2026 Kalevala Puppet Pageant

17th Annual Community Theater Workshops begin Mon, Aug 10, 2026! TWO Public Performances: Friday 8/21/26 @ NYM Corn Feed Saturday 8/22/26 @ Finn Creek Fest

The Puppet Pageant is an original large-scale street theater play based on stories from the Finnish national epic poem, the Kalevala, written and narrated by Creative Director Anne Sawyer, and performed by youth and community members from the New York Mills region. This annual community theater program brings people together to learn a wide variety of artistic skills, including acting and stilt-walking, plus learn about Finnish culture and heritage, and make connections with fellow community members and artists. Daily workshops for participants begin on Monday, August 10, 2025; details below. In 2026, there will be two public performances of the Kalevala Puppet Pageant:

Friday, August 21 @ 7pm @ NYM VFW Post 3289 during NYM Civic & Commerce Corn Feed
Saturday, August 22 @ 12pm @ Finn Creek Open Air Museum during Finn Creek Festival

Performances are open to all! Friday's performance at VFW is free to attend. For the Saturday performance, there is a $5/adult gate donation (children under 16 free) to get into Finn Creek Festival. Freewill donations will be collected at both performances to help cover the costs of this enriching community experience.

Sponsorship Support

We are grateful to ALL the local businesses and individuals who generously support the Puppet Pageant each year, enabling us to continue to produce and present this community program in an accessible way! If you are interested in joining this list of sponsors and/or making a donation to provide a scholarship for a youth participant, email info@kulcher.org, give us a call at 218-385-3339, or simply click below to donate/sponsor online. Thank you for supporting our youth and this local community program! Click here to sponsor the Puppet Pageant & other Summer Events

Be Part of the Show!

Adults and youth ages 5 & up (children under the age of 7 must be accompanied by an adult or older sibling) are invited to participate. There are two weeks of workshops beginning August 10, 2026, leading up to the culminating performances on Friday & Saturday, August 21 & 22, 2025. Dance, music, acting, costume design, performance skills, and stilt walking are all taught by Anne Sawyer, Creative Director, along with Assistant Director Lisa Winter of Wadena, and Tara Fahey of Minneapolis. During the two weeks of workshops, participants will create and build puppets and props of all sizes in addition to learning the story and performance of the narrated play. Stilt walking will be included again this year as an added element to the performance (optional for youth ages 8 & older and adult participants). The cost to participate in these two weeks of workshops and two performances is $50/child with a $100 max per family. Scholarships are available; no one will be turned away based on inability to pay. Parent volunteerism is always appreciated! Teens and adults participate for FREE! Grants, donors, and sponsorship support make this possible. Click below to register (and pay) online, or complete the registration link below and stop by the Cultural Center to pay in person if you prefer. If meeting the family max ($100) or for scholarship participants, complete the form online and stop by to pay. Open Hours: Tuesdays 10am-5pm, Wednesdays & Thursdays 10am-7pm, Fridays 10am-5pm, Saturdays 10am-3pm. Contact us to make other arrangements or with questions at 218-385-3339 or info@kulcher.org. Click here to register & pay online >

Our volunteers make the world go round.

Want to join the fun? Volunteers are ALWAYS welcome, and there are many ways to get involved!

Like working with kids? Guide children during our morning workshops! (Weekdays 9am-12pm, Aug 4-15)
Need a creative outlet? Join us at evening workshops to help create puppets and props! (See dates below)
Love to sew? Create or repair costumes on your own time! (Contact info@kulcher.org or 218-385-3339)
Have a big vehicle? Help us pack & move puppets & props from the Barn to the VFW! (Wed Aug 13 @ noon)
Want to donate some stuff? Let's turn your trash into treasure! (See wish list below)
Maybe a donation is more your thing? Monetary donations are necessary to help keep costs low for participants. (Donation links below)

Big thanks to ALL the community members who help make this event happen, especially ALL the awesome parents, and our gracious event space partners: City of NYM (The Barn/Sculpture Park -- workshop location), NYM VFW (Friday performance), and Finn Creek Museum (Saturday performance).

Ready to sign up? Simply complete the registration form below and select "Volunteer." Thank you!

Seeking sponsors to support this community experience!

Local support from businesses, organizations, and individual sponsors/donors helps bring this community theater project to life! All supporters will be acknowledged on our website (with logo and link, if provided), at the performances, and on any printed marketing materials (pending print timing). Click below to sign up as a sponsor online, or contact betsy@kulcher.org or 218-385-3339. Click here to sponsor summer events! >

Supplies Wish List:

More items may be added -- please check back!

Yogurt or cottage cheese containers with lids
Brown paper grocery bags
Clean single-ply cardboard e.g. cereal boxes (large)
Big sheets of cardboard (corrugated)
Bubble wrap
Balloons
Paper towels
Craft doo-dads such as pipe cleaners, pom-poms, buttons, etc.
Wooden lathe for puppet sticks (30 sticks)
Duct tape, clear packing tape, masking tape
Acrylic paint (red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, white, black)
Water-based house paint (no oil-base, please)
Solid cotton fabric: medium-dark brown and yellow
Elastic

Support the Puppet Pageant Financially!

Provide a scholarship to a child for just $50; $100 buys 3 gallons of acrylic paint; or cover the actual cost for 1 child to participate for $300. ALL donations are welcome!

Click below, stop by during our Summer Open Hours (Tues 10-5, Wed-Thurs 10-7, Fri 10-5, Sat 10-3), or send us a check (PO Box 246, NYMills, MN 56567). All donors will be recognized in our performance program (unless requested otherwise). THANK YOU for supporting this interactive & engaging creative community experience!

Donate to support the 2026 Puppet Pageant > WORKSHOP SCHEDULE WORKSHOPS FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS: Located @ The Barn, NYM Sculpture Park (unless otherwise noted below)

August 10-14 (Mon-Fri) 9am-12pm: Daily Morning Workshops
August 17-20 (Mon-Thurs) 9am-12pm: Daily Morning Workshops
- Thurs. location TBD – may be VFW
August 19 (Wed) @ NOON: Transport all puppets, props, supplies etc. from Barn to VFW — parent & volunteer assistance requested!
August 19 (Wed) 6-8pm *EVENING REHEARSAL* @ VFW
August 20 (Thurs) 6-8pm *DRESS REHEARSAL* @ VFW
August 21 (Fri) 5:30pm *CALL FOR PERFORMERS* @ VFW (performance @ 7pm)
August 22 (Sat) 10:30am *CALL FOR PERFORMERS* @ Finn Creek (performance @ 12pm)

PUPPETS & PROPS BUILDING EVENING WORKSHOPS -- OPEN TO ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS: **Family friendly!! All ages welcome, including adults and CHILDREN ACCOMPANIED BY ADULTS, please.

August 10, 12 (Monday, Wednesday) 6-8pm @ The Barn
August 17,18 (Monday, Tuesday) 6-8pm @ The Barn

WORKSHOPS FOR STILTERS ONLY*:

August 11 (Tuesday) 1-2:30pm @ The Barn
August 13 (Thursday) 1-2:30pm @ The Barn
August 18 (Tuesday) 1-2:30pm @ The Barn
August 20 (Thursday) 1-2:30pm @ The VFW

*Stilt walking is open to ages 8 and up. Stilters should bring a pair of jeans and sturdy shoes (hiking boots are best) with socks to put on for each practice. Note to Parents: Please note the noon-1:00 lunch break (unsupervised) between general workshops and stilting practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and make arrangements for your children. PERFORMANCE DETAILS for participants:

August 21 (Friday) at New York Mills VFW @ 7:00 p.m. in conjunction with NYM Corn Feed
- NOTE: After Performance - Load all PP items for Saturday performance
August 22 (Saturday) at Finn Creek Museum (6 miles south of NYM) @ 12pm in conjunction with Finn Creek Festival
- Transfer all items & set up @ Finn Creek ~10am (specifics TBD)
- CALL FOR PERFORMERS @ 10:30 a.m. @ Finn Creek Open Air Museum

NOTE: We would like to have snacks for daily workshops and performances. If you would like to donate any healthy snack foods (bonus points for locally grown goodies!), we will gladly welcome them! Please email info@kulcher.org or call 218-385-3339.

Click below to register (and pay) online, or complete the registration link below and stop by the Cultural Center to pay in person if you prefer. If meeting the family max ($100) or for scholarship participants, complete the form online and stop by to pay. Open House: Wednesdays & Thursdays 10am-7pm, Fridays 10am-5pm, Saturdays 10am-3pm. Contact us to make other arrangements or with questions at 218-385-3339 or info@kulcher.org. Click here to register & pay online > Prefer to pay in person, or interested in a scholarship? Complete the form below to let us know you'd like to join in the fun! Questions? Call us at 218-385-3339.

This activity is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a Cultural Expressions grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Culture Heritage fund.