Have you heard of Salolampi yet? Salolampi is a Finnish language camp that offers programming for all ages and stages of learners. It is located in Bemidji, Minnesota USA. It is part of Concordia Language Villages, which operates villages for 15 different languages (including English!).

It is where I started my infatuation with Finland, the cultures and the languages. You might call it a Finnfatuation. I first started attending as a 10 year old and fell in love immediately. To read more about that and my personal journey with the Finnish language and culture, check out this blog post.

Frequently asked questions

What happens at Work Weekend?

Salolampi’s Work Weekend is a biannual gathering of Finnish and Finland friendly folk who have a strange infatuation with voluteering their time and labor to improve the Finnish Language VIllage site in Bemidji, MN. Projects are deterimined by the weekend coordinator and you can pick which activities to help with once you arrive. Past projects have included everything from giving the tables in the dining hall a good scrub, to replacing the Finnish wooden flooring in the dining hall, to washing the cabin curtains, to raising the sauna to pour new footings to ensure its long-term structural viability. There is also time for sauna and appreciation of the site. Participants are offered housing on site in one of the cabins (all imported from Finland) and are also offered hot meals prepared and served by CLV kitchen staff.

This year, the work weekend is happening Friday, September 15th - Sunday afternoon, on the 17th. This year, there will also be a Salolampi Foundation board meeting occuring on site on Saturday. This provides an excellent opportunity for everyone to meet with board members and to inquire about scholarships for Salolampi programming or to ask about how to contribute to the scholarship fund.

Who is in charge?

The Salolampi work weekend program leader is John “Juhani” Laitanen of the Fargo-Moorhead area. Juhani was a former villager and staff member for many summers. He can be reached prior to Work Weekend via email: info@salolampi.org.

Can I attend even if I have never attended Salolampi?

YES! Sometimes people will utilize the experience of Work Weekend to decide if they would want to send their (grand)children to Salolampi or attend a family or adult program themselves. Tervetula!

What if I am a Swede?

Ja! Please do attend and help us clean and keep the grounds in tip-top shape. The Swedish Village uses the Finnish site during the second half of summer for their youth programs and during various points during the academic year for adult and family programming. Help the Finns keep the place we both love in working order and looking great. Välkommen!