Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
You don’t normally think of boats in the middle of winter but a special Finnish-style wooden boat will be on display Saturday during Heikinpäivä.
The Finnish-American Reporter’s Dave Maki says the boat-building project was part of the Finnish American Folk School through the Finnish American Heritage Center.
“This is something that we’ve had going on the last couple of years. It’s grant funded by a very generous grant provider and what we’re able to do is bring in experts from outside of the area, including from the Nordic countries, to come in to this area to teach some very specific Finnish traditions—folk arts, if you will,” said Maki.
This past fall…master boat builder Alex Comb of Minnesota worked with Calumet High School teacher Rob Bohlsen and his woodworking students on building the boat.
The finished craft will be part of the parade on Saturday and folks can stop by Risto’s Hardware in Hancock afterward for a closer look and to talk with Mr. Bohlsen and perhaps some of his students.
Maki said, “That boat is now ready for display and they’re going to “sail” that boat—or “row” that boat, I should say—down the parade route and then they’re going to dock at Risto’s Hardware (in Hancock), where people can have a chance to see what these young men created and what they learned.”
The Heikinpäivä parade steps off in front of the Scott Building in Hancock Saturday at 11am and ends at Quincy Green.
