Stories of Former Municipality Mayor and the Best Shopping Finds on My Valga Tour

Simultaneously with the Livonian Michaelmas Fair, Valga Museum will conduct the last tour of this year's My Valga series on October 10th, starting at 1 PM. The tour, titled Stories of a Municipality Mayor and Her Best Shopping Finds, will be led by politician Ester Karuse.

To introduce the tour, Ester Karuse says the following: As a former municipality mayor, I will show places that got a new look during our time and tell stories about the changes, decisions, and what happened behind the scenes. But the tour will not lack one of my great passions, which is shopping! Yes, it's awesome to shop in Valga and find real gems. I will take you to my favorite second-hand and other exciting shops and show you what I like to buy from there. And since Valga is a twin town, during the tour we will also cross the Estonian state borders.

Ester Karuse was born and raised in Valga and decided to stay in her hometown after graduating from upper-secondary school. While studying by correspondence at Mainor Business School, she started working in her father's company, and in the 2017 local elections, she was elected to the Valga municipal council.

In the 2019 parliamentary elections, she received 1,665 votes and subsequently worked as an adviser to the Centre Party faction in the Riigikogu (Parliament). In March 2020, she became the Mayor of Valga, a position she held until April 2021. Since 2023, she has been a member of the Riigikogu (Parliament). In January 2025, she joined the Social Democratic Party of Estonia.

In addition to politics, Karuse has been actively involved in sports and physical activity – going to the gym, running, walking, and various outdoor sports. She has also contributed to community safety by working as a volunteer police officer. In her activities, she values self-development, an active lifestyle, motivating others, and contributing to the well-being of her hometown.