Several businesses to offer specials on March 16

By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

As a multitude of Irish-Americans prepare for their annual St. Patrick’s Day festivities across the nation and the world, the communities of New York Mills, Sebeka, and Menahga amongst other Finnish-American locales, are gearing up to celebrate their own patron saint: the mythological Minnesotan, Saint Urho.

Saint Urho’s story is larger-than-life, for good reason. He is known for the impressive feat of driving the grasshoppers out of ancient Finland to preserve the nation’s grape crop across the many (also mythological) vineyards that were said to have dotted the Finnish countryside.

Urho’s story, much like that of St. Patrick, revolves around the historical figure saving his respective country to preserve his own people. Unlike Patrick, however, Urho is not actually based on a real person of history. 

In fact, his history is nearing the 75 year mark as his story began in the spring of 1956 when Richard Mattson, a Finnish-American, invented the story while working at Ketola’s Department Store in Virginia, Minn. He created the story to rival his coworker’s patron, St. Patrick.

Though the story originally began with chasing frogs out of Finland and the saint’s day was set as May 24, the story evolved further when Bemidji State University professor Dr. Sulo Havumäki changed the legend to grasshoppers and Kenneth Brist of Chippewa Falls, Wis., decided it would be better to celebrate on March 16, to get a head-start on the Irish-American festivities.

Although almost unilaterally unknown in Finland, Saint Urho lends an opportunity for a light-hearted and community-minded festival to Americans of Finnish heritage across the continent. 

In NY Mills, the festival has been celebrated for many years, once involving a parade and much excitement, it has quieted down a bit in the past few decades. That doesn’t mean it has lost it’s excitement, however, as organizations and businesses in the NY Mills area are donning their purple and green apparel and showcasing their grasshoppers this year.

“St. Urho is a Finnish American Legend,” said Shirley Quist, member of the Finn Creek Open Air Museum board of directors. “Today I see St. Urho’s Day as perpetuating the folklore, the stories, and the tenacity of those early immigrants to the United States. The Finnish people are known to be humbly competitive. So, perhaps it is a way for Finnish Americans to celebrate the folkways of our forefathers and participate in traditional competitions.

“Events around the country host parades, crown kings and queens, and have music. Competitions like wife carrying races or chair races get many participants. There is mojakka judging and all of this is a celebration of pride in our heritage and a means to gather and enjoy our neighbors.”

Finn Creek Museum will be hosting a St. Urho lunch this year, which will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 16 at the NY Mills Senior Center at 12 N Walker Avenue. A menu of Finnish-American delicacies including lihamojakka (beef stew), lohikeitto (salmon soup), leipä (bread), mukkara (sausage), pickled herring, lingonberry juice as well as purple doughnuts made fresh by Farmer’s Daughter Rustic Bakery, along with coffee, water and milk which will be served.

Along with the free-will donation meal, a pasty sale will take place along with door prizes, trivia, St. Urho and Finnish songs, and a Finn Creek area history and memories table where people can record their own favorite memories from the area.

“The St. Urho’s Day lunch will feature Finnish American dishes that we get to share with family and friends and just the beginning of a celebration of Finn Creek Museum’s 50th anniversary,” said Quist of the event.

Joining the community’s St. Urho festivities this year includes the Continental Divide Brew Pub on Main Avenue in NY Mills. While they celebrated St. Patrick’s Day last year, they were quickly informed that many locals would be interested in St. Urho’s festivities as well. Taking that feedback to heart, Cyrus Bickell, manager, decided he would incorporate something to accommodate the Finnish-American crowd for this upcoming weekend.

“We’re going to do a little bit of both,” Bickell said. “So St. Paddy’s and St. Urho’s—we’re going to try to do both that same weekend. This time of year in March, Bock-style beers are coming out, so we’re going to do a Bock fest.

“We’ll have a fire pit on the patio where myself and some of the staff will be poking beers,” he explained. “It’s a German tradition of taking Bock-style beers, which are brewed over the winter and realized in the spring, they’re dark and malty and you take a hot iron and poke it. It caramelizes the sugars in the beer and makes it kind of creamy, so we’re hopefully going to have some fun beers on tap for that.”

He also said that he was planning on having some Finnish and purple themed specials on the menu this weekend, along with traditional St. Patrick’s day fare. As the weather has warmed up, he is hoping to see some nice weather and sunshine to accompany their festivities.

Though St. Urho’s Day is on March 16, the fact that it’s on a weekend has made it a bit harder for some businesses to celebrate alongside their neighbors. To accommodate this, the NY Mills Regional Cultural Center began their St. Urho’s Day sale last Wednesday and will be offering 15 percent off one item in the gift shop for those wearing purple or those who find a hidden grasshopper in the gift shop area.

“With the Finnish heritage of the area, it’s important that we celebrate with the community,” said Cheryl Bannes, Artistic Director. “We hope people will come in, we want people to get in the spirit of it. The legend of Saint Urho is so specific to this area. The stories of how it even started, I mean, it’s a just like a local folklore and that is so special and so fun.

“I’d love to see people out, just enjoying that part of it,” she continued. “If that means coming and getting Finnish items or going and getting their purple donuts, people should just really embrace this, this whole Saint Urho local legend. It just helps build a community. It’s  so unique to here. I’m not from here, so when I first heard about St. Urho, I said ‘who’s this guy.’ Then when I was at the museum in Menahga and heard the story of how it came about, it’s juts great. It’s just such a great local legend and folklore and everyone should embrace that, not every community has that. It’s just so fun for the Finnish community to have this, and our community in general. You’re not going to find it everywhere.”