Jõekääru property owners have never, in anybody’s recollection, assembled for an autumn’s day of community labour. In the past, community gatherings happened officially only twice a year, for spring talgud and the fall annual general meeting. But with a growing population of full-time residents, and a new dynamic Jõekääru Cottagers Association, with Jaan Schaer as its elected president, a once sleepy Jõekääru has woken from a long slumber of community inactivity. Jõekääru is getting its act back together, but with a twist. In the year 2004 not everyone who is contributing to the community is Estonian.. Acceptance of that reality has been slow in coming, but come it has. Jõekääru is no longer the "pure" ethnic enclave of the 50s, 60s and early 70s. Today, Jõekääru is a "Little Estonia," a quaint rural neighbourhood, sort of like Toronto’s, "Little Italy."
The day’s activities began on a solemn note with the planting of a tree in memory of Ivo Rannala, a long-time Jõekääru resident, former Association president and friend to practically everyone who knew him. To the east of Taevaskoda at the forest’s edge, Eerik Valter and Riki Tae, prepared the earth for a tall Sugar Maple tree, as everyone, together with Ivo’s wife, Kathy, and their son Ivar and daughter Viveca, looked on. When the tree was firmly set in the soil and watered, a moment of silence was held for Ivo, a young man too soon departed.
From Taevaskoda the talgud participants dispersed in four or five groups to perform various duties, such as the placement of posts to hamper the access of snowmobiles and all-terrain-vehicles onto the fields and forests, street and ditch cleaning and the installation of new speed signs. At the corner of Sulevi Ave. and Linda Ave. a little used and over-grown right-of way to Ravenshoe Rd. was made new again. This refurbished footpath provides a short-cut to Udora. Formerly, the quickest route to Udora from Jõekääru was to cross Kivioja land over a path that began at the corner of Narva Ave. and Linda. However, the new owners of Kivioja are asserting their private property rights and, as a result, Jõekääru folk are no longer welcome there.
Talgud is also a time for residents to bring out their mechanized toys. A frightening weed-whacker with a metal blade buzzed loudly, an antique mini-tractor/lawn mower was out doing its business, a fancy ATV pulled brush and debris to the east side of the river by the dam and chainsaws of various shapes, sizes and vintages could be heard buzzing throughout the day. Early in the afternoon, Maimu Schaer and Evi Novek made the rounds serving sandwiches and delicious hot chocolate for lunch.
The day’s business was done by 2 p.m. And almost on cue, sunny skies became cloudy, and rain fell on a suddenly quiet and peaceful Jõekääru.