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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

VERMILION IRON RANGE

Going strong at 102

Old Settlers picnic is anything but ordinary

Jodi Summit
Posted 7/20/16

BREITUNG TWP- Is there anything new that can be written about a community picnic that has been going on, once a year, for the last 102 years?

The agenda rarely changes: bring picnic supplies to …

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VERMILION IRON RANGE

Going strong at 102

Old Settlers picnic is anything but ordinary

Posted

BREITUNG TWP- Is there anything new that can be written about a community picnic that has been going on, once a year, for the last 102 years?

The agenda rarely changes: bring picnic supplies to McKinley Park, wait in line for the steaming hot booyah to be served at 12 noon sharp, enjoy the accordion music from Art Lehtonen, visit with family and friends, ooh and aah over the newest batch of babies, listen to the brief program amazed that Pastor LeRoy Holmes sounds as chipper as ever as he delivers the invocation, listen to the ringing of the gong memorializing the “old settlers” we have lost in the last year, and hope you are lucky enough to win one of the many raffle prizes awarded each year.

But if you are wondering, the picnic, somehow, manages to be anything but ordinary year after year.

The booyah, for whatever reason, always seems better than the previous year. And for all of those who are wondering, it is the booyah from the bottom of the pots that is the tastiest. So anyone who ends up at the end of the long line, like me, shouldn’t worry– they are actually getting the best deal. The line, which snakes in a curvy fashion from one end of the picnic area to the other, moves incredibly fast. Within ten minutes, the pot-holders at the end of the line have their dinner in hand. By 12:30 p.m., the pots of booyah were all empty and being cleaned out by the volunteer crew, who had been on duty all morning, stirring the iron kettles. The serving crew ladles out the meaty vegetable soup with a smile, and a handful of preteen boys cheerfully deliver pots of booyah to those unable to stand in line by themselves.

The booyah crew, as usual, was happy outside of the spotlight, with even crew leader Nick Tekautz unwilling to take his share of credit for the traditional stew.

Over 270 attended this year’s Old Settlers, a rather respectable number, though lower than the 369 who registered in 2014, for the 100th anniversary picnic celebration.

There was an overabundance of grandparents and grandchildren along with displays of well-loved picnic ware, tablecloths belonging to grandparents and booyah pots that were older than I was. Blueberry muffins, cakes, fresh-baked rolls, summer fruit, and more dotted family tables to go along with the soup.

The weather this year was perhaps even better than the booyah– partly sunny, in the mid-70s with a refreshing breeze. The playground equipment and basketball court at the campground got a workout.

President of the Vermilion Range Old Settlers this year is Christina Hujanen. As she welcomed all the guests this year, she urged everyone to be thankful for the moments with family. Hujanen, who was diagnosed with a stage four cancer last fall, was visibly moved by the mere fact she was there, healthy and thriving, celebrating with family and friends.

The youngest attendee this year was three-month-old Hudson Cobby, son of Whitney Johnson Cobby, celebrating with his extended family, including a small herd of the most adorable little cousins. Hudson’s sister, Harper, was the youngest attendee two years ago.

The oldest settler this year was 97-year-old Robert Wahlsten. Settlers attended from as far away as Arizona and Texas.

Lynn Olson spoke about her memories of growing up in Tower. Her family had several main street businesses including the Olson’s IGA and Olson’s Hardware. She spoke about childhood escapades and the fact that they learned at an early age not to do anything they didn’t want everyone to know about, including their parents.

“This was a fabulous place to grow up,” she said.

Hujanen announced that outgoing president and long-time committee member Dena Suihkonen will be working with long-time secretary/treasurer Kathy Hoppa, being trained in to take over those duties in a future year. Next year’s president will be Lee Branwall. Two new directors were appointed: Eric Norberg and Ari (Suihkonen) Picard. They join current board members and officers Tom Trucano, Jodi Summit, Jennifer Fredrickson, Muriel Scott, Stephen Tekautz, Pauline Housenga, Matt Tuchel, and Mike Korpi.

Old Settlers is held each year on the third Saturday in July. Memberships for 2017 can be paid in advance by mailing $6 to Old Settlers, PO Box 724, Tower, MN 55790.