Hello Friends, 

As 2021 comes to a close, I am reaching out to thank you all. Everything we do at the Ely Folk School is centered around embracing our neighbors, sharing stories and experiences, and branching out to explore new realms. Without you, we would not be as successful in reaching these goals.

Our holiday party on the 11th exemplified our core pursuits. Over 120 people came out to Semers Beach on a sunny winter afternoon to mingle with the community. Many tried fun new things like dogsledding and playing snow snakes – a traditional Ojibwe snow game! We made wild rice and veggie pasties with wood parched wild rice harvested this fall by a generous community member and with other ingredients donated by Zup’s Food Market. Piragis Northwoods Company brought a warming tent and snowshoes; Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge showed up with two teams of dogs and skilled dog wranglers and skiers; Ely Liquor donated materials to make glögg; and Bent Paddle Brewing Company donated 96 cans of beer! Other community members arrived with chicken wild rice soup and red velvet cupcakes. It was such a lovely showing of Ely’s congenial and adventurous spirit – we were honored to share the day with you! 

Despite our deepest hopes, 2021 was about as tumultuous and uncertain as 2020. However, we adapted and continued to find safe ways to engage in folk learning. In 2021, the Ely Folk School ran 132 successful and enriching classes, from making asiago cheese to birding, from blacksmithing to beading. 886 students joined us in person and online to work with their hands and build relationships with both their peers and the everyday items made in classes from a puukko knife, a necklace, or a homemade pie crust. Our ceramics studio opened to memberships, and we developed a stained glass department. We weathered through a summer of wildfire and are *this close* to putting our 20’ birch bark canoe in the water. 

In 2022, we will be offering a sliding scale payment system for select classes. I am so excited to test this system, which aims to build economic justice and expand the diversity of economic groups we serve. Instructors are able to opt into the sliding scale system and it shall debut in January with our own Lacey Squier’s Jamaican Beef Patty class! We are working on remodeling our kitchen to make it friendlier for demonstration style cooking classes, while also installing handrails at the front door for a more accessible entrance. And of course, that 20’ canoe will make it’s paddling debut! 

Finally, I am quite excited to announce our newest winter program: Ojibwe Storytelling Evenings. It is traditional to share these stories while there is snow on the ground, so we hope you will join us this winter to enjoy good stories and learn a fraction of the core values of Anishinaabeg. You might hear stories such as “The Creation of Turtle Island”, “How Birch Bark Got Its Burns”, and “Why Porcupine Has Quills,” and learn about Mino Bimaadiziwin, which is how to live a good life.

Each of these initiatives will make the Ely Folk School accessible to a wider array of friends, as well as improve everyone’s experience. Thank you for joining me in building up these programs. 

Just as we are working diligently to invest in our current and future community, I invite you to join us further by considering a recurring donation to the Ely FolkSchool. By donating monthly, whether it’s $5, $15, or $50, you affirm your belief in folk learning for everyone here in Northern Minnesota. You’ll be supporting the implementation of new programs such as the Ojibwe Storytelling Program. This makes a meaningful difference in our pursuit of lifelong learning.  

I love journeying with you in EFS’ mission to inspire, interact, and renew. With heartfelt sincerity, and from the whole EFS team, we are honored to carry forth the folk school model to place relationships, culture, and personal & community empowerment at the center of learning and life.

Here’s to a bright new year! 

Cheers, 

Lucy Soderstrom, Program Coordinator