The biennial West Coast Estonian Days (Lääneranniku Eesti Päevad - LEP) were held this year at Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia, from July 4 to 8. It is an event that is held successively in each of the five North American West Coast cities that have a sizable Estonian community. These events feature all things Estonian and are designed to foster, maintain, encourage and exhibit Estonian culture. This year it was the turn of Vancouver’s Estonian community to host LEP, and under the leadership of Alar Suurkask the event committee chose a resort about 135 km east of Vancouver in a scenic mountainous area.

The event was organized and executed by a committee of a dozen dedicated folk who labored on preparations for a year. They scheduled the events and integrated available talent from all the West Coast cities: Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, as is the tradition. But they also brought in talent from Toronto and Estonia, which proved that distances and borders are not an obstacle. As such events are organized the attendance is always a question mark and thus poses a financial risk as facilities are rented in advance. But when the registration was complete, over 600 people had registered, and that assured the solvency of the enterprise.

It was gratifying to see that although the LEP attendance over the years has shrunk, young people were very much in evidence. So as the gray-haired of us find it more difficult to attend, and the middle-aged satisfy their hunger for their heritage by going to Estonia, the younger generation is taking their place coming from our communities that have a nurturing atmosphere and leadership. In fact, participants were given free passes to most events so as to draw as many of the younger generation as possible to Harrison Hot Springs.

From Toronto came an especially large contingent of young people: the Estonian Schools Choir, a rhythmic gymnastics team and solo instrumentalists and singers. Also from Toronto came a double quartet +2 formed from the Toronto Estonian Men’s Choir. Two events were scheduled featuring entirely people from Toronto: a concert of choral pieces and a gymnastics exhibit.

Toronto also sent representatives from the world famous Kalev Estienne - their rhythmic gymnastic team. All those who were seated close enough to the low stage, saw what has made them so famous and appreciated their discipline and agility.

Prior to Estonia becoming free, the West Coast Days always included a political component, but this has now been replaced by guest performers from Estonia, that represent its very best talent - a definite draw for attendance. This time we could enjoy the E STuudio chamber choir, a choir of 31 young ladies and men directed by Külli Lokko and Mariell Piispea. To this writer this was the high point of the Days. Also, a separate concert was given by a quartet of very talented young men, who charmed the audience with a variety of song styles and with humor. They called themselves whimsically UR2KAM. All of the guests from Estonia paid for their own transportation (or found sponsors) to come to our West Coast.

The E STuudio chamber choir also made the concert worship service a memorable event. In the worship service representatives of four Christian denominations participated. The sermon was delivered by Lutheran Archbishop Udo Petersoo.

For the traditional Song Festival all singers present joined to form a great choir in which three continents were represented, including Australia. Though brief in performance time, the songs were emotional to the degree that many listeners swallowed hard, especially during songs such as “Ta lendab mesipuu poole” (in essence, the song draws a parallel to patriotism by observing how bees fly home, no matter what, to fulfill their destiny.) There were many songs which the audience associated with the struggle of Estonia to become free.

The folkdance performance was truly a home-grown event, and is to be marveled that this still occurs in our widely dispersed Estonian expatriate community. What has made these folkdance clubs successful is that they include also non-Estonian speaking people from the wider community. The folkdance festival consisted of individual dance performances by groups from Portland (Tulehoidjad,) Seattle and two groups from Vancouver: (the high energy Kilplased and the eloquent Keerutajad.) The festival culminating with a combined dance with a theme that illustrated Estonian courting customs. It was conceived and musically accompanied by Portland’s band Westvillage Musicians (Lääneküla pillimehed) led by Liina Teose. It ended with a wedding party that ended with the traditional Tuljak, a most imaginatively choreographed dance, a high point of every Estonian folkdance festival ever performed.

(To be continued)

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