Port Oneida Fair Music and Dancing at the Burfiend Barn

Date: July 23, 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, Olsen House, Thoreson Farm, Dechow Farm, Kelderhouse Farm and the Port Oneida Schoolhouse.

Live music is the featured attraction at the Burfiend Barn both days (August 10-11) of the 2012 Port Oneida Fair. The Burfiend Barn site is about a half-mile north of M-22 on Port Oneida Road (past the schoolhouse). The music was chosen to provide a variety of types that would have been performed in homes and at barn dances in the area during the Port Oneida historic period of 1855-1945. Music and dancing will be in the historic barn (a good example of timber-frame construction). During a break in the music, visitors are encouraged to take a walk around the site, watch the teams of horses working the field behind the barn, take guesses on the use of various horse-drawn farm implements, find out something about Michigan lighthouses and South Manitou Island, try a hand at traditional rope-making, or even learn about timber-frame building techniques. There are plenty of hands-on activities for the kids, too.

Music Schedule

Friday, August 10, 2012
12:00 p.m. (noon) - Third Coast Mandolin Ensemble: Guitar, Irish tenor banjo, concertina, mandolins, and harp.

1:00 p.m. - An Dro: Four instrumentalists performing Irish melodies, old French songs, and songs with Scandinavian influences.

2:00 p.m. - Claudia Schmidt: Music, poetry, stories, laughter, drama, and just plain FUN. Garrison Keillor remarked, "When Claudia sings a song, it stays sung!"

3:00 p.m. - Pat Niemesto and Norm Wheeler: Pat is able to master any stringed instrument and Norm is a clever conveyor of the written word.

Saturday, August 11, 2012
12:00 p.m. (noon) - Les Dagliesh and Pat (Smoker) Harrison: Playing guitar and harmonica on original songs.

1:00 p.m. - Harmonica Hobos: Playing melodies from the past, campfire songs, and bluegrass all by ear. A fun group to listen to that really enjoys playing together.

2:00-4:00 p.m. - Learn to Square Dance: Get a feel for how the people who lived in Port Oneida spent their free time. A good ol' barn dance filled with square dancing. Caller: Pat Hoekje; Fiddler: Bob Sadler and students; Rhythm Guitar: Joe Bottomhorn. You do not have to know how to square dance to join in the fun! They will teach you right there and you'll be stomping your foot and dancing before you leave the barn.

All events are free with the purchase of a National Lakeshore Entrance Pass. Simply display the pass on your vehicle dashboard. For more information and a schedule of events, please visit the park's website at www.nps.gov/slbe or call the National Lakeshore's visitor center at 231-326-5134.