THUNDER BAY — Break out the green and purple, St. Urho's Day celebrations are back in full force this year.
The Finlandia Co-operative of Thunder Bay is hosting the annual celebration on Saturday and they're expecting a good time.
The celebration will offer Finns and non-Finns of all ages the opportunity to participate in the return of the St. Urho’s Day Sidewalk Parade, the afternoon Variety Show, Muumin Playroom and Mrs Urho’s Tori.
“It was kind of shut down as so many things were during the pandemic and we were finding our footing last year and so learned from last year,” said Jake Guggenheimer.
“And, yeah, we’ve got a bunch of good entertainment (and) a bunch of good folks out there.”
Guggenheimer is the events committee chair and secretary on the executive board at the Finlandia Co-operative and said they are super excited to be running this event again in 2025.
Starting around noon, residents will begin chanting and marching from the Bay Credit Union on Algoma Street down Bay Street and onto Water Street to get to the Prince Arthur Hotel.
Guggenheimer explained once there, they will essentially celebrate St. Urho, the made-up saint who holds a special place in the hearts of the local Finnish community.
Thunder Bay has held the unique festivities since 1983, but they have their origins in the U.S.
The legend of St. Urho originated in Virginia, Minnesota, in response to St. Patrick’s Day.
“As the story goes, St. Urho drove all the grasshoppers out of Finland to protect the grape crops…, so that they could keep on having good wine to drink and keep the party rolling. The cold climes of Finland (are) very well known for their grape crops,” said Guggenheimer.
Those participating in the festivities will be dressed in purple and green outfits, holding up signs and big prop rakes.
As part of the celebration, the hotel’s Provincial Room will welcome several dance groups and acts, including the Sexy Sassy Seniors and the Pelimanni Finnish Orchestra, for its Variety Show.
“We’ve got a bunch of different acts this year. We have a Finnish comedian who’s from the city. We’ve got the local Finnish folk dancing group, the Kiikurit, which I’m also part of. So, I’ll be performing there,” said Guggenheimer.
This room will also host a small market with around 10 to 15 different vendors selling wares, some of which include a spoon carver, a woodworker and a ceramics and pottery artist.
“We also run the Hoito stall in the Thunder Bay Country Market. So, we’ve been working with our kitchen manager to get a couple of staple foods for the event,” said Guggenheimer.
These foods will include a Finnish-style pea soup, sausages called nakki and little cups of crickets in different seasons, such as ranch, barbecue or salt, to go along with the grasshopper theme.
“We’ll be carrying one giant like effigy of a grasshopper and then once we get to the actual events, if you’re brave enough to do so, we’ll have little cups of grasshoppers … for people to try out,” said Guggenheimer.
He encourages residents to come to enjoy themselves and appreciate St. Urho at the Prince Arthur Hotel from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. — it is $5 for entry and attendees will get a little commemorative button for coming.
