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PHOTO GALLERY: Laskiainen celebrates Finnish heritage with festival

KAXE

Published February 6, 2024 at 3:58 PM CST

A woman and two children sledding in an orange sled. All three are smiling. — It was smiles all around on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, at Laskiainen in Palo.

The 86th Annual Laskiainen, or Finnish sliding festival, took place in Palo Feb. 2-4, 2024.

PALO — The 86th Annual Laksiainen festival in northeastern Minnesota was a multi-day celebration of all things Finnish.

The Loon Lake Community Center in Palo hosted some Finnish dishes Feb. 3-4, with families taking sleds to the hills for the sliding festival.

3 children carrying sleds walk towards the beginning of a line waiting to slide down a hill. — Participants carry their sleds to get in line for the ice slide on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, at the 86th Annual Finnish Sliding Festival known as Laskiainen in Palo.

A woman and child laugh in a camouflage sled. They are on a frozen lake with cattails and trees behind them. — These women were well prepared for the ride with cushions lining the bottom of their sled. They were sledding at the 2024 Laskiainen Festival on Saturday, Feb. 3 in Palo, Minnesota.

A woman demonstrating yard spinning. She is wearing dark blue sweater and sitting behind a yard spinning machine.

1 of 15 — Suzi Archvold demonstrates yarn spinning at Laskiainen at the Loon Lake Community Center in Palo, Minnesota.jpg

Suzi Archbold, owner of Range Print Shop & General Store Primitives in Eveleth, demonstrates yarn spinning on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 in Palo, Minnesota.

Lorie Shaull / Contributed

2 of 15 — Alana Maijala demonstrates weaving at Laskiainen at the Loon Lake Community Center in Palo, Minnesota.jpg

Alana Maijala demonstrates weaving on a handmade rug loom, part of the Laskiainen Festival in Palo, Minnesota on Saturday, Feb. 2024.

Lorie Shaull / Contributed

3 of 15 — The Hutter Bunch playing at Laskiainen in Palo, Minnesota.jpg

Country Bluegrass group, The Hutter Bunch, plays at Loon Lake Community Center during Laskiainen on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 in Palo, Minnesota.

Lorie Shaull / Contributed

A blurry photo of someone sliding across a frozen lake on a blue "flying saucer" sled.

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Since it's mostly made of ice, it's a remarkably fast ride! A motion blur of a sledder at the bottom of the hill at the Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, Laskiainen Festival in Palo, Minnesota.

Lorie Shaull / Contributed

Laskiainen Queen Grace Paul carries a tray of food behind patrons.

5 of 15 — Laskiainen Queen Grace Paul helping to bus tables at the Loon Lake Community Center in Palo, Minnesota.jpg

Laskiainen Queen Grace Paul helps bus tables. The Palo, Minnesota festival took place on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024.

Lorie Shaull / Contributed

Plastic sleds of different colors and a toboggan leaning againts a brick wall.

6 of 15 — Sleds propped against a building at Laskiainen, Finnish Sliding Festival, in Palo, Minnesota.jpg

Sleds propped against the Loon Lake Community Center in Palo, Minnesota on Saturday, Feb. 2024.

Lorie Shaull / Contributed

Finnish baked pancake with herring shown on a plate at a community event celebrating Finnish culture in northern Minnesota.

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A bite of pickled herring at the Kropsu Breakfast at Laskiainen in Palo, Minnesota.
A haiku review from photographer Lorie Shaull

Pickled herring—

a side of sea

in two bites.

Lorie Shaull / special to KAXE

People eating finnish pancakes on a winter day at the Loon Lake Community Center in Palo, Minn.

8 of 15 — Laskianian LoonLakeCenter.jpg

A Breakfast scene at Laskiainen in Palo, Minnesota

Lorie Shaull / special to KAXE

A worker wearing an apron and standing behind a counter serves Mojakka into a bowl.

9 of 15 — Serving up Moijakka at Laskiainen, Finnish Sliding Festival, in Palo, Minnesota.jpg

Serving up Mojakka at Loon Lake Community Center at Laskiainen in Palo, Minnesota. This year's festival took place on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024.

Lorie Shaull / Contributed

Two horses, one brown one black, pull a carriage with a man holding their reins.

10 of 15 — The carriage ride at Laskiainen, Finnish Sliding Festival, in Palo, Minnesota.jpg

There were carriage rides outside the Loon Lake Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 at Laskiainen in Palo, Minnesota.

Lorie Shaull / Contributed

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Since it's mostly made of ice, it's a remarkably fast ride! A motion blur of a sledder at the bottom of the hill at the Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, Laskiainen Festival in Palo, Minnesota.

Lorie Shaull / Contributed

A smiling boy sitting in a blue sled on a frozen lake.

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Most rides down the hill brought a smile to the sledder at this year's Laskiainen Festival on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024.

Lorie Shaull / Contributed

A worker in a reflective yellow vest watches a child walking with his sled. Behind them is a hill with a line of people waiting to sled down it.

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The sliding hill for the Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, Laskiainen Festival was built along a hill behind Loon Lake Community Center and led down to Loon Lake.

Lorie Shaull / Contributed

A display from the Laskiainen "Finnish Sliding" festival. It has old photos and sayings on it.

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A display of Laskiainen traditions from years past. Many took time to make wishes for good crops on their winter rides down the ice slide. This year's festival in Palo, Minnesota took place on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024.

Lorie Shaull / Contributed

A photo of a woman crossing her fingers. Behind her are two other workers in a kitchen.

15 of 15 — Sharon Niemi is in charge of making the Moijakka at Laskiainenl in Palo, Minnesota.jpg

Sharon Niemi was in charge of making the Mojakka and said they were crossing fingers that the ice slide would hold up during the warm temperatures leading up to Laskiainen on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024.

Lorie Shaull / Contributed