The work of the Kerkolla kylään project carried out in 2022-23 bore fruit, and Kerkonkoski has become visible throughout the entire North Savo region through various events. During the project, intensive communication work was carried out using social media, and websites and social media channels were created to serve villagers and tourists. There has also been a lot of press coverage in the area's newspapers.

The Kerkolla Village project aimed to increase community spirit and has attracted new volunteers and entrepreneurs to the village association. Events and active visibility have played a major role in engaging in the activities. During the project, events that aroused a lot of interest were created, such as Kerkonkosken Venetsialaiste, Kerkon Iltapilkki and Saunamaraton. The preservation of the village school has been one of the most important goals of the previous project. Development work and marketing were carried out to develop the school.

Various tourism-related measures, such as mapping out bicycle tourism opportunities, utilizing the Old Mill, for example, in events, and creating and developing events, were already carried out during the Kerkko Village project, but this has only just scratched the surface.

The last couple of years have shown that there is still work to be done in the field of tourism in Kerkonkoski, and Kerkonkosken Ketterä ry decided to apply for a new project. The Traveling to Kerkonkoski project received the green light from the board of the Development Association Mansikka ry in autumn 2023, and this spring the project was also approved by the North Savo ELY Centre. The project is a Smart Villages project and was granted €60,000 in funding for two years. It will be implemented in cooperation with the Kiesimä Village Association. Johanna Koponen will continue as a project worker.

Kerkonkoski's strength is, according to the village's slogan, its location "in the middle of nowhere". Silence, peace, and genuinely clean nature and water attract people to live, have cottages, and travel to the area. The project aims to tie Kerkonkoski's tourism potential together into a compact village tourism entity and make it visible to reach tourists.  

The village's dirt road network will be utilized for gravel cycling routes and existing trails will be harnessed for hiking. The project naturally also includes working on marketing material. Unique events and various outdoor routes create well-being for the residents of Kerkonkoski and the surrounding area. We also want tourists to stop, stay overnight and use the services in the village.

The common thread of the project's activities is the village's artistic and cultural background. Kerkonkoski is home to many artists and innovative people, and we want to utilize their creations and activities so that it is a more visible part of the village. During the project, we will find out how to make art and the village's culture visible, for example at the Old Mill, in the village's signposts and on outdoor routes. We want the outdoor route to stand out from the crowd with landscaping and/or soundscape, and we will involve the village's artists in its design. 

International cooperation brings new ideas and vitality to the village community

In Finland, the concept of village tourism is not yet well known, and for this reason, ideas, lessons and experiences are sought abroad. This requires a study trip to European village tourism destinations. Visits and other contacts will increase international cooperation for Kerkonkoski. We are currently looking for an active twin village in Europe with which to conduct cultural exchanges. We want to get to know village activities abroad and draw ideas for our own activities. In return, we want to invite a twin village to visit Kerkonkoski. This way, we bring internationality closer to the villagers and thus increase the excitement in the village.

Marketing material will also be created to serve foreign tourists and residents. The project will map the utilization of digital services in various tourism services.

It's better for two little ones to struggle together.

Traveling to Kerkonkoski – the project is being carried out in collaboration with the Kiesimä Village Association, a smaller neighboring village of Kerkonkoski. Cooperation with this association has already been initiated during the Kerkolli Village project. A gravel cycling route has been planned between Kiesimä and Kerkonkoski, and the Kiesimä Village Association’s rental cabins are marketed on the Kerkonkoski website. It has been good to continue the collaboration to develop the route network and tourism services. Kiesimä also has interesting places to visit that have not been used before: for example, the Temple of the Giants and the Kiesimä Canal are unknown even to many people living nearby.

With the project, we want to activate the people of two closely operating village associations to join forces and inspire families to participate in the activity. The project will draw fresh ideas from both sides and increase cooperation between the villages. The project will also bring together other village actors and resources to develop village tourism: the municipality, school, villagers and leisure residents, associations and entrepreneurs. In recent years, we have seen how, by involving villagers and village entrepreneurs, innovative events have been created. We are pleased that the active activities have created well-being and friendships between the villagers. In this project, cooperation with the villagers will continue and we will also be involved in regional tourism development.

For more information about the project, please contact project worker Johanna Koponen, kerkollekylaan@gmail.com p. 0400 376 585. 

The project has received EU rural funding through the Development Association Mansikka.