By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

Finn Creek Open Air Museum is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and invites everyone to stop by their Midsummer open house to celebrate on Saturday, June 21.

Finn Creek Museum has been around since it’s foundation in 1975, when an old Finnish farmstead, previously belonging to the Siffert and Wilhelmina Tapio family, who purchased the property in 1900 after immigrated from Finland. The original home and sauna still stand on the property and is now joined by over 15 other buildings to showcase the Finnish-American experience and immigration story.

The anniversary event will kick off at 12 p.m. with their celebratory open house with a free-will meal of tasty Finnish faire: open faced sandwiches on rye and white bread, coleslaw, herring, rhubarb and lingonberry juice, as well as cupcakes and coffee for dessert. Entertainment for the day includes games for all ages from 12-2 p.m. which will be followed by a performance by Two Harbors Ukulele Group (THUG), a musical group from the Iron Range which is going on its 15th year.

Though a definitive date for Finn Creek’s founding is a difficult one to nail down, the organization decided to celebrate on the traditional Finnish holiday of Juhannus (Midsummer). This year’s midsummer celebration will also feature an afternoon chapel service which will include portions in both Finnish and English and if weather permits, a midsummer bonfire will be lit in the evening for all to enjoy.

Community members, Finnish-Americans, and anyone with an interest is invited to attend the one-day event to celebrate a half-century of Finn Creek Open Air Museum and to open the door for the next 50 years of preservation, education, and pride in Finnish heritage.