Finnish American Folk School Newsletter

Folk School youth band Kuparikielet and White Water play for dancers, February 2026

February and March brought us some joyful events at the Folk School, including youth band Kuparikielet's dance band debut alongside White Water. Though they've only been a band for about five months, these middle and high schoolers fit right in with the professionals! We're so grateful to White Water and the Northwoods Music Collaborative for working with these young musicians. Keep an eye out for upcoming performances, including during Hancock's celebrations for Juhannus this June.

Have you noticed that we've been dancing around the Folk School a lot recently? We're able to support young musicians and dancers of all ages in 2026 thanks to a grant from the Keweenaw Community Foundation. If you're craving more opportunities to dance, join us Thursday, April 9th for this month's Folk School Community Dance. Members of the MTU Swing Club will teach swing dance from 6-7pm followed by an open dance with live music by The Back Room Boys from 7-9pm. 


Earlier this month we were delighted to be mentioned in a National Geographic article about Finnish-American culture here in the beautiful Keweenaw Peninsula. Read the article for free online and if you haven't already visited us, maybe this will convince you.

Fiddler Carrie Dlutkowski leads a workshop with members of Kuparikielet, January 2026

UPCOMING PROGRAMS: 
Click on the blue links below for info + registration


Community Dance with Back Room Boys + MTU Swing Club
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 6-9pm, $8 at door, free for children under 18, no pre-registration or experience required. Swing lessons 6-7pm + Live music 7-9pm

Date Night with Clay [April] with Lindsey Heiden
Friday, April 10, 2026, 6-8pm

Date Morning with Clay [April] with Lindsey Heiden
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 10am-12pm

Spring Open House + Fundraiser @ FAFS Studios in Skyline Commons
Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10am-1pm

Date Night with Clay [May] with Lindsey Heiden
Friday, May 15, 2026, 6-8pm

Date Morning with Clay [May] with Lindsey Heiden
Saturday, May 16, 2026, 10am-12pm

Date Night with Clay [June] with Lindsey Heiden
Friday, June 12, 2026, 6-8pm

Date Morning with Clay [June] with Lindsey Heiden
Saturday, June 13, 2026, 10am-12pm

4th Annual Folk School at Midsummer Exhibition Opening at Finlandia Art Gallery
Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 7-8:30pm

Juhannus Suurjuhlat - celebration of midsummer and Hancock's year as the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture, June 18-21, 2026


Additional summer and fall workshops will be open for registration soon, including birch bark stars, jouhikko, himmeli, felting, weaving, clay, Estonian knitting online, and more.

ONGOING PROGRAMS:

Carving Club - Next meeting Saturday, April 18, 2026, 1-3pm. FAFS Wood Shop Skyline Commons Room 102. Free, no registration required.

Community Singalong - 1-2 Mondays per month 5:15-6:15pm in the Finnish American Heritage Center- Free, led by Alice Margerum and Oren Tikkanen. RSVP requested by email to copper.country.singalong@gmail.com

Knitting Lunch Hour - Tuesdays - 12-1pm - FAFS Fiber Studio Skyline Commons Room 105. Free, no registration required.

Questions about programming?

Contact FAFS Director Clare Zuraw by email or phone at 906-370-3722

Great news! The Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) have awarded Finlandia Foundation National a significant grant for 2026. This funding provides valuable operational support and facility improvement funding for FFN's Finnish American Folk School and Finlandia Art Gallery in Hancock, Michigan. 


"We are so grateful that Michigan continues to provide crucial arts funding in our state, allowing us to provide valuable cultural programming to our region and beyond," said Clare Zuraw, director of the Finnish American Folk School and interim director of Finlandia Art Gallery. "Of course arts and culture are core values at FFN and this grant will give our work a tremendous boost in the coming year."

Now Open: American-Scandinavian Foundation Fellowships for Nordic Folk Arts & Cultural Traditions in the Upper Midwest (Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan).

Two kinds of awards are available - fellowships for artists and grants for public programs and community projects.

The Finnish American Folk School and several of our instructors have been recipients of this funding in the past and it has been foundational and enriching to our programming in recent years. Perhaps you'd like to apply for the 2026-2027 cycle?

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