Park hosts barn restoration workshop
From staff reports
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will again host their successful barn restoration workshop on June 13-18 at the John Burfiend Barn on Port Oneida Road, four miles north of Glen Arbor on M-22. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the partnership between the Michigan Barn Preservation Network (MBPN) and the National Lakeshore in developing this series of “hands-on” workshops. The park and the MBPN are providing the skilled labor to put on this workshop.
The workshop will address “Hewn Barn Sills, Floor, and Siding Repair.” The John Burfiend Barn was the site of the first park and MBPN workshop in 1997. The course will include: 1) using traditional tools to hand hew large timbers into barn sills, 2) creating the joinery necessary to interlock the sills, 3) repair of floors, 4) exterior siding repair and installation, and 5) tool safety while completing the task presented. This workshop is again able to provide a unique experience for all participants.
The course is set up so participants receive “hands on” training of all techniques. The workshop begins on site at 9 a.m. each day. There is no cost to participants. Tools and materials will be provided. Participants should wear boots, gloves, and bring a sack lunch for each day that they attend.
Workers are not required to be skilled in the building trades, though experience will be helpful and appreciated. The purpose of the workshop is to teach the techniques and train owners and interested public how to do restoration work on timber and frame structures. Past workshop attendees have ranged in age from 7 to 70 with each contributing their own unique skills to the project.
Interested parties should contact park Historical Architect Kimberly Mann at 231-326-4771 to sign up for the workshop. Campsites will be arranged for attendees at the D. H. Day Campground near Glen Haven, as needed. Sign up by email at kimberly_mann@nps.gov.
For more in-depth information about the National Lakeshore, please go to www.nps.gov/slbe. Also, check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sbdnl.
