Presentation Focuses On Salolampi Finnish Language Village

HANCOCK, Mich. — Salolampi (which translates to “lake in the woods”) is a Finnish language village near the shore of Turtle River Lake in Bemidji, Minnesota. For decades, young people ages 7-17 have been attending this camp and fully immersing themselves in Finnish language and culture.

Fifteen-year-old Benjamin Leinonen, a resident of Stanton Township, is one of several Copper Country young people who’ve attended Salolampi in recent years. He will give a short presentation about the month he spent there this past summer, and share why other local families should take advantage of this unique opportunity as well.

Leinonen’s presentation begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, November 5 at the Finnish American Heritage Center and is sponsored by the City of Hancock’s Finnish Theme Committee – Finlandia Foundation Copper Country Chapter.

The Theme Committee provided Leinonen with scholarship funds, which were matched by Finlandia Foundation National. These funds helped Leinonen pay the necessary tuition to enjoy the camp’s four-week program, which earned him a foreign language credit toward meeting his high school graduation requirement.

Leinonen’s presentation is an ideal way for families to learn more about the Salolampi Language Village, which is part of the Concordia Language Villages program. Salolampi offers a variety of programs, including one-, two- and four-week programs, as well as adult weeks and family programs. Salolampi is tuition-based, but the Salolampi Foundation offers numerous scholarships to offset the cost; in fact, a recent attendee from the Copper Country earned so many scholarships his family had no out-of-pocket expense. Many additional scholarship opportunities are available to interested attendees, including several early-bird scholarships. More information about Salolampi is available online at www.salolampi.org.

For further details, contact Salolampi Foundation board member Jim Kurtti at (906) 487-7302.