but it is always a powerful driver of new connections and edification of continued ones.

This FinnFest was arguably the most fruitful for me personally. It was the first one since attending as a teenager where the festival was open to me to explore without strong affiliation to any one particular organization. I was a vapaa lintu (free bird) and I loved it. As expected, familiar faces were around every corner, but there were also many new folks to meet — Finns and friends of Finland alike.

There was time for networking both in and out of the Tori — thinking of you Hilary Joy Virtanen, so glad we finally met IRL (in real life), while shopping for candy deals at the Touch of Finland booth! And the networking event for “Young Professionals” was a great casual add, reuniting Salolampilaiset, expats, and other Finnophiles at Hoops (a craft brewery in Canal Park — Millennials and Gen Xers like those, right?!). As a more or less leaderless gathering, it allowed the approximately 25 or so attendees to interact freely and openly. We didn’t even have to share our email with anyone ; )

One of the biggest delights of the weekend for me were the surprise tickets to the Samuli Edelmann concert. I had written off seeing Samuli Edelmann’s performance out of working with a limited budget and also not being sure if I would be too exhausted to attend after a packed Saturday. When Susanna texted that she had come up with some extra tickets, I knew it was a must-go situtation. It was simply an amazing show, hosted in the DECC’s Symphony Hall. I had never attended anything in that space, but it was well-suited to accomodate the crowd of dedicated and soon-to-be fans of Samuli Edelmann. Eeppi Ursin joined Samuli on the stage for the more well-known of his songs. Goosebump-enducing is the best I can come up with for a description of the well-attended, yet intimate concert. The accompanying pianist and saxophonist were also delightful — Jukka Perko (sax) and Matti Paatelma (piano) — both (unsurprisingly) studied music at Sibelius Academy and currently teach there as well. From top to bottom the concert (all in Finnish) was a delight to behold. I couldn’t help singing along for several of the songs, since they had been such a hit during the time I lived in Tampere and Oulu. I am so glad that Duluth got to experience this level of Finnish talent. When I found out that they would be performing again at the ecumenical service the next morning, I made it a priority to get some quality shut eye to be there for it, along with seeing the powerful performance of the FinnFest choir, Ameriikan poijat, and several breathtaking pieces by soloists.

Sunday wrapped up with the closing of the Tori and a final dance and music opportunity in the DECC’s Harbor Side Ballroom with Lauluaika at the helm. There was a lot of waltzing going on for the dancers, a celebration of Finn Hall band member Al Reko’s birthday and many conversations amidst the music. It was a joy to bust out some authentic Finnish folk dance skills acquired at Salolampi with Lyyli and Ahti.

Instead of heading right back to the grind and risking infecting my Hamline colleagues with the highly contageous Finland Fever that only became more severe with each passing moment at the festival, we decided to stay one more night in Duluth. Our host, Annalisa “Lyyli” Kovanen, graciously let us stay with her all 3 nights. Sunday afternoon we baked ruisleipä (Finnish sourdough rye bread) together in her kitchen, taking turns mixing the dough. We enjoyed open-faced sandwiches afterward at her kitchen table. Annalisa is also a sauna guide at Duluth-based Cedar + Stone Nordic Sauna. We were delighted that she was conveniently scheduled to be the host Monday morning and decided we had to seize the moment and sign up for a session.

Monday morning we joined Annalisa and our friend Risto (a local high school math teacher) for a cleansing sweat. The last time I visited this operation was early February 2020 and it was exciting to experience the developments made since then. The most delightful addition was the cold-plunge area, allowing sauna-goers to get right into Lake Superior in a semi-enclosed area (I liken it to a diving dock with a large square hole in the center), that permits Lake Superior water to flow freely, guests to stand comfortably, and even for schools of minnows to greet you. The surrounding wooden dock faciliated feet dips or serenity-filled lounging. This newer addition to their comprehensive offerings rocked and is a major value add to their growing sauna village.

On our way back home we made a few stops along the way to indulge some of our non-Finnish hobbies, namely train photography and agate picking and we were back home in Minneapolis before 10:30p. We can’t wait to return to Duluth for the next FinnFest.

What did you most enjoy about FinnFest 2023? Do you plan to go next year? Do you plan to present or be a vendor in the next Tori? Share below!