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Bright Spot: Finnish Kalevala Puppet Pageant in New York Mills is back

Six kids stand on stilts with Finnish flags in front of a large tractor cutout.
Contributed
/
New York Mills Regional Cultural Center
Kids participate in the 2023 Kalevala Puppet Pageant in New York Mills.

The pageant based on tales from the Finnish book of legends features larger-than-life puppets. It is 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, at the New York Mills Civic & Commerce Corn Feed and at Finn Creek Festival at noon Saturday.

NEW YORK MILLS — "These are not hand puppets. These are larger-than-life puppets."

That's one way Betsy Roder described the Kalevala Puppet Pageant, an annual event now in its 15th year in New York Mills.

Three actors dresses as knights on a lawn in front of a blue backdrop.
Contributed
/
New York Mills Regional Cultural Center
Participants in the 2023 Kalevala Puppet Pageant in New York Mills.

Roder is the executive director at New York Mills Regional Cultural Center. She, along with the pageant's artistic director Anne Sawyer, joined the KAXE Morning Show recently.

The Kalevala is the national epic poem of Finland. It is filled with folk tales, some of which are quite dark. But each year, Sawyer creates a puppet pageant around one of the Kalevala's stories with a bit of artistic license.

This year's pageant will tell the tale of how Vainamoinen rescued the bees from the Underworld. Imagine bees as big as oatmeal canisters, apples the size of a yoga ball and characters who are 8 feet tall. Then, add kids on stilts.

Listen to our full conversation from the KAXE Morning Show above!

"It's been one of the things that kind of gets kids excited to be involved," Sawyer said. "And even if they're young and they can't stilt yet, they talk about how, 'Someday I'll be old enough.'"

Roder explained the importance of keeping Finnish culture alive in New York Mills, which is one point of the "Finnish Triangle," along with the towns of Sebeka and Menagha.

"It is important to our local heritage that we have this Finnish history, but [for] those of us who maybe don't know as much about about Finland, it's a way to learn more, even if that is our heritage or if it's not," Roder said.

The Kalevala Puppet Pageant is at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, at the New York Mills Civic & Commerce Corn Feed at VFW Post No. 3289, as well as noon Saturday at Finn Creek Festival. Friday’s show is free, and the Finn Creek Festival performance is $5 per adult for the entire festival.


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Jennifer has worked at Northern Community Radio since 2006 and spent 17 years as Membership Manager. She shifted to a host/producer position in 2023. She hosts the Monday Morning Show and is the local host of National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" a few days a week. She also writes public services announcements and creates web stories.