Exciting changes coming to the Port Oneida Fair
From staff reports
Mark your calendar for the 2024 Port Oneida Fair at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Friday and Saturday, August 9-10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Each August, amid the pastoral setting of meadows, maples, barns, farmhouses, and corncribs, the Port Oneida Rural Historic District awakens from its peaceful slumber. The district comes alive with activity true to the period when it was a community of robust farms. Visitors are invited to step back in time to experience life as it was in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
This year, activities are being consolidated at five sites in the historic district. This is a change from past years. During the 2024 fair, buildings at the Dechow, Olsen, Thoreson, and Kelderhouse farms, and the Port Oneida School will be open to tour. Each site will host a collection of themed demonstrations by skilled artisans with more than 70 activities happening across the fair.
“Some activities were a little too off the beaten path in years past,” said Matt Mohrman, Sleeping Bear Dunes’ Port Oneida Fair coordinator. “This year, by centralizing demonstrations to five main sites, we are hoping to better highlight visitor favorites. For example, you can now play early American cricket at the Dechow farm and build a model of a timber frame barn at the Olsen farm.”
Another new addition this year is that visitors can access all the information about the fair directly on their phones. The NPS app has a complete fair itinerary under the Sleeping Bear Dunes’ “THINGS TO DO” section. By downloading the app for offline use before the fair, a real-time interactive map lets people know exactly where they are within the historic district.
Saturday, Aug. 10, also marks the return of the Star Party to the Port Oneida Fair. Not held since before 2020, the Port Oneida Fair Star Party will take place at the Thoreson Farm from 9-11 p.m. Members of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be on hand to share telescopes and knowledge. Observe the beautiful summer night sky constellations, Saturn, and possibly a few bright Perseid meteors.
The web calendar has details on both events. For questions, please call 231-326-4700, extension 5010.
The Port Oneida Fair is presented by the National Lakeshore in partnership with the non-profit organization Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear. The fair promotes the preservation of rural traditional skills, crafts, landscapes, and communities of the Upper Great Lakes Region through education and artistic expression.
There is no cost for the event; however, you must have a park entrance pass, or an annual pass displayed in your vehicle. Passes can be purchased online here.
