EMBARRASS - Ninety-eight years ago, Dorothy Nelimark Bruno was born in the small, ground floor bedroom in what is now the Nelimark Homestead Museum.

“I was the first one born in this house,” she said, while back for a visit last Saturday during the annual Sauna Days celebration.

Touring the homestead with her daughter Dianne Barkley, granddaughter Lisa Robinson, and great-grandchildren Braden and Adalyn, she talked about her childhood in Embarrass, where she mostly lived for 90 years, before moving in with a daughter, near Eveleth.

Her great-grandchildren, who live in Wisconsin, had never visited the homestead before. They were rather curious about how the sauna worked, as well as the old-fashioned washing machines and mangles in the historic building. They eagerly explored the house itself, getting a guided tour by their grandmother, who told stories while walking them through the rooms.

Dorothy was greeted as a returning celebrity by those stopping by for coffee and pulla. Many had fond memories of time spent with the Nelimark family.

Dorothy was in fine spirits, singing the old tune “The Old Gray Mare” as she slowly maneuvered her walker up the ramp into the house where she had been born.

Sauna Days celebrates Embarrass history and heritage, and of course, saunas.

This year there were three portable saunas on display, with wood stoves fired up, some ready to welcome bathers (with swimsuits on) in the afternoon.

Todd Esala had brought over his portable sauna, built by himself and his son Erik, on the chassis of an old camper back in 2007. While the sauna mostly gets used at the family’s hunting shack, it also had been brought to family reunions, he said. The eight by sixteen foot structure has two rooms, and features a classic Lamppa Kuuma sauna stove.

Risto Sivula had already put 8,000 miles on the traveling sauna being sponsored in honor of Finland’s 100th anniversary. The sauna started the year in Minneapolis, traveled west, and is now back to the Midwest on its way east, ending the year in Washington, in time for Finland’s 100th anniversary on Dec. 6.

The traveling sauna is a way to share the culture of Finland.

“We wanted to pick a symbol for our 100th anniversary,” said Sivula, noting they are inviting the public to experience a wood-fired sauna at each stop as they travel across the country.

You can learn more about the sauna tour at www.travelingsauna.com.

Saunas are no stranger to those in Embarrass. Sauna Days also includes the popular bus tour to the variety of saunas, historic and more modern, that dot the Embarrass landscape.

Historic sauna expert Frank Eld, of Idaho, was also on hand, with his “Finnebego,” a custom-built log camper on the back of his pickup truck. Eld was busy visiting with anyone who wanted to talk sauna, as well as signing copies of his book on historic saunas.

There was pulla (Finnish cardamom bread) and other treats for sale, along with rhubarb slushies. Steve Solkeld was on hand with his one-man band and repertoire of Finnish folk music and stories. There was the ever-popular boot toss competition.

Finland kicked off their 100th anniversary celebration in Minnesota in January.