File photo of Kaleva parade down 9 Mile Road by Mark Videan.

From staff reports

KALEVA — No need to travel to Finland to watch the Finnish Wife Carrying Contest. This year’s Kaleva Heritage Days will bring back the sport and many family-friendly activities dear to the hearts of members of this Finnish community during the July 15-16 event.

Food, a craft show, competitions, live music, a car show, pig roast, parade, fireworks and more will take place at various downtown locations as well as the Kaleva Roadside Park on 9 Mile Road and the Maple Grove Township Community Center at 9208 Kauko Street.

Advertisement for Louisa Loveridge Gallas's book called The WIzards Dream: A Universal Winter's Tale. Original wood cut illustrations by Sydney Replogle. A red ribbon across the top of the ad has the words: Finalist: Eric Hoffer Foundation Literary Award. There is a testimonial by nationally known singer-songwriter and recording artist Claudia Schmidt that says: Louisa introduces us to the wizard who lives in each of us...whose journey through his own dark time is a reminder of distress, change and renewal during the holidays, often a time of confusion and wonder. There is a cover of the book on one side of the ad with a gold seal that says Finalist, Eric Hoffer Literary Award and on the other side of the ad is a black and white photo of the author wearing an artsy looking handmade hat, beneath it her smiling eyes behind a pair of glasses. Wisps of her bangs appear beneath the hat. A yellow ribbon at the bottom of the ad says: Available at The Book Store, Frankfort; the Oliver Art Center Gift Shop; Patina; and other local shops and holiday festivals.Advertisement shows a wintry background of blue and white with evergreen trees at the bottom. It is snowing. The words say: Meet Children's Author Don Hansen signing his new book Meg and the Manistee Christmas during Manistee's Victorian Weekend. Friday, December 6 thru Sunday December 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hoot and Honey Bookstore at 358 River Street in downtown Manistee. There are two reviews about the book. the first is from Derek age 40: Wonderful story with a great message! The local places and attractions throughout the book really puts the story at home for me. End of quotation. the next review is from Mallory, age 8: I liked how Meg got to see Santa on a ship going through the bridge so she KNOWS Santa is real! The word knows is in all capital letters to emphasize the word. The book and others Don Hansen has written are available at Hoot and Honey Bookstore in Manistee, the Book Mark in Ludington and on Amazon.Advertisement for WNMC 90.7 F.M. radio. Listen to a live recap of Freshwater Reporter stories. Join the discussion on WNMC radio with station manager Eric Hines and Stewart McFerran, Freshwater Reporter contributing writer. Watch Freshwater Reporter's Facebook and Instagram for dates and times. Livestream on wnmc.org. Click on the spinning disk on the home page. Click on this ad to be taken to the website.

After several years’ absence, the two-day affair was brought back to life with the enthusiasm and hard work of community members who organized several successful fundraising events here in the heart of Manistee County.

“The fundraisers along with a few generous donations got us almost to our goal,” Kris Flaherty, one of the volunteer organizers, said. “We are still expecting a few businesses to respond to letters we sent out, so hopefully we will meet or exceed the $15,000 we were aiming for. We’re almost there.”

Image for Kaleva Heritage Days return is of a rider on horseback wearing blue jeans, a red shirt and a white hat and holding an American flag. Photos by Mark Videan.
Kaleva parade. File photo by Mark Videan.

Kaleva, established by Finnish immigrants in 1900, is named for “The Kalevala”, a Finnish epic poem, according to information shared on the village’s website.

See the full schedule of activities on the Facebook page for Kaleva Heritage Days HERE, and learn more about the village and upcoming concerts at:  kalevamichigan.com

Image for Kaleva Heritage DAys Return is of the car show with onlookers walking by classic cars with raised hoods. Photo by Mark Videan.
Car show in Kaleva. File photo by Mark Videan.

More stories about Kaleva HERE

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