Happenings

A singer, songwriter, guitarist, kantele player and poet, Diane Jarvi has been a performer of folk and world music in addition to her own compositions for thirty years. Diane Jarvi’s seven solo recordings and five books of poetry under Diane Jarvenpa include explorations of her ethnic heritage. Her newest CD, This Ordinary Day, is a return to her Americana roots, but also includes a song with lyrics inspired by the great Finnish immigrant writer Helmi Mattson. She has received a McKnight-MacPhail fellowship grant, grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board, Finlandia Foundation and Suomi Seura. She is a teaching artist with the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project. wwwdianejarvi.com

Refreshments and reconnecting with friends will follow the program! Donations welcome!

PLEASE note this is an in person event!

DATE: May 20th, 2022
TIME: 7-9pm CST
PLACE: Danish American Center, 3030 W River Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55406

We are excited to be able to reschedule Beatrice Ojakangas. She will join us for our March program. Her cookbooks are a staple in many of our homes.

Beatrice Ojakangas grew up on a small farm in Floodwood, Minnesota, where her mother taught her how to bake bread on their wood stove before she was old enough to read.

During her youth, she participated in the 4-H club, inspired by a desire to win a trip each year to the Minnesota State Fair as a county grand champion, which had to be in a different food category every year. This persistence ultimately led her to two national grand champion 4-H titles. She graduated from the University of Minnesota, Duluth with a degree in home economics, and was introduced to gourmet food while working a summer job as a private cook.

She won the Second Grand Prize at the 1967 Pillsbury Bake-Off, and worked in recipe development for Jeno Paulucci, for whom she invented pizza rolls. Sunset Magazine was the start of her magazine writing career, and she later published articles in Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Woman’s Day, Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens, Midwest Living, Cooking Light, and numerous newspapers.

She is the author of 31 cookbooks and was inducted in 2005 into the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame. She received an honorary doctorate from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Beatrice lives in Duluth, Minnesota with her husband, Richard. She is working on her 32nd book.

Join Zoom Meeting
Date: March 18th, 2022
Time: 7pm CST (member announcements at 6:45pm)
Meeting ID: 681 530 4953

(Bio from www.beatrice-ojakangas.com)

Last year this time as we were almost a year into the world wide pandemic, Suomikoulu and FACA decided to arrange a joint, socially distanced, outdoor laskiainen event – it was so loved that it was decided that Laskiainen must be an annual tradition bringing the Finnish and Finnish American community in the Twin Cities together to enjoy and celebrate this wonderful season. 

This year, FACA and Suomikoulu together with FFTC/Finnsource invites you to our 2nd annual Laskiainen event at the Como Park Fire Pits close to Como Zoo.

We hope you can join us for this fun “Bring-Your-Own” winter picnic and sledding gettogether! 

A traditional laskiainen meal consists of hernekeitto (pea soup) and laskiaispulla. Of course, one can’t go wrong with makkara roasted over an open fire!

The organizers will provide coffee and laskiaispulla – free yet donations are appreciated.

Other things to bring: sleds, picnic chairs and blankets, skis, masks, and your Finnish SISU!

Everyone invited, whether Suomalainen, American Finn or just interested in the Finnish culture.

Make sure to dress in layers, layers, layers! Nähdään!

DATE, TIME, PLACE: February 26 at 12pm at the Como Park Fire Pits

RSVP here: Laskiainen 2022