In the autumn, on October 31, 1984, a group of villagers gathered at the Fiskars community hall for a village meeting. The idea was to establish a village association. Jaakko Holmberg was elected chair of the meeting and Björn Werner secretary. A broad general discussion was held, but no full agreement was yet reached on all issues.
The founding meeting of the Fiskars Village Association was held on November 8, 1984, at the FTU cottage in Fiskars. The meeting was opened by Jaakko Holmberg, who stated that the meeting was a continuation of the October 31 gathering. The chair emphasized that the village committee’s activities should be based on voluntariness and that all villagers should have the opportunity to participate regardless of mother tongue or political views.
It was decided to establish a village association under the name Fiskarsin Kylätoimikunta – Fiskars Bykommitté and that the association would be bilingual.
The following members were elected to the village committee:
Jaakko Holmberg, Unto Heino, Viljo Lindström, Eija-Maija Björn, Matti Järvenkylä, Leila Palenius, Marita Lindstedt, Svea Olsen, Eila Tarmi, Björn Werner, and as youth members Teresa Palenius and Tuija Sandberg.
At the meeting, the statutes of the Vanjärvi Village Committee were read aloud. It was decided to model the new association’s statutes on these. The statutes were approved at the following meeting. The association was officially registered in 1986 under the name Fiskars Kyläseura – Fiskars Byförening rf.
The association’s purpose is to safeguard the interests of the residents of Fiskars, preserve the traditions of the old ironworks environment, and promote well-being and community spirit.
The association’s board consists of 10 + 2 members. The operational year runs from April 1 to March 31. The board meets once a month, except during the summer.
During the first years, meetings were held at the Fiskars elementary school and the Fiskars community hall. In 1986, the association rented one of the houses in Peltoraden from Pojo Bruksbolag as a meeting place. Villagers organized discussion events there. Older residents shared stories from the past. Part of the building was set aside for youth activities, where young people could gather. Among others, the youth band “Humppa 2000 Rock” practiced there. The supervised youth activities were managed by the youth board of the municipality of Pojo.
In the autumn of 1988, the association had to leave the premises because of renovations. During recent years, meetings have been held at the Fiskars postal agency, hosted by Ulla and Pertti Sundström.
The village association strongly advocated preserving the village sauna and laundry facility. A petition campaign and an appeal to the decision-making bodies of Pojo municipality were organized.
On April 6, 1987, an extraordinary meeting was held regarding a planned new building on the site of the burned-down “Tusla’s house.” Opinions among villagers were divided on this issue. No construction was ultimately carried out on the site.
In 1989, the association contacted the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland regarding the place names Fiskars and Fiskari. The response stated that Fiskari had served for at least one hundred years as the Finnish-language equivalent of Fiskars. The language office recommended that the names continue to be used in parallel: Fiskari in Finnish and Fiskars in Swedish, and that this traditional naming practice should be maintained and protected.
Regarding speed limits on Highway 104 within and near the Fiskars ironworks area, the village association and Fiskars Oy held a joint meeting attended by representatives from the Road Administration, Pojo municipality, Fiskars Oy, the local heritage association, and the village association. Fiskars Oy and the village association proposed to the Road Administration that an area-wide speed limit of 50 km/h be introduced on Highway 104. In addition, urban-area signs were proposed.
The association also opposed the closure of the post office. An appeal was sent to the Director General of the postal service and to all political parties. Responses were received from all parties, thanking the association for its active stance.
In 1986, the association participated in the Village of the Year competition. That same year, five representatives attended village activity days in Hartola. Two representatives also participated by invitation in a meeting for village associations in Tenala.
The association also took part in a two-day tourism seminar.
The village association participated in antique markets, knife days, celebrations of Fiskars Day, and the annual Christmas markets held in Fiskars.
Activities also included participation in a project aimed at developing tourism services in Fiskars.
In the autumn of 1989, members of the village association participated in renovating youth facilities in Fiskars.
Since 1985, the association has been responsible for organizing the May Day bonfire. Fiskars Oy handled transportation of the bonfire materials.
Similarly, the association organized midsummer pole decorating and the midsummer celebration on Midsummer Eve. The program followed traditional customs. Admission to the midsummer dances was free for everyone.
Two herring festivals were organized at the community hall.
A “Get to Know Each Other” party was arranged for new residents of the ironworks village.
During three Shrovetide seasons, the association organized winter festivities near the school.
In 1991, a refugee celebration was organized at the community hall.
That same year, the association organized the village’s joint Christmas celebration.
In the autumn of 1991, pétanque competitions were held with participating teams from different parts of Finland.
A heritage excursion for village pensioners was organized in 1993.
Community clean-up days have been organized every spring around the ironworks village.
For two summers, a summer market was held on Saturdays at the initiative of the village association. On September 3, 1994, a closing celebration for the summer market was organized. The event was more festive than usual, and village youth performed music. It was decided to make the event a tradition.
In the summer of 1994, a dance course for village youth was organized at the Baklura dance pavilion.
For the past three years, the association has published Pesutupalehti / Tvättstugubladet twice a year. The latest issue was published in week 46 and included an invitation to the village association’s 10th anniversary celebration.
The association has participated in various festivities and anniversaries. This year, it was decided to honor villagers turning 80, 85, 90 years old, or older.
The association has awarded grants to organizations and private individuals. During the summer, a dry toilet was rented for the village, and the association contributed to the costs.
No membership fees are collected. During the first years, the association received small grants from the municipality of Pojo. During the first two summers, volunteer-run kiosk operations were organized. Through annual May Day and midsummer celebrations as well as lotteries, the association managed to keep its finances balanced. Most of the collected funds were distributed as donations.
The association’s founding member Viljo Lindström was named honorary member.
Marita Lindstedt was selected as Village Committee Member of the Year in 1986.
That summer, the association decided to employ one person using employment support funding. A plan was drawn up and presented to Oy Ferraria Ab. The purpose of the plan was to improve comfort and quality of life in the ironworks village. Priority projects included renovating the Baklura dance pavilion, building a new children’s playground, creating a carpet-washing site, and improving the shoreline area.
The company approved the plan and promised to provide all materials. The labor office approved the association’s application, and a carpenter was employed for six months to carry out the projects. The Baklura dance pavilion was mainly used by the village association. A thorough renovation was needed because it was no longer safe to hold public events there. The work was supervised by the Fiskars Village Association.
The employee’s work was professional and efficient.
According to the minutes, the following individuals served as chairpersons of the association:
And as secretaries:
Eila Tarmi has served as treasurer since the association’s founding.
Gösta Pihlgren and Olavi Saarinen served as auditors. When Olavi Saarinen joined the board, Unto Heino was elected in his place as auditor.
The current board of Fiskars Kyläseura – Fiskars Byförening rf consists of:
as well as board members Erkki Hautaviita, Paula Hautaviita, Anne Michelsson, Sirpa Suutari-Rantapero, Pertti Sundström, Jaana Kalliola, and Juha Kettunen.
From the board, honorary member Viljo Lindström, former chairperson Björn Werner, and Matti Järvenkylä have passed away.
These are the main events from our first ten years. We are still a young association, but already during this short time we have succeeded in operating across a broad field.
Care for our living environment and the development of the Fiskars ironworks community must not remain only the goal of the association leadership. Old and new residents together can help create a strong sense of togetherness.
Eila Tarmi
Elina Laiho, 2004
This autumn marks 20 years since the Fiskars Village Association was founded.
On October 31, 1984, around fifty interested villagers gathered at the community hall to discuss the need for a village association.
The official founding took place at the FTU cottage on November 8, 1984. The association was named Fiskarsin Kylätoimikunta – Fiskars Bykommitté, and Jaakko Holmberg was elected the first chairperson.
The association’s most important tasks were considered to be safeguarding the interests of the residents, preserving the traditions of the old ironworks environment, and increasing well-being and community spirit. The villagers were especially concerned about the future of the laundry facility and sauna.
The first major task was advocating the preservation of the sauna and laundry house. The village association organized a petition and an appeal to the municipality. During the second year of operation, discussions were held about the planned new building on the site of the burned-down Tusla house, but construction never took place. The association also took positions on the closure of the post office and on speed limits.
At first, the association met at the Fiskars school and community hall. In 1986, it rented one of the houses in Peltoraden as a gathering place. One end of the building contained an open café space and the other a youth facility where, among others, the youth band “Humppa 2000 Rock” rehearsed. The premises had to be abandoned in autumn 1988.
The village’s first own newspaper appeared in 1989. The name Pesutupalehti – Tvättstugubladet originates from an old Fiskars saying: “It was written in the Laundry House Gazette.” Naturally, this referred to the spread of information among the village women during laundry work.
“We were always cleaning,” recalls board member Leila Palenius. The village association has also been an active organizer of volunteer work. In the first membership bulletin, residents were informed that abandoned boats and other rubbish would be collected as bonfire material.
Residents’ comfort and sense of community have been maintained through shared celebrations. The most visible events have been the well-known May Day bonfire, midsummer dances, and moonlight parties. In addition, the association has organized get-to-know-you parties, Shrovetide events, and Christmas celebrations. Other events have included herring festivals, refugee celebrations, and fishing and boule competitions.
The association has also recognized elderly villagers on their milestone birthdays, and once a year an active resident is selected as “Fiskars Resident of the Year.”
In 2000, the village association launched the tradition of the Fiskars Folk Festival, whose popularity has grown year by year.
The village association’s activities have also included running a kiosk and market trade. The kiosk was transferred to a private entrepreneur after May Day 2001. In recent years, the increasingly lively market trade has become a significant source of income for the association. Funds have also been raised through activities such as Christmas tree sales.
Income from volunteer work, bazaars, and events has been used for the benefit of the villagers. The association has distributed grants, employed people to restore village buildings (including the Baklura dance pavilion), and supported events such as the school’s spring celebrations.
The youth activities that began during the first years were revived again during the 2000s. A skateboard area was also built for young people.
In the 2000s, an environmental group was also established, organizing volunteer activities and taking positions on issues such as the routing of the natural gas pipeline.
The largest project in recent years has been the construction of a shared village sauna. After many twists and turns, the nearly seven-year sauna project was completed this summer.
Over the years, many members of the Fiskars Village Association have deserved thanks for their active participation. One of them is pensioner Linda Rantanen, who has kept the people of Fiskars supplied with buns.
Linda’s buns have been served at the village hall, meetings, bazaars, parties, and the kiosk. At busiest, Linda baked one hundred buns for the Midsummer Eve dance and another hundred for Midsummer Day.
Overall, Fiskars has undergone a great transformation over twenty years.
“Often you wouldn’t meet a single person. The apartments on Peltoraden stood empty and Kulla was dark,” Rantanen recalls about the atmosphere on the quiet village street decades ago.
“Now it is such a joy to see so many children around. It shows that this village is not dying.”
The challenge for the village that has come alive again is to create a sense of community between the new residents and the old ironworks inhabitants — among all kinds of people. The next step in creating togetherness will take place on the sauna benches, just as has been done in the ironworks village for hundreds of years.
As Linda Rantanen puts it:
“The best thing is that the residents get to know each other. That’s the be-all and end-all.”
Elina Laiho