Türi at 100: Memories of the song field, wild boar herds and a Swedish hymn

A jubilee story of Türi recalls concerts held in the 1980s on an outdoor stage, where the ensemble Suveniir, Fix and Karavan performed. Nostalgic memories blend with wild boar herding and the sounds of Swedish band Charizma's famous song "Join Hands", which echoed far across the fields.

The Türi song field was a lively cultural hub in the 1980s, hosting performances by many Estonian ensembles. The ensemble Suveniir, led by Heldur Jõgioja, appeared most frequently, with soloists Olev Vestmann and Sirje and Rein Kurg. Humorous interludes were handled by Kaarel Tuvike, who on one occasion came on stage with a hunting rifle, and to everyone's surprise, clothing scraps flew out along with a loud bang. The crowd roared, the concert ended and flowers were brought to the soloists-some picked from home gardens, some bought from a sales point at the edge of the song field. The same bouquets travelled with the ensembles, and the same flowers were resold in the next town.

A strong impression was left by the ensemble Fix with their charismatic Silvi Vraide. The author does not yet know that ten years later she will become his own teacher.

At the cultural centre, the beloved ensemble Karavan performs-real idols whose members and songs are all in the listener's mind. Roald Jürlau's ensemble Friday's Deal sounds with fierce energy, warmed up by an East German collective whose guitarist plays dazzlingly fast. The most famous group in Paide district is Paradoks, though their performances were not always well attended.

As the awakening period approaches, a special popularity rises for the Swedish band Charizma, whose song "Join Hands" becomes virtually a people's anthem. During one concert, however, the singer is actually ten kilometres away from Türi, up in a tree, where he and his father are herding wild boar. A high seat has been built between the branches of an old aspen. One must be quiet so the animals will come out.

It is a warm and quiet evening, the sun has sunk behind the forest. The wild boar herd rustles onto the meadow-this time the sow with her piglets. They eat peacefully until the sow starts waving her tail and scattering her young in all directions. The piglets squeal, father and son hold back their laughter. No shot is fired this time. From far away, from the direction of Türi, across the hay meadows comes the sound: "Estonia and Sweden, join hands, join hands together, we're friends forever."