The Finnish Canadian Historical Society will be re-opening the Long Lake Finnish Cemetery this Sunday.
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Pastor Hannu Savinainen from the St. Matthews Lutheran Church will officiate proceedings.
The dedication ceremoney will be held at 2 pm at the cemetery which is located off Long Lake Road one kilometre west of the Southwest Bypass on the south side of the road.
A monument stone listing those buried on site will be unveiled.
This cemetery has been in existence since March 6, 1930 when Mrs. Anna Kantokoski (Koivula) was first buried there, according to available records.
The last person was buried there in September 1989 with the burial of Arne KinnunenÂ?s cremated remains.
Over the years the cemetery was not kept up and numerous headstones were vandalized.
Many local residents, some of whom had relatives buried there, knew of the cemeteryÂ?s existence, but it was not marked and the road to it was impassible.
In recent years, the Finnish Canadian Historical Society undertook to clean up and restore the cemetery to its rightful prominence as a recognized burial spot for numerous local pioneers.
Access over private lands was obtained by the Finnish Canadian Historical Society in January 2001 and the cemetery is now in the trusteeship of the society.
Over the past two summers, interest in the Long Lake Finnish Cemetery has crown by leaps and bounds.
The descendents of those buried in the cemetery, along with volunteers, and the members of Finnish Canadian Historical Society have been clearing the land, defining the boundaries, and rebuilding the access road.
At the same time the search has continued for the names of those buried on the site, as there are no official records anywhere.
An anecdotal list of names has been used to estimate the number of buried at 35, but obituaries found from various sources raises the number closer to 50.
One of those buried is a Second World War veteran who served overseas.
The Finnish Canadian Historical Society wishes to thank the City of Greater Sudbury, lawyer David J. Innis, and the many volunteers who have given of their time and equipment to assist with this worthwhile project.
For further information of this project and the forthcoming dedication ceremony, contact trustee Toivo Lain 560-5792 or the current chairman of the Finnish Canadian Historical Society, Arnold Niemiaho at 560-9812.
This article was forwarded to Northern Life by the Finnish Canadian Historical Society.
