TARTU - On Saturday, May 19, the Karlova district of Tartu will celebrate Karlovapaevad, or Karlova days, a one-day community-organized fair that will enable residents of this sweeping neighborhood of early-20th-century wooden homes to get to know one another, browse through second-hand clothing, enjoy folk music, and attend seminars on restoring their homes in line with Karlova's distinct architectural style.
"There will be music, there will be some demonstrations, for example a sauna shop is coming and presenting a sauna," said Karlova days organizer Meego Remmel, the pastor of Tartu's Salem Baptist Congregation. "Basically, we want to create an environment where people can say, 'Yes, I live in an environment where people can connect,'" he said.
For many Estonians, this kind of neighborhood interaction will be a stretch. "You can probably figure out how individualistic we are here in Estonia, and we don't really relate. So we want to push people to relate," said Remmel.
The Karlova celebration represents an important milestone in the short life of Karlova Kultuuri Selts, the Karlova Cultural Organization, which was formed over the past few years in this southern quadrant of Tartu. Moreover, it represents a renewed wave of civic activism in Tartu, joining community organizations 's like one in Tammelinn to the southwest and another in Supilinn in northern Tartu 's that have been formed to raise the profiles of Tartu's individual regions and to safeguard each neighborhood's architectural legacy.
This year's Karlova Days will be especially important because it will act as a springboard for the creation of an official Karlova neighborhood organization, Karlova Selts, that won't just provide local residents with cultural events but will also seek political input on behalf of Karlova at the city level.
"Karlova Selts is going to be officially formed on May 30," Remmel said. "It's going to be a broader community of people who want to stand not only for some events but also for the environment in terms of the region here, architecture, especially when someone wants to build a new house in this environment [which is] basically an old wooden house region," he said. "So there's a big wish that this environment should be kept as it has been historically."
This will be a supplement to Karlova Kultuuri Selts, which to date has focused on events like Karlovapaevad. "Monthly we have done Karlova culture evenings, inviting people that are well known in Karlova and Tartu or the cultural scene in Estonia just to talk and to unite people," said Remmel. Once Karlova Selts is formed, the two organizations will merge, with the cultural wing still overseeing the annual festival.
The Agenda
This year's Karlova Days will be organized around a market on Pargi street where residents and non-residents can come and sell or exchange second-hand goods and take part in the official festivities. "We have advertised that you can come and sell your old stuff if you want, if you have anything to sell or exchange," said Remmel. "Then there will be presentations on how to repaint your old house, the university of art will present something. There will be music," he said.
The official schedule for the event can be found at Karlova Kultuuri Selts' website 's www.karlova.ee 's and calls for an opening at 11 a.m., followed by an opening of the marketplace at 11:30. There will also be art courses, a student cafe, folk music, a performance by pianist Lauri Lehtosaar's ensemble, a sauna studio, an auction, and a closing event at Remmel's church featuring performances by a children's choir.
Despite the event's close connection to Remmel's parish, the pastor said that the church involvement was only due to its resourcefulness as a community center. "The problem is that if we do it as a church then people think it's a church thing, but it's not specifically a church thing," he said. "We have a venue here and we can invite people in, but it's not really a church project."
Also at the event will be a meeting for getting people acquainted with the about-to-be-formed Karlova Selts. Remmel said that Karlova has been inspired by other organizations like Supilinn's neighborhood organization that was formed three years ago for protecting the region's architectural integrity.
He added that Karlova and other neighborhoods have worked together in the past and that he could envision greater communication among Tartu's neighborhood organizations in the future as each develops. As a sign of this cooperation, Karlova last year held its annual festival at the same time as Tammelinn. Tiina Konsen, who organizes Tammelinn's annual festival, told The Baltic Times last week that its festival is now scheduled for September.
"We have shared information concerning specific projects. These are local initiatives. It's not really a must that we communicate daily, but if there's a project we can do it together," said Remmel.
"We are hoping in the future that Karlova Selts can have some influence on the city government," Remmel added. "Local people should also be able to add a word and say what they want to see developed in their own environment."
