![]() ![]() Simula instructed them on how to lift and carry the canoe so as not to damage it. Nearly a dozen volunteers gathered Sunday to carefully transport the canoe to Semer’s Park. The watercraft is on display in the EFS building. Simula said the new watercraft was given the name “Burntside” after the popular Ely-area lake and because of the ancient paddling tradition connected with the body of water. “Learning the process of building a birch bark canoe gives people today an understanding of the history, culture, art and craft that is embedded in the canoe.” “We had some lashing to do on the ends and we needed to add a few more ribs and some other work on the gunwales,” he said. ![]() Simula noted that a good portion of the canoe was completed back in 2019 before the project was halted in 2020 and resumed last year. Community members and visitors were encouraged to stop by and watch and ask questions while the class was working on the canoe. The canoe project classes met outside on the lawn by the Folk School, at 209 E Sheridan St., each Sunday, weather permitting. The first class of 2022 was held in early June and work began in earnest to finish the project, offering participants handcrafting skills and more as they learned, in traditional detail, the many aspects of creating a remarkable watercraft. “It has been a long time coming but this is such an honor to see this through.” “Our goal this year was to complete and paddle our 20-foot canoe at the conclusion of this fourth year of construction,” he said. “We worked hard on this project and this canoe is finally seeing its day to greet the water,” he said to a small group of volunteers and onlookers Sunday afternoon before the maiden voyage. Because of COVID-19 the canoe was stored in the EFS garage for more than a year. ![]() Master birch bark canoe builder Erik Simula, a Finnish-American outdoor educator, has overseen the project the previous three summers. ELY – The “Burntside,” a 20-foot traditional Ojibwe –style canoe, hit the water for the first time off Semer’s Park last Sunday, the culmination of three summers of dedicated work for the Ely Folk School’s (EFS) birch bark canoe project. ![]()
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