View Full Version : Here are some display photos
I have done a number of Finnish displays across the country. Some have been smaller gunshows while at two FinnFests I have been a featured displayer or speaker. Here are a mix of photos from various events - Thought you might like them.
I will post some more tomorrow from some FinnFests.
Rock Island
10-27-2007, 07:26 PM
Very nice collection Tuco, thanks for sharing it, great stuff!!!!!
WmRoy
10-27-2007, 09:53 PM
Great stuff.......... :wav:
DOGolden
10-28-2007, 12:04 AM
Pretty neat looking stuff you got there..
This was also posted on Gunboards.com so some of you on Finn Awards might have read sections of this in the past. - Regards - Brent
FinnFest Ashtabula Ohio 2007
Well it was a great few days in Ashtabula Ohio as I was pleased to take part in yet another FinnFest.
If one is interested in the history of the region here is a link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashtabula,_Ohio
I found the city to be a fine place with nice people. We were welcomed with open arms and had a great stay. It is interesting that the Finnish community here is much older than I have come across in other areas of North America as the majority of Finns in the area migrated in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Many of the other areas I have been to in the USA and Canada have a number of Finns that came over in the late 1940s into the late 1950s; however, in Ashtabula this seems to be the exception.
The display was done at Kent State The staff there was outstanding and very helpful to us.
FinnFest is a cultural heritage event for the Finns in North America and is hosted in different venues both in the USA and in Canada. This is the third such event that I have been to. I was at the Grand FinnFest in Marquette Michigan two years ago as a speaker. I also was able to lend the Kev Os 4 re-enactors my 120mm mortar which they used in their outdoor display. Vic Thomas and Tero Tuononen did an outstanding indoor display which was the largest ever done outside of Finland. Their displays were outstanding and I was pleased to lend a few odds and ends from my collection for their display. My role was minor in that regard as Vic and Tero really pulled out all the stops. The second FinnFest that I took part in was in June 2007 with the event in Sudbury Canada. I went to Sudbury as a part of the Finnish Interview Project run by my good friend Marshall Kregel as we were able to interview a number of Finnish war vets as well as Lotta members. While we were asked at the last minute to do a lecture it was a bit short notice so we passed. Tero had set up an interesting panel display at the event which was very well received. For the Ohio event I was asked to head the military venue do a display as well as doing a presentation on the Continuation War of Finland. It was quite an honor to be charged with this and it is something that I enjoy taking part in. These displays are a fine way to give back to the Finnish communities in North America. Also as a collector I do feel it is an obligation to educate others on Finnish military history. Too often collectors buy items and lock them up never to be seen again. With these displays I am able to pull out sections of my collection and share them with others.
As I have learned from seeing Vic and Tero in doing past displays There is a lot of planning that goes into such an event. The last thing one wants to do is just throw items on a table and leave it at that. One has to plan what they are going to show, how these are to be shown, what items will be featured, what items the general public will find interesting, and countless other little details need to be covered well ahead of time. Both Vic and Tero have been doing these displays for so long that I was lucky to learn from such experienced people. As such I have been able to do my own displays based on lessons they learned in the past which makes things much easier for me. There was a bit of added pressure on me at this event since I also had to do a lecture while then showing the documentary Ilomantsi Battle in the Wilderness with permission from the Artillery Museum of Finland. I was told this was the first approved showing of this documentary for an event in the USA. I am not 100% sure if this is correct or not but if it is that is rather neat.
Marshall and I set up the display on Wednesday and it took about 4 hours to get everything in place. I cant thank Marshall enough as without his help this would have taken me all day. While Marshall was at the event for his interview project we combined our efforts a bit as we felt this was the best way to approach things. Marshall is a good friend and has done a lot to spread Finnish military history here in the USA. His work on the Finnish Interview Project is just another example of this hard work and it is hoped this project not only educates but also preserves history for future generations.
As I post photos I will share information on what is posted but I wanted to share some of the feedback and happenings at the venue.
I was amazed at just how busy we were at the event. We were told the crowds would be small until Saturday but the fact is we were busy during the entire event. At one time we had almost 60 people crowded into a 20X30 room so it was PACKED!!! We saw nonstop action in regards to the crowd from Thursday AM until Saturday when we took the display down. It was interesting to hear all the feedback on the display as it proved to be one of the most popular displays-events at FinnFest. Each day people came to the display commenting they had been told of the display at dinner the night before, had it mentioned to them at their hotel, heard about it at breakfast, or like gatherings. So the word of mouth advertising really helped us out making for a successful showing. As this was an older community we did not have all that many Finnish war vets come by I think we had two but it was interesting that a large number of Finnish-American WW2 vets did indeed visit. There was one Lotta that came by and a number of peoples whose parents, uncles, or other relatives had served in Finland Those that did really enjoyed seeing the items that in the past they had only seen in photos. One lady that came by the event was from Washington DC and her father had served in anti-aircraft during the Wars. She mentioned to me that she had her fathers collar tabs but did not have the shoulder insignia. As it so happened I had a set on display so I gave them to her. I am sure they meant more to her than to me.
It is hard to say what section of the display was the most popular. The photos were a big hit and seemed to attract a lot of attention. Tero is known for his outstanding photo displays and he was the one that convinced me that adding these to my displays would greatly improve them. In fact when I was in Canada Tero was kind enough to give me some display boards to use with my photos. I had a few newspapers on display as well. Both from December 1, 1939 One being the London Times and the other the Los Angeles Times detailing the outbreak of the Winter War. The other newspaper was quite interesting as it was the Lapland Courier which was printed for the German troops in Finland. The small arms got a lot of looks but most at the show were not really gun people. They did enjoy looking them over but the other items in the displays attracted more attention. The anti-tank table was enjoyed as were the mannequins and other displays. I should note the Lotta dress and photos really went over with the crowd. Most had little or no knowledge of the Lotta Svard so the information was new to them. Women were an important part of the Finnish efforts so I was glad to see such an interest in this display.
The lecture went well as I followed the showing of Fire And Ice from Ben Strout. The crowd seemed to receive the speech well and I think the showing of the Continuation War film was overall enjoyed.
Overall FinnFest seemed to be a great success. All the comments that I received were positive and those that attended the show seemed to really enjoy the display. I was asked to take part in the next FinnFest in Duluth Minnesota next year so I assume this means the organizers from Duluth felt the display met their standards. It is nice to see this interest from FinnFest heads as in the past the military displays have sort of been looked upon as minor additions. I think Tero and Vic did a lot to alter this manner of thinking at the Michigan show and now it seems these displays are becoming more mainstream. This is of course a good thing for those interested in Finnish military history. Also of interest is the fact that I was approached by a Finnish group in the mid-west about doing a joint Finn-Estonian display in Chicago. This is something that I am very interested in doing and I am hopeful the display will take place. Marshall and I both were interviewed by several print publications while at the event and I hope these interviews also create interest in future displays.
I want to thank Marshall along with Tero and his family. They all assisted me in getting the display done and taken down. As I stated earlier there is no way that I could have done this without their assistance. Those of us that do these Finn displays have known each other for a number of years now and are always there to assist if there is a need. I know that I have learned a lot from this group and am pleased to call them all friends. My hope is that more collectors step in and take part in such military displays. Be these displays at FinnFest or on the local level (or if they deal with military history of other nations) it is important that collectors give back to the general community. Too often we collectors are stereotyped as mindless war mongers and doing these events is a way to show this is not the case. It is also a great way to give back and educate the general public on the events that shaped history. Collectors should give back when they can and doing these venues is a perfect manner to do just this.
Sorry for the long worded report and I hope you enjoy the photos.
If you have any questions about what you see here - Just ask.
A few others from the event
Ok that is it. If anyone has ?'s just let me know.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W338-qeFED0
Video from event
Here are some others - These from Finn Grand Fest in Michigan - 2005
The Kev Os 4 re-enactors used my 120 to build a mortar pit which made a great outdoor display. The 120mm in the display is a smoke mortar of which 20 were built and mine is the only example left in the world - It is going back to Finland in the next year as that is where it belongs.
Also in Michigan - The indoor display was done by two friends of mine and was the largest done outside of Finland. Some of my items were added to complete the display.
Not a display but might be of interest - These photos taken at the FinnFest in Sudbury Canada - Marshall Kregel of Kevos4 and I went there to interview veterans of the Finnish wars.
I just had an article printed in the largest Finnish paper in North America that details much of this work. Over the next year I have been asked to do more such articles dealing with Finnish history - I am pretty proud of that.
More from the event in Canada - My friend Tero brought up his wartime field kitchen and made Finnish pea soup for the vets.
Rock Island
10-28-2007, 10:10 PM
Thanks Tuco, great pics, I will be looking them over for days.
CoorsLightGuy
10-28-2007, 10:26 PM
Thanks for the YouTube video........that was almost like being there.
DOGolden
10-30-2007, 02:27 PM
Awesome info! When I get things caught up around here I would be interested in perhaps buying a Finnish uniform. I have no interest (and don't have the $$$ either) for a real one. So a repro would do nicely. Is this something that can be done inexpensively??
www.kevos4.com You can get a repro summer tunic for $125 or so. They are very good repros - VERY good. Look just like the real deal but for the makers and date stamps.
Oh and thanks for all the kind words.
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