JANUARY 19, 2017 // 9
Continued from Pg. 8
standing members, Faith Swanson,
has been with The Finnish Broth-
erhood for 61 years.”
Enke spoke of her own connec-
tion to the lodge: “I am part Swed-
ish, part Finnish and my grandpar-
ents emigrated here from Finland.
They actually first met in Naselle
(Washington) and saw each other
again around Astoria. Suomi Hall
personifies Uniontown. It’s an
anchor for me. This place feels
like my grandma’s home. I’ve
cleaned carpets, scrubbed floors
as many others have — we are
honoring our families and heritage
by continuing to take loving care
of the building to ensure that we’re
around for another 100 years.”
Former president Judith Lampi
recalled her own memories as a
child visiting her Finnish grand-
parents on their in dairy farm in
Brownsmead. “My grandmother
made the best wild blackberry pies
in her woodstove. I remember as a
child holding her hand and walk-
ing down the hill to the milking
parlor with a glass pitcher, and my
grandmother would fill the pitcher
up with raw milk. She would skim
the cream off the top, and then we
had a cold glass of whole milk.
To this day I can only drink whole
milk.”
The attraction to Astoria was
a natural one for Finnish immi-
grants. “There are similarities
between Finland and Astoria
with Finland 70 percent forested
and 60,000 lakes,” said Lampi.
“Many emigrating Finns already
had experience back in their home
country of dairy farming, logging
or fishing, and when I asked my
grandfather why the family came
to Astoria, he said ‘because it’s
just like Finland.’”
The Finnish Brotherhood serves
as a home base for networking,
community and heritage. Enke
explained the inner workings of the
organization: “It has three major
parts: the constitution, the executive
committee (which includes a board
of trustees) and of course the aux-
illary (the members). Social hours
are held on the second Monday
(April to October) at 6 p.m. and
Sundays before the second Monday
at noon (November to March).”
New members do not necessar-
ily need to have Finnish ancestry,
Enke noted. “Membership in the
PHOTO BY DANNY MILLER
PHOTO BY DANNY MILLER
Suomi Hall underwent renovations in 2015, with the addition of a new fire escape and fresh
paint on the building. The weather-beaten west side of the building is due for restoration soon.
Terry Arnall gives a presentation on the art of Carl Larsson
during a Finnish Brotherhood meeting Jan. 8 at Suomi Hall
in Astoria.
PHOTO BY DANNY MILLER
Historic items are displayed in the Finnish Brotherhood’s Suomi Hall in As-
toria.
Finnish Brotherhood requires
annual dues, participation in the
lodge community and a deep
interest in the preservation of
Finnish heritage and culture in our
area. Over the years, the lodge has
managed to sustain itself through
membership dues, internal fund-
raising among its members and
events open to the public through-
out the year,” she said.
The Finnish Brotherhood owns
the historic Suomi Hall. “Although
major renovations were done in
2015 with the addition of a new
fire escape and fresh paint on the
building, the weather-beaten west
side of the building is due for
restoration soon,” Enke said. “The
lodge gratefully accepts outside
donations as well as interest in the
legacy of Suomi Hall.”
In addition to its internal mem-
bership, the Finnish Brotherhood
actively connects with the commu-
nity by hosting regular events each
year that are open to the public.
These include the Laksloda Dinner,
featuring salt salmon and potatoes,
every October; the Lutefisk Dinner
in December; and, of course, the
Scandinavian Festival each June.
“This year, new exciting events
will be added,” Enke said.
In the spring, the lodge plans to
host local-born Finn and Portland
State University linguistics profes-
sor Gregg Jacobs for a reading and
discussion of ‘The Kaleva,’ an epic
Finnish poem — think Finland’s
PHOTO BY DANNY MILLER
Historic items are displayed in the Finnish Brotherhood’s Suomi Hall.
version of Beowulf and the basis of
the lodge’s name. The organization
also plans to hold Finnish cooking
classes using historically authentic
cookbooks as well as a corned beef
and cabbage potluck the day before
St. Patrick’s Day, as a nod to the
spoof St. Urho (who supposedly
chased the grasshoppers out of
Finland, saving the vineyards).
Beyond the fun events, The
Finnish Brotherhood also hands
out scholarships for its members
with Finnish heritage, provides
a space to host weddings and
funerals, and allows its hall to be
rented out for outside events. The
dates for events in 2017 have not
yet been announced, and because
the lodge does not currently have
a website or a presence on social
media, all of its events will be list-
ed on the Astoria-Warrenton Area
Chamber of Commerce website,
oldoregon.com
“The Finnish presence is ev-
erywhere in Astoria,” Enke said.
“From Columbia Memorial Hospi-
tal — which was started with help
from The Finnish Brotherhood —
to Tapiola Park — which is named
for the Finnish God of the forest,
Tapio — to the Astoria Public
Library — which was designed
by Finnish architects Ebba Wicks
Brown and husband Ernie Brown.
We want to ensure that the Finnish
Brotherhood continues to promote
and preserve Finnish heritage for
the next 100 years.”