Kaustinen sings, plays and dances at the Folk Music Festival
The municipality of Kaustinen is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. One major celebration is, of course, the Folk Music Festival, which itself celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. The Kaustinen municipality is celebrating with a festival on the opening day 9.7. for all festival guests free admission to the party and features strongly in the rest of the week's programme.
In connection with the opening ceremony, the Central Ostrobothnia Arena will also host Central Ostrobothnia county celebrations. On behalf of the Municipality and the Province, the President of the Municipal Council and the Provincial Executive welcomes Antti Mäkelä, the Minister of Economic Affairs will bring the greetings of the government Mika Lintilä and a keynote speech by the Director General of the National Board of Antiquities Juhani Kostet.
During the festival week, the daily programme includes Kaustinen 150 concerts, which offer a representative showcase of Causis music and dance skills. The programme also includes an atmospheric sing-along event, Kaustinen laulaa, at the Keskipohjanmaa Arena on Friday 13.7. The municipality of Kaustinen will also be represented in the festival's opening procession and on its own namesake lava, the Kaustinen 150 Massikka lava in front of the Music High School.
Community and inclusion as themes of the centenary year
- The anniversary committee outlined the themes of community and inclusion as the themes of the anniversary year, Mayor Arto Alpia tells you. This is made concrete in a modern way in the Arviiti database, where anyone interested in Kaustinen's history and living cultural heritage can submit material. (http://www.arviiti.fi/)
The sense of community and the strength of the Kausti culture were also on display at the singing event held at the Arena in late May. The atmospheric event brought together around 3000 schoolchildren and other local residents.
– Quite a crowd when you compare it to the population of Kaustinen, which is 4,300, Arto Alpia smiles, and continues:
– We started andon New Year's Day at the Nikula raves. January saw the annual Chamber Music Week, this time attended by 1,000 eighth-graders in addition to the general public, thanks to the Art Testers project. In late June, the traditional sledgehammer carnival will take place, and in the autumn there will be craft workshops and traditional cooking classes, among others. On the eve of Independence Day on 5 December, we will hold a fish fry to highlight the year's highlights and reward deserving local residents.
The mayor recalls that this year the municipality has earmarked a grant for organisations and other actors to organise events to mark the anniversary.
It's going well but let's go
- Kaustinen is doing well, says Mayor Alpia. This is reflected in vitality indicators such as job growth, employment rates and demographics. Kaustinen, at the junction of roads 63 and 13, is a vibrant service centre in its region, with many visitors from neighbouring municipalities.
The importance of the folk music tradition and festivals for Kaustinen is known and appreciated in the municipality.
- Culture is what we are known for," says Alpia. Folk music and an international festival are extremely important for Kaustinen's visibility, recognition and appeal. The Ministry of Education and Culture recently decided to nominate the Kaustis violin tradition for inscription on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The preparatory process will take some time, so that the matter will be discussed at the 2021 UNESCO General Assembly on Intangible Cultural Heritage.
- Let the good cooperation in the field of culture continue, the Kaustinen Municipality wishes good luck for the next half-century of the Folk Music Festival, says Arto Alpia, Mayor of Kaustinen.
Kaustinen municipality's name concerts at the Folk Music Festival:
Ma 9.7. at 17.30 Opening ceremony, Keskipohjanmaa-areena
Ma 9.7. at 22.00 Kaustinen 150 - Spielimannitanski, Keskipohjanmaa-areena
Tue 10.7. at 21.30 Kaustinen Wedding Choir, Iholla Hall
Wed 11.7. at 17.30 Akkapelimannit, 30th anniversary concert, Iholla hall
Thu 12.7. at 13.00 Kaustinen dances: the Ottoset, Keskipohjanmaa Arena
Fri 13.7. at 19.00 Kaustinen Music High School folk music groups, Iholla hall
Sat 14.7. at 19.00 Tallari and Jesse, album release concert, Kaustinen hall
and
Fri 13.7. at 12.30 Kaustinen sings - community singing event, Keskipohjanmaa-areena
51. Kaustinen Folk Music Festival will be held 9.-15.7.2018.
Summer programme information can be found on the website http://www.kaustinen.net
In cooperation with the 150th anniversary of Kaustinen municipality
