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Lookout
Point,
Kristy Basolo and press releases
Communities
prepare for Finn Grand Fest 2005
A planeload of visitors will arrive at Sawyer International Airport
for a unique experience as Marquette plays host to Finn Grand Fest 2005
activities from August 10 through 14.
With help from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as many as 224 Finnish
travelers will be allowed to arrive and depart at Marquette, with Customs
staff from Sault Ste. Marie handling customs processing of the flight
via FinnAir. The festival is expected to draw more than 5,000 visitors
to the area.
Celebrating Finnish Art
Pre-festival opportunities to celebrate Finnish heritage abound. Works
by artists from Finland, nationally recognized Finnish-American artists
and local and regional artists will be displayed in nineteen venues
in Downtown Marquette and surrounding area throughout August.
Marquette locations for art include: Sweet Water Café (Fiberworks);
the Landmark Inn (Kris Raisanen photographs); Upfront & Company
(Mike Wirtanen paintings); the Ramada Inn (Bryan Kastar paintings);
The Coffee Cup (Clyde Mikkola drawings); Babycakes (Dennis Sotala ceramics);
Dead River Coffee (Christine Garceau photographs); The Eclectique Art
Studio (Dennis Sotala ceramics); Art U.P. Style (Marilyn Lempesis works);
Superior View (historic images of Finnish-American life); Oasis Gallery
(Sanna Vihanto paintings); Marquette Arts and Culture Center in Peter
White Public Library (Matti Koskela paintings); Huron Mountain Club
Gallery in Peter White Public Library (Kathrine Savu paintings); Studio
121, the DeVos Art Museum at NMU (Northern Passages, featuring a variety
of nationally known Finnish-American artists); Carp River Gardens in
Negaunee, The Edge Gallery and the Cielo Gallery in Ishpeming.
A Finn Fest Gallery Walk will be held from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. on August
11, with buses running from NMU to Downtown Marquette. Many receptions
will take place.
Several of the artists featured at the DeVos Museum will speak about
their work during a public reception from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on August
12.
Hall of Famer to visit Marquette
On August 9, a pre-festival Jorma Kaukkonen concert will be held at
7:30 p.m. at Kaufman Auditorium. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame, this guitarist, singer and songwriter is best known as co-founder
of the legendary rock band Jefferson Airplane. He’s lasted more
than forty years and forty albums.
Tickets are $15 and are available at the Ishpeming and Marquette Chamber
of Commerce offices and Scandinavian Gifts. Tickets also may be available
at Kaufman on the night of the concert.
In the early 1960s, Kaukkonen played backup to singer Janis Joplin,
and then in 1965 co-founded Jefferson Airplane with Jack Casady, Paul
Kantner and Marty Balin. With Grace Slick as lead singer, the group
gained super stardom in 1967 with hits like “Somebody To Love”
and “White Rabbit.” In 1995, the band was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Although Kaukonen feels that his work always has been distinctly American,
he also values his Finnish heritage.
“I am an American, and yet the Finnish soil calls to me,”
he said. “I answer with my guitar.”
A variety of events
On August 10, a Day of Theology Conference will include presentations
on “The Origins and Manifestations of Early Laestadianism,”
“Recent Developments in Luther Research: Confrontation and Challenge,”
“How Do Lutherans Meet the Eastern Orthodox Tradition in Finland?”,
“A Historical Survey: Laestadianism in North America” and
panel responses to each.
The opening parade will be held at 5:00 p.m. on August 10, with an opening
ceremony to follow at 6:30 p.m. at Lakeview Arena. Other highlights
of the festival include a walk/run at Presque Isle Park, numerous Finnish
and related films, presentations, workshops and a tori (market).
World records and famous faces
Finn Grand Fest 2005 organizers are planning to break the record for
the world’s largest sauna. Miss Michigan USA, Crystal Hayes of
Rock, will join the festivities and co-host the sauna with Carl Pellonpaa,
host of WLUC-TV6’s Finland Calling.
The official world-record setting performance is scheduled for 1:00
p.m. on August 13 at the jumbo sauna behind the Superior Dome.
Register online or on-site after August 9 at the University Center on
Northern Michigan University’s campus.
Arriving in style
The Marquette Maritime Museum and the Marquette Country Convention and
Visitors Bureau are sponsoring the appearance of the Keweenaw Star,
a 170-passenger cruise boat that travels up and down the Keweenaw Waterway
in Houghton and Hancock. She will leave her home port and be cruising
Marquette’s lower harbor from August 10 through 13.
Several cruises will be offered daily, with boarding near the Lower
Harbor Concession Stand. The first cruise of the day will begin at 10:00
a.m. A lunch cruise will follow at 1:00 p.m. with a box lunch purchase
optional. At 4:00 p.m, there will be an hors d’oeuvres cruise
followed by a Grand Buffet and entertainment cruise at 7:00 p.m. Food
for the cruises is being catered by Tommy’s Restaurant.
On both August 12 and 13, there will an additional “Cool Jazz on
the Cool Lake” cruise starting at 10:00 p.m. All of the tours are
narrated and will last about two hours. A cash bar and soft drinks
will be available on the cruise boat. Prices range from $17 to $40.
Reservations are necessary for all the dinner cruises and recommended
for all others. Reservations on all Keweenaw Star cruises can be made
by calling 226-2006.
The closing ceremony for the event will be held at 3:00 p.m. on August
14. For details about Finn Grand Fest 2005, visit www.finngrandfest2005.com
or call 222-FINN.
—Kristy Basolo and press releases
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