Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

By Ramona DeGeorgio-Venegas

In 1960, an elementary school was built in Kaleva. Later, around 2000, an addition was constructed. I was able to substitute teach there several times before it closed in 2009. I enjoyed the teachers and students, and seeing The Bottle House across the street. Sadly, the building was unoccupied after 2009. Like other Manistee County schools, it was waiting to be torn down ⸺ or for a miracle.

The village of Kaleva supported that miracle and raised the funds to purchase the building. That was only the beginning.

Fast forward to 2022. This building, known as the Maple Grove Township Community Center, has become the poster child for sisu, a Finnish concept representing resilience, tenacity of purpose, bravery, hardiness and grit.

Pines of Arcadia ad shows a hip looking young man with a black beard wearing a black knit hat, black sunglasses and a black tee shirt. His mouth is wide open and so are his outstretched arms with tatoos. The message says Wear your favorite t-shirt and tell us why. Watch for the event's date in 2025. Click on this ad to be taken to the website.Roadside Cabins. Modern Amenities. www.highway31cabins.com. Highway 31 Cabins conveniently located along US highway 31 between Ludington and Manistee. 10400 North U.S. Highway 31, Free Soil, Michigan. Call 231-464--5351. Click on this ad to be taken to their website.Filer Credit Union ad is in white and green using its logo of green pine trees. The top of the ad says Join Today! Member Focused, Community Based, Financial Wellness. Save Borrow Business. Equal lender. Click on this ad to be taken to the website.

When I entered the building from the Kauko Street doorway, I was impressed with the volunteers and activity. Former local teachers and students, area residents, and descendants of the Finnish pioneers, who started the Kaleva community in the early 1900s, were giving their time and expertise. They were sanding, painting, replacing tiles, cleaning and organizing. Young people have been encouraged and are helping with projects, too.

Cynthia Asiala (right) and a helper update the bulletin and the bulletin board in the former school gymnasium, now part of Maple Grove Township Community Center. Photo: Ramona DeGeorgio-Venegas.
Cynthia Asiala (right) and a helper update the bulletin board in the former school gymnasium, now part of Maple Grove Township Community Center. Photo: Ramona DeGeorgio-Venegas.

The classrooms have morphed into community spaces. The Maple Grove Township and Village of Kaleva offices have relocated there. You can pay your local water bill in person with Clerk Karen Dufresne on Mondays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or speak to Maple Grove Township Supervisor Wayne Beldo on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. While in the community center, you may walk the halls to get in your “steps” from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 6-8 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Signs on a former classroom door welcome visitors to the Coffee Room and office at Maple Grove Township Community Center in Kaleva. Photo by Ramona DeGeorgio-Venegas.
Signs on a former classroom door welcome visitors to the Coffee Room and office at Maple Grove Township Community Center in Kaleva. Photo by Ramona DeGeorgio-Venegas.

Or perhaps you’ll take a sewing class, eat a senior meal at noon on Thursday (reserve your spot by the prior Wednesday), or take other classes, such as exercise, aerobics, art, babysitting certification and more. I suggest you go to their website for the list and details. Many local people are offering programs. In the future, there will be an emergency shelter and other meeting space uses, such as rental space for an event. Check out the community center’s Facebook page.

Ramona DeGeorgio-Venegas visits with mosaic artist Tricia Boucha inside a former classroom turned art room in the Maple Grove Township Community Center in Kaleva. Photo by P. Stinson.
Ramona DeGeorgio-Venegas (left) visits with mosaic artist Tricia Boucha inside a former classroom turned art room in the Maple Grove Township Community Center in Kaleva. Photo by P. Stinson.

Just visiting and speaking with two volunteers and staff left me energized and hopeful. Cynthia Asiala was gracious and showed me around, sharing various ideas and plans. To paraphrase her: Early Kaleva people built a civilization here, with strong ties to Finnish language, culture and history.

Named for the 19th-century epic, The Kalevala, by Elias Lonnrot, Kaleva saw many immigrants who worked hard to improve the land and eke out a living. Some arrived to escape Russian oppression, poverty and crop failures. Others came to join family members who had settled here first. Some pioneers arrived in boxcars which traveled over the High Bridge railroad structure traversing the Manistee River. They brought traditions, foods, saunas and stories.

Art in the hallways can be enjoyed by walkers in the community center. Photos: Ramona DeGeorgio-Venegas.
Art in the hallways can be enjoyed by walkers in the community center. Photos: Ramona DeGeorgio-Venegas.

In the “creation of the earth” Finnish epic, a sampo is constructed by a blacksmith, and it was taken in a robbery. Perhaps these community-center, make-it-happen residents have found their own sampo, a mythological device that brings riches and good fortune to its owner. (See the Kalevala story’s art along the railroad right-of-way sculpture trail in town.)

I know I felt some of that good fortune and energy after my visit. I plan to attend a class or two at MGTCC. While I’m in Kaleva, maybe I’ll pick up a pasty from the Lions Club on Thursday morning or purchase a gift from the Kaleva Art Gallery. Be sure to check hours and class schedules before you go.

Sisu, a sampo and a sauna to you all!

RELATED STORIES:
Finding Peace Among the Pieces
Woodworker is Featured Artist
St. Urho’s Day March 13 Fundraiser
Wintertime at Kaleva Tavern
Revisiting the Saunas of Kaleva, Page 3
Winter’s Comfort Food, Page 5

 

 

 

 

Write A Comment