• Looking out at the lake

    Sleeping Bear Dunes

    National Lakeshore Michigan

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  • Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive will not open until Memorial Day Weekend

    Changes to visitor service due to Sequestration. Due to mandatory, across-the-board budget cuts, some visitor services in this park have changed. Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive will not open until Memorial Day Weekend and will close after Labor Day. More »

  • Some restrooms and trash cans not available until Memorial Day

    Changes to visitor service due to Sequestration. Other than those at the visitor center and campgrounds, restrooms and trash cans will not be available until Memorial Day Weekend and will close after Labor Day. This includes the Manitou Islands. More »

Port Oneida Fair - Kelderhouse Farm Family History and Civil War Encampment

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Date: July 30, 2012

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) will host the 11th Annual Port Oneida Rural Arts and Culture Fair on August 10-11 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Visitors to the event may take a shuttle, drive, hike, or bike between six unique historic sites to enjoy a variety of activities. Each week leading up to the fair, details will be made available about one of the following sites: Burfiend Barn, Kelderhouse Farm, Olsen Farm, Thoreson Farm, Dechow Farm, and Port Oneida Schoolhouse.

The Kelderhouse site for the Port Oneida Fair will include the farmhouse, farmstead, and cemetery. The Kelderhouse family was the second to move to Port Oneida after the Burfiends. The Kelderhouse farmhouse will be open to the public and the Kelderhouse family members will have photos and family history available to view. The Kelderhouse Farm is also the site of a small Civil War encampment to include a field hospital with period surgical instruments and a bandaging demonstration made by the encampment's nurses. An infantry camp will be in place with soldiers and their equipment. The men of Port Oneida often served in the 26th Michigan Infantry, 15th Michigan Infantry, or the 10th Michigan Cavalry during the Civil War.

On Saturday, August 11, at 12:00 p.m. (noon), the Robert Finch Camp 14, Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War, will present a modified Grand Army of the Republic grave dedication service at the Kelderhouse cemetery. The cemetery is located just east of the house. Across the street at the Schoolhouse, there will be a display of Civil War gravestone rubbings.

The Port Oneida Fair is a free event, but you must purchase a Park Entrance Pass and prominently display it in your vehicle. Please call 231-326-5135, ext. 328, to make reservations (if you plan to bring a group), or ask questions, or visit the National Lakeshore's website at www.nps.gov/slbe.

Did You Know?

South Manitou Island Lighthouse

The lighthouse on South Manitou Island (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore) was commissioned in 1872 and served Lake Michigan Shipping for over 100 years. You can take a tour of the lighthouse and climb its 117 step circular stairway to a great view of the Manitou Passage. More...