Ely Folk School

Ely Folk School People are geared to create. Our ancestors survived by procuring or crafting all of life’s essentials. Our mission is to inspire, not compel.

Building community by providing learning experiences that celebrate the wilderness, heritage, art, history, culture, & craft of the people of northern Minnesota on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in downtown Ely. Work with Your Hands - Learn from Your Peers - Create Something Lasting

The Ely Folk School offers classes, workshops & events for folks of all ages involving hands

-on, cooperative learning. That hard-wired propensity for creation may no longer be critical for our survival, but it enhances our well-being. The contemplative nature of handwork skills still provides an enormous sense of satisfaction that allows people to lose themselves in time – an increasingly rare experience in today’s fast-paced lives. The Ely Folk School is a haven for interaction and renewal. We are also inter-generational and non-competitive with no grades and no credits. We encourage learning for life instead of for exams

September marks the start of the school year for the younger learners among us. For the first time in Ely, school will b...
09/03/2026

September marks the start of the school year for the younger learners among us. For the first time in Ely, school will be a Monday-Thursday affair! As students, teachers, and families adjust to the longer weekend and longer school days, we hope we can help aid the transition. We’re excited to be part of The Friday Network, led by Ely Community Resource. The Friday Network is a collaborative community response to a significant change in the lives of local families, offering engaging and fun activities for a variety of age groups.

The Ely Folk School is donating our facility on Fridays for ECR staff member, Grace Klein (and EFS Community Sing leader!), to lead sewing, cooking, and arts programs. We are so grateful for Ely Community Resource and the initiative they take in ensuring a manageable transition to our new school schedule. So, if you stop by for a class or to shop our Mercantile on Fridays, you’ll get an extra chance to see our core tenets of non-competitive, intergenerational learning for life in action!

These inter-connected, collaborative, and community wide initiatives are incredibly representative of how this little town at the end of the road ticks. We’re grateful and proud to be able to continue the work.

Photo by John Ratzloff, from an EFS Creative Kids Sew class

Rachael's in Iceland and OOO! We figured hand drawn was better than a canva template, but we sure do miss her. Join EFS ...
09/02/2026

Rachael's in Iceland and OOO! We figured hand drawn was better than a canva template, but we sure do miss her.

Join EFS and the Forging Community to try a taste of blacksmithing or deepen your knowledge and forge decorative wall hooks. These classes are accessible and only two or three hours, giving you the chance to discover the magic of blacksmithing without dedicating your full weekend.

If you're drawn to hand-forged decor but unable to take the class, be sure to check out the Ely Folk School Mercantile to purchase a variety of hooks, paper towel holders, and letter openers.

Introducing the incomparable Molly Roske as our caller for our September Community Barn Dance! As participants in our co...
09/01/2026

Introducing the incomparable Molly Roske as our caller for our September Community Barn Dance!

As participants in our community dances may know, it’s easy to be swept up in the movement and partnership of the dance and forget that there’s a delicate art (and a rich history) to the unsung conductor of such ceremonies: the caller.

The caller, armed with nothing more than a head mic and an air of gravitas, is responsible for communicating with the band (an array of plucky fiddles, banjos, guitars, mandolins, and in our school’s case, the occasional bass saxophone) and capturing the attention of barn-dizzy hooligans (a group of enthusiasts with wild hair flyaways and sweaty palms who are often completely uninitiated to terms like “promenade” and “allemande” (not to mention phrases like “swing your partner!” or “seesaw and balance!”).

The caller takes this endearing chaos and turns it into (mostly) ordered dances; in pairs, groups of eight, spiraling circles, or long, stretched wide rows where dancers come together in and out and round and round, laughing and tumbling in step with the old time musical accompaniment.

How does one get into this type of facilitation?

Back in April, Molly, alongside Anna Heil, and Emily Roose, attended an Iron Range Barn Dances Calling Workshop sponsored by Call of the Loon Community Arts. Anna wrote about this experience (and Molly’s journey to being our dance caller) on our blog!

https://www.elyfolkschool.org/post/a-new-calling-learning-to-lead-community-dances

Our September Community Barn Dance will be held on Saturday, September 12th, 7-9:30pm at Ethel’s Acres (2231 Robich Rd).

( 📸 Andy Vogl of AV Photography)

This summer, our youth programs included Chickadee Club mornings filled with art activities, story time, and making snac...
08/28/2026

This summer, our youth programs included Chickadee Club mornings filled with art activities, story time, and making snacks to share together, and Creative Kids classes where participants learned how to bake bread, dye fabric using natural sources, and build a treasure box.

As we start planning for next summer, are there particular classes or skills you (or the littles in your life) would like to see? Let us know in the comments below!

As always, a huge thank you to Jen Toddie, our Youth and Family Program Coordinator for creating such warm, welcoming spaces for our littlest folk school community members.

Riley Kleve does a little bit of everything when it comes to fiber and textiles, including - but not limited to! - hands...
08/27/2026

Riley Kleve does a little bit of everything when it comes to fiber and textiles, including - but not limited to! - handspinning, weaving, dyeing, and embroidering. They are a resident artisan at North House Folk School and have taught fiber classes large and small in settings ranging from biweekly library get-togethers to large dusk-to-dawn community arts festivals, and teach at folk schools around the country. We’re excited to welcome them back to Ely!

Back in April, during Riley’s first visit to the Ely Folk School, they taught a creative mending class, which was one of our more popular spring classes. One student shared this after class: “I loved the teaching style - perfect balance of instruct, then do! Riley answered questions articulately, they were super helpful and encouraging, and had a great sense of humor!! They had the whole class laughing multiple times. I would absolutely take another class by Riley again in the future.”

For this visit, Riley will be teaching two classes on Wednesday, September 9th:

First, learn about making yarn in Handmade Yarn on a Drop Spindle (10am-3pm).
Transform wool from fluff to yarn by using a drop spindle, a tool that humans have used for thousands of years in nearly all corners of the globe. Along the way, instructor and yarn fanatic, Riley, will share plenty of tidbits about wool production, sheep stories, and more. You’ll leave class with finished yarn ready to knit, crochet, or weave into your next project!

Then, in the evening, they’re teaching another session of Darn It! Intro to Creative Mending (5:30-7:30pm).

Extend the life of well-loved clothes using basic darning techniques! Class will start out with a hands-on overview of basic darning before branching out into individual mending projects. Bring in some of your own items in need of mending, and you’ll go over how to fix them together in class. This is perfect for giving your sweaters and socks some love before the weather turns.

Join Riley for one or either if you’re interested in extending your knowledge on what goes into making the yarns we use or how skills to repair favorite items of clothing for years to come.

Ten years ago this week, we completed construction of our first wiigwaasi jiimaan (birch bark canoe). This 13-ft canoe w...
08/26/2026

Ten years ago this week, we completed construction of our first wiigwaasi jiimaan (birch bark canoe). This 13-ft canoe was crafted in summer 2016 with all the materials - from birch bark and pine pitch to cedar planking and black spruce roots - gathered responsibly from our bountiful forests.

Thank you to the hundreds of hands that built this canoe! This was a true community build - under the care and instruction of Erik Simula, many students showed up weekly to buggy bogs and hot afternoons at EFS to harvest roots, steam cedar into ribs, and share what they've learned with curious passerby. Many people visiting town got to learn about the history, construction, and culture of canoes while peeling bark off of roots or sieving dirt out of spruce pitch.

To learn more about our wiigawaasi-jiimaanan, you can stop in at the Ely Folk School, peruse our blog posts, or simply stay tuned to our email newsletter for additional Northwoods Skills and Crafting classes.

If you played a part, large or small, in the crafting of this canoe, we'd love to hear your stories! Comment below or come on in to EFS and celebrate with us.

It’s somehow already back to school time, and if you too want to relive that feeling and join in for some classes yourse...
08/24/2026

It’s somehow already back to school time, and if you too want to relive that feeling and join in for some classes yourself, we invite you to check out our September program schedule. 😉

🍁Ease into fall by taking time to write and reflect in one of DyAnne Korda’s writing classes: Writing for Your Life or Nature Writing with the Listening Point Foundation.

🔨The Forging Co will be here during Harvest Moon Festival, you can check out their booth and then try blacksmithing for yourself! They are offering two Taste of Blacksmithing classes and an Intermediate Decorative Wall Hooks class for students who have previously taken a class with them (or have other experience).

🫚Expand your culinary skills through The Whole Hog: Pig Butchering basics or through learning traditional and modern uses of a number of Wild Spices.

🎭 Or perhaps you’d like to play around in our Introduction to Improv Theater class. Improv may be a type of performance, but it's also a valuable transferable skill, which can help make you a better conversationalist, expand your creative thinking, and boost your confidence.

👌Rebecca Pauly is offering a 102 American Sign Language class! Have you taken her 101 class and wanted to learn more ASL from Rebecca? This is your chance!

💫And more! Classes subject to change. Please check our website or call for the most up to date class schedule. Registering early helps instructors prepare class plans and materials.

We are so excited to have Sophie Hiroko and Lu Starr performing here at the Ely Folk School for an intimate, acoustic co...
08/21/2026

We are so excited to have Sophie Hiroko and Lu Starr performing here at the Ely Folk School for an intimate, acoustic concert on Sunday!

Sophie has recently been making waves in the Twin Cities Music scene after being awarded the 2025 Palomino Grant - a $5,000 award given by Trampled by Turtles annually to a musical artist based in the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. She also opened for them at the Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth in July!

Born and raised in northern Minnesota, singer-songwriter Lu Starr currently performs in the Duluth area. Composing original songs, she explores themes of divine femininity, navigating grief, and reflecting on true friendship and love. Starr’s voice is full of depth and soul found in the likes of Norah Jones, while her songwriting mimics the poetic charm of Joni Mitchell.

All ticket sales will be donated back to the Ely Folk School for this summer fundraiser performance! Tickets are available on a sliding scale price.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see these incredible up-and-coming artists right here in Ely!

Sunday, August 23rd, 6pm

08/20/2026

Why host a kraftskiva party here at the Ely Folk School?

Well, of course we love any excuse to host a potluck, and this one requires party hats and silly songs! But beyond just the opportunity to wear fun hats, this event is actually a great example of our mission here.

It’s an opportunity for our community to come together to learn and celebrate culture and heritage - whether or not their identities you hold or you’re simply interested in learning more - while also placing it in the context of where we live now. On the same day we hosted this Swedish-inspired party, we had a pie dough class that discussed the “American-ness of pies,” and the next day “Around the Samovar: Insights into Folk Embroidery of the Slavic World” explored regional symbolism and embroidery across Ukraine and Russia.. This upcoming weekend we have a Foundations of Mead Making class that explores mead and fermented beverages in the context of human history.

We also use the Kraftskiva to learn about crayfish species in our area. Liz from the Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District and Matt from the 1854 Treaty Authority, shared information on aquatic invasive species, which include the rusty crayfish. (They also caught and cooked the rusty crayfish we ate during the potluck!)

🦋 We released the last of the monarchs from our little nursery set up. Pictured here is one that decided to hang out for...
08/18/2026

🦋 We released the last of the monarchs from our little nursery set up. Pictured here is one that decided to hang out for a while during story time on our last Chickadee Club morning! 😍

We wish them best of luck on their migration journeys and thanks for following along with us!

Address

209 East Sheridan Street
Ely, MN
55731

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+12182350138

Website

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