06/16/2026
Signs of Juhannus are everywhere in Hancock
Juhannus – the major celebration of Hancock’s designation as the first North American community to be the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2026 — is just around the corner, and signs of something big are popping up around the city – some as public art and others acknowledging Hancock’s role as the most significant center (pesäpaikka = nesting place) of Finnish America.
Along with the Finnish and American flags, as well as Hancock’s pendants hanging from the street light poles, one can find many expressions of Finno-Ugric culture, including:
A few days ago a variety of colorful birds in the planters on Hancock’s main street and paper tsirks will soon appear in shop windows. Inspired by the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture symbol, the tsirk – a carved wooden bird based on ancient Finno-Ugric motifs — the Copper Country Community Arts Center hosted tsirk painting workshops to catch folks’ attention during the City’s special year. The carved tsirk, which is in Hancock for the duration of 2026, is on display at the Finnish American Heritage Center. In 2027 Hancock will pass it on to the next Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture, which will be announced at Juhannus on June 20th.
Also, strategically placed on sidewalks and walkways entitled Finnteresting Hancock around Hancock one can find sidewalk clings commemorating Hancock’s Finnish history, including the location where the first Finns arrived on Juhannus (Midsummer’s) eve in 1865, the location of the Finnish hospital, first Finnish temperance hall, as well as Big Louie’s saloon and much more. Become a tourist in your own community by finding all 18 street clings.
Through the cooperation of the public library in Taivalkoski, Finland, a genealogy chart containing thousands of names will be reproduced and on display at the Hancock High School during the tori market on June 19-20. If your family history contains the names Räisänen, Soronen, Kanniainen, Hyrkäs, Taivalkoski, Wääräniemi, Wäisänen, Kaikkonen, Latvalehto, Lasala, Lohilahti, Tavela, Tyni (Dyni), Simonen, Harjala, Lassila –as well as many other Finnish surnames – one might find their name on this chart. Of the thousands of names, roughly a quarter to a third are Americans, who mostly settled in the Copper Country. The chart stands 8 feet tall and is more than 20 feet long. The tori market will be open at the Hancock High School gymnasium on Campus Drive on Friday the 19th (10 a.m. – 6 p.m.) and Saturday the 20th (9 a.m. -3 p.m.).
In addition to the large genealogy chart, the walls of the Hancock High School gymnasium will be lined with more cultural exhibits:
An exhibit of the Sami Reindeer Project in Alaska will be on display, chronicling the 1890s-1900s U.S. project to introduce Nordic reindeer herding to Alaska. The project eventually included recruiting immigrant reindeer herders from the Copper Country Finnish community.
Lennart Meri’s "Waterfowl People” exhibit by Peeter Laurits introduces the Finno-Ugric peoples, and is followed by a series of photos of Finno-Ugrians taken between 1966-1971 by distinguished Finnougrist photographer Tõnu Seilenthal, who accompanied Meri, a Finno-Ugrian ethnographer who later became Estonia’s president.
Estonian artist Piret Räni collected creation myths of Finno-Ugric cultures, which adds other traditions from the era of a shamanistic worldview. She has attempted to find the oldest and most unifying elements of Finno-Ugric cultures. Birds and animals are a very good theme for this search for common ground, as they have been our companions in this climate zone for thousands of years.
There’s a lot to do and see during the four-festival so plan to come early and often. For details regarding the entire festival go to hancockfinnougric.com
