TOWER- While the theme of this year’s Lake Vermilion Cultural Center fundraiser was Midsummer in Finland, the real news of the evening was the announcement that Tower’s historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church would soon be moved to its new home on Main Street, across the highway from the Tower Civic Center.

Excavation work at the site has begun, and a basement foundation will be poured this next month. Once the foundation is in place, the church will be moved from its current location on North Second Street.

Plans call for the construction of the new church lobby this year, which will be named the Halunen Lobby in honor of the Don and JoAnn Halunen family, who donated $50,000 for the construction. The lobby will be a 24 ft. by 24 ft. addition to the original building. It will serve as a lobby and a space for meetings. It will also provide access to the planned bell tower and eventually the larger addition to the cultural center.

The Halunens are long-time Lake Vermilion residents and were raised on the Range where JoAnn taught art in Virginia after receiving her Master’s Degree in Art Education. She and Don have long enjoyed dancing to the ethnic music that is so much a part of our heritage, and during the Midsummer meal, danced a waltz to the tunes of Finn Hall in front of the crowd.

“Our family has always been committed to this area and we are thrilled to be able to contribute to this wonderful addition to our community. We would get no greater satisfaction than for people to enjoy the new space and the cultural experiences it will bring,” said JoAnn Halunen.

This year’s Midsummer features some highlights of future offerings for the cultural center. On Saturday afternoon, two area college professors gave lectures relating to Finnish history in Minnesota.

Professor Pam Brunfelt spoke about miners and Professor JoAnn Hanson talked about the history of Finn-Swedes. On Sunday, there were talks about the technology of Finland, as well as a talk on the Kalevala, the fascinating Finnish epic.

Another highlight of the evening was the dedication of one of the newly-restored stained glass windows. The window is being named in honor of LVCC board members and volunteers Jan and William Kimes, and Larry Reynolds, whose talents have become apparent to all those who have attended Midsummer events in the past several years.

This year’s fundraiser also featured an ethnic craft market on Sunday, open to the public, which attracted a large crowd. Next year’s Midsummer will feature the culture and food of France.

The cultural center, once completed, will host an ongoing series of musical and cultural events, as well as providing meeting space for area organizations.