Our twentieth Juhannus celebration was the best ever. Our devoted “Iona” followers were back to dance the afternoon away. To watch couples who know how to tango is a thing of beauty.
The Iona Reed Trio was in fine form and played all genres of music that appealed to the young and old—upwards of eighty people attending. Iona Reed is a world-renowned accordion player and her nephew, Don Reed, is an accomplished fiddle player. Shawn Perra, drummer, keeps the beat for the band.
We served suola kala sandwiches, along with other favourites, hot coffee (a Finn staple), and sima, a Juhannus beverage. At the bake table, we had pulla, pies, and rye bread. Everything sold quickly.
We were thanked heartily and folks promised to return next year. They had a great time talking, laughing, eating, and dancing. We are very appreciative of all the guests who came to experience a little taste of Finnishness.
In closing, Don Reed, fiddle player extraordinaire, took us out with the “Orange Blossom Special” and received resounding applause. I could swear I heard a train. It was awesome.
A great crew of volunteers made the work lighter. A big “thank you” to them all, with a special thank you to Kateline, our master baker; Kauko and Ken, for the suolakala; Suzzanne for the bread and dessert tarts; Marita and Jeannie, the coffee ladies; Sharon, Lisa, Margaret, Leena, and Helen, the sandwich makers; James, our bartender; Robert and Petey, sima servers; Lydia, print/social media gal; Sandra, kitchen help; Diane, our greeter; Brenda and Leslee, our helpers; and Barry, our sound guy.
We had a lot of fun and hope to do it all again next year.
