Finn Creek Folk Festival Aug. 28-29

The annual Finn Creek Museum Summer Folk Festival is slated for Saturday and Sunday, August 28-29.

The Finn Creek Museum is located three miles east of New York Mills off Hwy 106. The Minnesota Finnish-American Society Chapter 13 sponsors the events.

There is a gate donation of $4 for one day, or $6 for both days for adults. Children six to twelve are $1. Kids under six are free.

RV parking is available for $15 per night.

For more information, visit www.finncreek.com or call the museum, 218-385-2233.

Saturday, August 28

Festivities begin Saturday at 7:30 a.m. with a French toast, pancake and sausage breakfast.

Marjorie Hanson, an accordion player from Fergus Falls, will take the stage at 9 a.m. and play for an hour.

At 9:30 a.m., the Heinola Store (gift shop), schoolhouse, chapel, town hall, and petting barn open. There will be tours of the museum building, horse drawn wagon rides with Chuck Perkins, concessions, and antique New York Mills Fire Department fire trucks on display.

From 9:30 to 10 a.m. there will be Finnish language instruction in the schoolhouse. Following the presentation will be a Finnish Heritage Conversation Hour from 10 to 11 a.m. in the schoolhouse.

There will be log sawing, blacksmithing, rug weaving, oat threshing, small gas engine, and chainsaw art demonstrations at 10 a.m.

At 10:30 a.m., the winning grade-five, heritage essays from the New York Mills School District will be read.

Music continues from 11 a.m. to noon with the Kingery Family, a bluegrass gospel group from Atwater, Minn.

From noon to 1:15 p.m. there will be a Finnish American pasty lunch.

From 12:45 to 1:30 p.m. the Heart o' the Lakes Harmony Chorus from Fergus Falls will perform.

Marjorie Hanson will take the stage again at 1:45 p.m. and play the accordion for an hour.

At 1:30 p.m., the Sanctioned Children's Tractor Pull will begin for ages three to nine. Trophies and ribbons will be distributed to the winners. The Wadena-Deer Creek FFA facilitates the event. To register, call Richard Muckala, 218-385-2563.

The Kingery Family will take the stage again from 3 to 4 p.m.

Sunday, August 29

Sunday's festivities begin with a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m.

There will be an English and Finnish sing-along in the chapel from 9 to 9:45 a.m.

At 10 a.m. there will be an Ecumenical Finnish and English church services in the chapel with Pastor Elmer Yliniemi.

At 11 a.m., the Heinola Store (gift shop), schoolhouse, chapel, town hall, and petting barn open. There will be tours of the museum building, horse drawn wagon rides, concessions, and antique equipment on display.

All-day demonstrations of log sawing, blacksmithing, rug weaving, oat threshing, small gas engines and chainsaw art also begin at 11 a.m.

Singer, songwriter Melanie Koltes from Underwood takes the stage from 11 a.m. to noon.

At noon there will be a pork roast dinner until 1:15 p.m.

At 12:30 p.m. there will be an antique tractor parade followed by an antique tractor pull at 1 p.m. Call Brent Tumberg, 218-385-3498 with questions.

Music continues from 1 to 1:30 p.m. with Kantaleen Soittaja from Duluth who performs Finnish Kantele music.

There will be a Finnish heritage conversation hour in the schoolhouse from 1:15 to 1:45 p.m.

Soittaja will perform again from 1:45 to 2:30 p.m.

Koltes will take the stage again from 2:45 to 3 p.m.

Finnish language lessons will be provided in the schoolhouse from 2:30 to 3 p.m.

Prize drawings will conclude the events at 4 p.m.