Festival Ruska ready to usher in the fall season

HANCOCK — Fall officially begins later this week and a new series of events in the Copper Country are designed to usher in the season.

As the temperatures cool down and the leaves begin to change a new festival to celebrate this special time of year is getting underway. Festival Ruska is presented by Finlandia University and the Finnish–American Heritage Center. Ruska is the color–season of Finland.

Finnish American Heritage Director Jim Kurtti said, “It’s a really magical time because the light is getting dimmer and the colors are spectacular, especially the ground cover of Lapland. So we wanted to recreate that here in the Copper Country, where we also really have these spectacular fall colors and it’s really a marvelous time to be in the Copper Country.”

One of the highlights of the festival is the band Baltic Crossing. A contemporary folk group made up musicians who studied at the Sibelius Music Academy. Two are from Finland, two are from the British Isles and the other is from Denmark.

Kurtti added, “The sound is very traditional but their energy is very young and dynamic. They’re very entertaining on the stage and they have some humor in their program as well, so it’s really a high energy event.”

The group is hosting a workshop tomorrow afternoon for local musicians and then a concert in the evening, both at the Calumet Theater.

There are activities throughout the week for Festival Ruska culminating in the Genealogy Day on Saturday. For the entire schedule, click here.