Happy Thanksgiving

The Centennial of Finland’s Independence Year is drawing to a close. December 6 is on the radar for all of us. Let’s take a moment to reflect on the sacrifices our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents endured to give us this gift.

Sisu is thankful for all the support it has received during the Centennial Year. It has been such a blast to connect with all of you, share moments with you, and string together events you have organized all across the United States.

Our sponsors. Please let them know how much you appreciate their support.

MetsaBoard
RCP Software
Forciot
Rowing Performance
Uponor
Finnleo
Neste
BaseN
Nokian Tyres
Tosibox
Juska Law
Ice Cold Crime
Providence Private Client Services
Yetitablet

Suomi Finland 100
North American Sauna Society
International Sauna Association
Finnish American Heritage Center
FinnFest USA
Concordia Language Villages
Salolampi Language Village
Salolampi Foundation
Finlandia Foundation National

Our event hosts. You folks deserve all the kudos you can get! Thank you for letting Sisu to stop by and/or be part of your event!

Finnsource - Minna Hovinen, Honorary Consul Marianne Wargelin
University of Arkansas - Peter MacKeith
Finnish Language School in Dallas - Leila Jäämuru & staff
Finnish American Chamber of Commerce Houston - Mari Emaus, Tuija Kalpala
Tamarind Institute, Albuquerque, MN - Valpuri Remling
Phoenix Area Finn Club - Leena & Olli Tuomi, Joy Dorvinen
Consulate of Finland in L.A. - Suvi Aherto
Ridgecrest Flying Aces - Olli Leppälä
Mr. Sauna Jukka Dudeson
Albany Sauna & Hot Tubs - Frederika Adam & staff
Nordic Innovation House - Thuong Tan
Battle Ground, WA Finn Club - Bunny McElveny
Tiny Digs Hotel - Pam Westra
Nordic Heritage Museum - Eric Nelson
Idaho Finns - Donald Heikkila, Tuula Ezzell
Missoula Nordic Club - Jenni Rohrbach, Jenna McVey
Mountain Hot Tub, Bozeman, MT - Ben Rainey
Hjemkomst Center / Red River Finns - Ellen Liddle, Markus Krueger
American Swedish Institute - Scott Pollock
FinnSisu - Ahvo Taipale
Chicago Area Finns - Tony Johannson
City of Cedarburg - Mikko Hilvo
Cokato Finnish American Historical Society - Harvey Barberg
Finland, MN Historical Society - Joretta Nikula
Duluth Area Finns - Steve Leppala, Mimmu Salmela
National Sauna Day, Embarrass, MN - John Kinnunen
Virginia - Hibbing - Giants Ridge, MN - Honorary Consul Jimmy Johnson, Beth Pierce
Concordia Language Villages / Salolampi - Iida Tervola Hultberg
Menahga Finns - St. Urho
Great American Think-off, New York Mills, MN - Betsy Rader
St Anthony Village Sister Cities - Ruth Ann Marks, Karen Wiemeri
Old World Wisconsin - Anna Hope Altschwager
Milwaukee Area Finns - Linda Pensala
Merrill, WI - Metsa Machines
Houghton/Hancock/Bruce’s Crossing Midsummer - Honorary Consul Jim Kurtti
Wixom Finn Camp - Carol Pelto Melancon
Oberlin College / Nord Family Foundation - Greggor Mattson, Tim Scholl
Buffalo, NY Area Finns - Christina Pasternak Saarinen
Camp Pineshore - Jennifer Carrion
Leominster FinnFun Week End - Stan Karro
Cloucester, MA Area Finns - Mark Babson
New England Spas - Norm Coburn
NY Area Finns - Annemarie Hjorth, Eero Kilpi
Hotbox Sauna - Jackie Aude, Paula Wegman
Walters State Community College - Paul Lubotina & staff
City of Spartanburg / Spartanburg Area Finns - Galia Rodriguez, Marko “päivää että pätkähti” Huttunen
Valmet Atlanta - Jukka Virtanen
Finnish American Chamber of Commerce Southeast (Atlanta) - Minna LeVine
Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center - Mary Pyle, Stacy Howell
City of Boynton Beach, FL - Jeanne Heavilin, Mayor Steve Grant
Suomi-Talo, Lantana, FL - Sirpa Aho
Capital Hot Tub, VA & MD - Patty Mahoney
The Embassy of Finland in the United States - Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi & staf

Whoa! What a list that is. Over 100 events in 1 year. Sisu’s been busy!

Kudos to all of you who we have met on the road, via social media, through our website, or this blog. You made this whole trip worth the while! THANK YOU for your support!

Sisu’s full schedule and up-to-date calendar, please click here.

Finland Centennial Calendar in the US, please click here.

Like reading about Sisu’s travels? Please help us bring Sisu to a location near you. Get a souvenir from our web store, or feel free to make a donation.

The Gulf of Mexico

While we all are gearing up to the big birthday party on December 6, Sisu still has a few miles to travel, and a couple of more events to visit.

One of the first stops for Sisu was Houston, TX. Only 400 miles east is Ocean Springs, MS. After about 100 events and 16,000 miles on the road, it was time to visit the shores of the Gulf of Mexico again.

In early 2017, Sisu's Logistics and Travel Planning Team was contacted by the staff from the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Center for Arts and Education. They would be hosting an art exhibit of Osmo Visuri's paintings in the spring, and were wondering if Sisu could stop by. Sisu would be in Montana at the time. Sorry. After further correspondence, another opportunity was found. What if Sisu visited in early November, during the Peter Anderson Arts and Crafts Festival? Stars had aligned and destination Ocean Springs was added to the calendar!

Ocean Springs is a town of about 17,000 people with coffee shops, restaurants, shopping and a laid back feel. Peter Anderson Arts and Crafts Festival is the largest arts festival in Mississippi, attracting 100,000 - 150,000 visitors over the two days. When Sisu arrived, hundreds of vendors were setting up on the streets around downtown Ocean Springs.

This is bayou country. Saturday morning arrived with a thick fog. Soon, sun started to burn off the fog and a 80 F, cloudless day was in forecast.

After the gates opened there was a steady stream of festival goers strolling by. The MaryC had prepared two banners to attract people to visit Sisu. One of them declared the Centennial, the other had 100 fun facts about Finland.

Sisu staff on-site had so much fun! We also learned something! Did you know that Bruce Boudreau (coach of the Minnesota Wild hockey team) is from Ocean Springs, MS? It also turned out that there is (at least) one Finn living in Ocean Springs. Hauska tavata!

As always, time flies when you are having fun! Sunday afternoon, it is time to pack up and head to the next events; Boynton Beach and Suomi-Talo in Lantana, Florida.

Looks like it is starting to fill up but there are still spots left to sauna with the Sister Cities of Boynton Beach and Rauma, book your session from this link, walk-ins are welcome, too. Get your swim suits ready, Florida!

Sisu wants to thank the wonderful staff of theMaryC for letting us visit: Mary Pyle, Stacy Howell, Pat Pinson, et al. If you are traveling in the area, go visit theMaryC & Ocean Springs!

If you want to learn more about the Osmo Visuri exhibit or would like to host it, please get in touch. TheMaryC has the collection and would like to share it with you!

Sisu’s full schedule and up-to-date calendar, please click here.

Finland Centennial Calendar in the US, please click here.

Like reading about Sisu’s travels? Please help us bring Sisu to a location near you. Get a souvenir from our web store, or feel free to make a donation.