THOUSAND OAKS : Cal Lutheran Expects 7,000 at Finnfest ’93

The Finns have come to the Conejo Valley.

“We want everyone in Southern California to see what makes a Finn tick,” said Arvo Erickson, one of the organizers of Finnfest ‘93, a cultural festival being held through Sunday at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

Organizers say they expect 7,000 to 8,000 people to attend the event, the first to be held in California since the Finns visited Berkeley in 1986.

Finnish-Americans from across the country and even a few natives of the Scandinavian country itself have converged on Cal Lutheran.

For some, such as festival Chairman Rueben Perttula of Bakersfield, the perpetuation of Finnish culture in the United States is a lifelong fascination, even obsession. Perttula, though born in Michigan, speaks fluent Finnish and proudly notes that he recently met Finnish President Mauno Koivisto.

Festival performers and speakers will include Finnish accordionists Maija Katariina and Vesa Vilenius; Olavi Koivukangas, director of the Finnish Institute of Migration, and Ilke Kanerva, Finnish secretary of labor, “who’s bringing the official greeting on behalf of the president of Finland,” Perttula said.

The festival also will feature food and arts and craft booths in and around the Cal Lutheran gymnasium.

The festival ends with a barbecue Sunday evening. Tickets for adults are $7 Friday and Saturday and $5 Sunday. Tickets for children are $5 Friday and Saturday. Children may attend free Sunday. For more information, call 492-2411.