Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
Mother Nature had an impact on the scheduled first session for the Finnish American Heritage Center’s community enrichment classes, so there’s still an opportunity to sign up and take part. All classes are $50 per student, per class. Advanced registration is encouraged, but not required.
This year’s lineup includes three levels of Finnish language instruction. The next meeting for all of these classes is February 9.
Finnish I:
Finnish I is designed for people with little or no background in the Finnish language. The class meets for 10 weeks on Tuesday evenings at 5:30. The instructor for this course is Dr. Hilary Virtanen, who has roots in Toivola and is now leading Finlandia University’s Finnish Studies program.
Finnish II:
Finnish II, or Intermediate Finnish, is a class intended for folks with some Finnish language skill. This group will meet on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. for 10 weeks. Randy Karpinen of Highway Location, is the instructor for this course. Randy is passionate about languages and encourages everybody with an interest to give the courses a try.
Advanced Finnish Conversation and Grammar Group:
Because of that passion, Karpinen is also offering an advanced Finnish conversation and grammar group. That group will also meet on Tuesdays, at 7 p.m. This group is designed for those who are already somewhat fluent but want to sharpen their grammar and vocabulary skills. Prospective students may try either course to determine which group suits them best.
This semester, the FAHC is also offering Swedish language instruction, as well as 5-string kantele lessons. Fulbright scholar Sam Knapp, an Iron River, Wisconsin native, will teach Swedish on Mondays at 5:30 p.m., and the class is slated to begin February 8. The class will meet for 10 weeks, with each session lasting about an hour. This class requires a minimum of eight students to be offered, so it’s important that you express your interest in advance.
Then, beginning on February 17, local musician Kris Kyrö will offer a class in 5-string kantele. This class is open to any interested person, regardless of musical experience. The only necessary skill is being able to count to five. The class will meet on Wednesdays for eight weeks, for about one hour each session.
For more information about FAHC enrichment programming, call (906) 487-7549 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
