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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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