46th Annual St. Urho’s Day Takes New Look During Pandemic

FINLAND, Minn.– One of the first signs of spring up the north shore is the St. Urho’s Day celebration here in Finland, Minnesota. And you better believe Northlanders were ready to enjoy the day.

“It feels like we really survived a year,” said St. Urho’s Day Event Coordinator Honor Schauland.

While the festivities looked different, the good vibes survived for the 46th annual St. Urho’s day celebration, celebrating the fictional St. Urho, who legend says chased the grasshoppers away from the grape crops.

Everything was kept outside this time around, so many indoor events like music and craft fairs didn’t take place. But traditions like the tug of war above the Baptist River and the big parade down Highway 1 went on, with some musical performances spread out along the way.

The theme this year is surviving and after one year of the coronavirus pandemic, it takes on a whole new meaning.

“St. Urho’s Day for us always a time to come out and poke your head out of the snowbank and say, hey we made it,” said Schauland. “And it feels 100 times more this year because of COVID and all of the things that everyone’s been through in the last year.”

Floats and characters paraded down Highway 1, surrounded on both sides by adults and kids looking to snag some candy.

St. Urho’s day draws people from across the northland to Finland every year. One longtime participant says it’s great to come and support the small northeastern town.

“Good crowd here today, sometimes between 2-5,000 people and looking up the street here. I’d say there’s at least a couple thousand people here in downtown Finland today. Which is a great thing for local businesses,” said John Pickar, who was visiting from Duluth.

Jesse Siskar came up from silver bay to enjoy his first ever taste of St. Urho’s day. And he made a new friend — Miss Helmi, the winner of the traditional cross-dressing beauty pageant.

“It’s fun to be out here for the first time in a while because we haven’t been able to get out with friends in a while and this is the first opportunity for us to get out,” said Siskar. “It’s a beautiful day and what better? It’s fun.”

The pandemic may have shrunk the crowds compared to years past, but much like St. Urho himself, the town and the traditions survived adversity to celebrate again.

“People are able to come and they feel safe enough to come and i see people wearing masks, i see people staying in their little groups,” said Schauland. “And I think it’s really impressive that we’ve survived and that we can still do this.”

Organizers hope that some of the events that weren’t able to take place this will can happen in 2022.