Step back in time at Port Oneida
The two-day Port Oneida Fair experiences life as it was in the late 1800s and early 1900s
From staff reports
Each August, amid the pastoral setting of meadows, barns, farmhouses and corncribs, the Port Oneida Rural Historic District awakens from its peaceful slumber and comes alive with activity true to the period when it was a robust community of settlers. The Port Oneida Fair showcases traditional rural crafts and life skills demonstrated by volunteer local artisans and craftsmen. It takes place at select historic farms and a one-room schoolhouse. Take the bus or horse and wagon ride, hike the trails, ride your bike or drive to the unique historic sites where a variety of activities take place. You’ll find music, food, games, and lots of hands-on exhibits. Try your hand at a crosscut saw, wash some clothes by hand, or watch oxen cutting hay in the fields! It’s an event the whole family will enjoy!
The ninth annual two-day Port Oneida Cultural Fair presents traditional rural crafts, skills, cultural traditions and history as well as contemporary artistic expression that draws inspiration from the rural landscape and culture. The event will take place August 13-14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. within the Port Oneida Rural Historic District of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore located about four miles north of Glen Arbor on M-22.
The fair will be held at five historic farmsteads and two historic sites including a one-room schoolhouse. These five farmsteads and 13 other historic farms are set within the 3,400 acre Port Oneida Rural Historic District making an idyllic setting for presenting history and culture through multiple disciplines — music, visual arts, folk art, drama, storytelling and hands-on experiences including demonstrations, interpretative activities, speakers, exhibits, folk music, re-enactments, and social activities of the past. Examples of activities are timber framing, woodworking, broom making, quilting, pottery making, Native American Art Market, oxen and hay mowing, spinning, weaving, antique bicycle exhibit, blacksmith demonstration, watercolor painting demonstrations, and presentations by humanities scholars.
Several collaborative partners come together to implement the fair, including the National Park Service (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore), Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, Leelanau Historical Museum, Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear, Glen Arbor Artists Association, Glen Lake Community Schools, Leelanau Conservation District, Manitou Islands Memorial Society, Michigan 26th Civil War Re-enactors, Glen Arbor Business Association, and the Leelanau Chamber of Commerce.