Dozens of community members flocked to the Senior Center last Wednesday to partake in purple doughnuts, grape juice, and hot coffee in celebration of St. Urho’s Day. Finn Creek Museum and the Senior Center provided the refreshments. St. Urho is the patron saint of the Finnish-American community and is said to have driven out the grasshoppers from Finland, thus saving the grape crop. St. Urho is often depicted with a pitchfork with a grasshopper in its tines.

David Witikko, dressed in his St. Urho shirt, purple tie, and denim overalls sang a song he wrote in tribute to St. Urho. Complete with pitchfork and stuffed-animal grasshopper, Witikko sang along with accompaniment of maracas from Shirley Quist.