When I came here, the road signs gave pretty good tips on what the place had been here in the past, but despite all the tips, I couldn't believe that it was indeed one of Finland's most popular dance stages!
This place should have been filmed about 25 years ago before that place was burned.
Here's a copy of Yle's story
yle.fi/uutiset/3-6140031
Karanga National Park
- At one time one of the largest dance stages in Finland
- Audience capacity 2000 people
- The operation ceased in the 1980s
- Burned to the ground in 1997
The Karanga Grand Stage, located half a kilometer from Kajaani towards Sotkamo, was once one of the largest dance stages in Finland. Dances came from Kajaani and further afield, as all the leading artists of our country performed on stage.
- Hurriganes, Danny-Show, Hullujussi and all the other big names went here, said Jorma Kröger, who has been involved in the rotation of the stage for more than five years.
The Karanga stage was one of the largest dance stages in Finland due to its size.
- The entrance staircase is larger in Karanga than in Iisalmi City Hall, Jorma Kröger recalls that the players of one orchestra have stated.
There was enough crowd and there was room
You get some idea of ​​the size of the stage when you compare the size to the number of audiences. The official audience capacity of the stage was about 2,000 people, but sometimes that number was well exceeded.
- Hullujussi set a stage audience record, recalls Jorma Kröger.
- Now that it's been so long and hopefully the police aren't listening, I guess you can say that Hullujussi once pulled more than 3,500 people to the scene. Laughs Jorma Kröger.
Hurriganes, Danny-Show, Hullujussi and all the other big names went here.
Jorma Kröger
The iron laws of the entertainment business worked in the 1970s and 1980s as they do today: top artists paid significantly more than lesser-known performers.
- An ordinary orchestra could get a gig for FIM 1,000, but Hurriganes and Danny-show, for example, could cost FIM 7,000 - 8,000. In order to give myself something like that, the ticket price was raised a little, Jorma Kröger recalls.
The entertainment tax disappears - the downturn begins
In Karanga, in times of greatness, fun was held on weekends, but also on Wednesdays, the ringing played and there was enough crowd to dance. Gradually, as the 1980s approached, the situation changed, and the fate of the Karanga stage was very similar to that of hundreds if not thousands of other stages.
The stage had to compete with the restaurants for the audience, and when the pallets did not fare for the restaurants in terms of service equipment, the downturn began. The entertainment tax was heavy to pay for the stages, but on the other hand it could even be useful for the stages in the competition against the restaurants.
- A quarter of the ticket price was entertainment tax, and it had to be paid in advance. It was a significant item of expenditure. When the entertainment tax then disappeared, the restaurants started to organize dances, and when they got that beer from there, that audience gradually moved there, says Jorma Kröger.
The beginning of the end
Activity on the Karanga stage waned in the early 1980s. Audience numbers declined sharply and the stage framework also began to be in need of thorough renovation. When the public was no longer interested in coming to Karanka, those who ran the activities, such as the local branches of SKDL and SKP and a few left-wing organizations, gave up running the unprofitable stage.
- After the dances ended, the stage served as a furniture warehouse for an entrepreneur for a while and then it was left empty, says Jorma Kröger.
After the entrepreneur moved his belongings elsewhere, the stage was left empty, and the systematic destruction of the stage began. First, the spectacular glass wall of the stage was smashed, and then everything was removed. Finally, the demolition work was completed by burning the platform to the ground.
As a result of the destruction, all that remains of the stage is a concrete foundation and plenty of memories in people’s minds.