Frank Eld and Greg Isola to present at Juhannus ‘17

“Sisu” the traveling sauna will be at Juhannus ‘17 in Michigan’s Copper Country, but it won’t be the only unique Finnish-American vehicle.

That’s because Frank Eld, of “Finnebago” fame, has recently agreed to be a presenter at the festival, and will travel to the Copper Country for the June 23-25 event with his trusty — and highly recognizable — truck and camper combination with the memorable word-play name.

Eld is one of two noted presenters who’ve recently been added to the festival lineup; genealogist Greg Isola is also going to be on hand during the festivities, offering presentations on various aspects of Finnish genealogy.

Eld and Isola are the newest additions to a lineup that already included Arto Järvelä, the leading folk music fiddle player in Finland; Paul Niemistö and his band mates in Ameriikan Poijat, the only Finnish-American brass band performing today; and Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi, who has been at her post in Washington, D.C. since September 2015 and has been eager to visit the Copper Country since arriving in the States. Ambassador Kauppi will have several speaking engagements while in the Copper Country. She’ll deliver remarks at Hanka Homestead — where the festival gets under way on

Ambassador Kauppi will have several speaking engagements while in the Copper Country. She’ll deliver remarks at Hanka Homestead — where the festival gets under way on Friday, June 23, at the Finnish American Heritage Center (FAHC) in Hancock in the late morning of Saturday, June 24, and at Agate Beach near Toivola, where she’ll also partake of the ceremonial lighting of the annual Juhannus kokko there on the shores of Lake Superior.

The festival’s concluding day, June 25, the events center around the village of Bruce Crossing. There will be plenty of Finnish-American fun, including the dedication of the Heritage Wall, and the premiere showing of a documentary about the Settlers’ Co-operative, which was created by local documentarian Kristin Ojaniemi in honor of the Co-op’s 100th anniversary this year. Ojaniemi traveled to Finland earlier this year to conduct interviews with Finnish experts for the film. All festival patrons are encouraged to take

All festival patrons are encouraged to take time to browse the festival Tori, which is taking place inside the FAHC on the 24th. The City of Hancock’s Finnish Theme Committee is organizing the tori, and is accepting vendor proposals at this time.

Table space is limited, and preference will be given to folks selling items related to the themes of Finnish, Nordic, handmade and family friendly. Applications are due by 28 April 2017.For more information about the

For more information about the tori, or any aspect of Juhannus ‘17, visit the festival Web site at finlandia.edu/juhannus, follow the festival’s Facebook page, or call (906) 487-7549.

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