Travel back in time at Port Oneida Fair
Photo. Sawyers compete to saw a log the fastest at last year’s Port Oneida Fair.
From staff reports
History will come alive Friday and Saturday, August 11-12, at the Port Oneida Fair in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore with demonstrations, food, and family activities at six different sites within the Port Oneida Rural Historic District.
Click here for a list of activities at the fair.
Step back in time at the Port Oneida Fair and experience life as it was in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Imagine the life of Euro-American immigrants as you help bale hay or watch a broom-maker at work. Learn about spinning, basket weaving, soap making, butter making, candle dipping, and fur trapping. Listen as park rangers and local historians share the area’s history. Watch as teams of oxen haul hay and artists and craftsmen demonstrate their skills.
Each farm has a variety of artists, crafts, food, and activities for visitors. Click on the farm names below to see what’s happening at each farm. A shuttle bus runs between the farms on a regular schedule during the fair, so you can park your car and easily get around to the different venues. The Port Oneida Fair is presented by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in partnership with Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear. To learn more about how you can help support the park, visit www.phsb.org.
The Port Oneida Fair is also seeking additional food vendors. Interested vendors can contact Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear by phone at (231) 334-6103 or by email at phsb@centurytel.net. Vendors must have a food truck or other contained, state inspected, food service operation.
The Port Oneida Fair promotes the preservation of rural traditional skills, crafts, landscapes, and communities of the Upper Great Lakes Region in the late 1800s to early 1900s through education, artistic expression, and the development of a coalition of community organizations. There is no cost for the Port Oneida Fair; however, you must have a park entrance pass, or an annual pass displayed in your vehicle. Park passes can be purchased at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire, which is currently open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For questions, please call (231) 326-4700, extension 5010.
