HUNDREDS OF MEMBERS of the Estonian diaspora gathered over the weekend to celebrate midsummer, transforming a church in the Novato hills into an event that felt akin to a cultural festival in the European countryside. 

The all-day event was part of the biannual West Coast Estonian Days, where Estonians and those with Estonian heritage primarily from the United States and Canada congregate to one city for a weekend celebrating the Estonian diaspora. This year, San Francisco was the host city. 

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Alise is a general assignment reporter with a focus on covering government, elections, housing, crime, courts and entertainment in San Francisco and on the Peninsula. Alise is a Bay Area native from San Carlos. She studied history at University of California, Santa Cruz and first started journalism at Skyline College’s school newspaper in San Bruno. She has interned for Bay City News and for Eesti Rahvusringhääling, or Estonian Public Broadcasting. She has covered everything from the removal of former San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus to the divisive battle over the Great Highway on San Francisco’s west side. Please send her any tips.