Thing to Do

Port Oneida Fair

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

A horse team pulls a wagon of people on a wagon ride.
Take a ride back in time at the Port Oneida Fair.

NPS

Step back in time at the Port Oneida Fair and experience life as it was from the 1850's and early 1940's. 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.

The fair is held at five of the historic farmsteads in Port Oneida. Each farm has a variety of artists, crafts, food, and activities for visitors scroll below to see what is happening at each of them. 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.

August 9 & 10, 2024
10 am - 4 pm

Star Party, 9-11 pm, August 10 at Thoreson Farm

 

Getting around

See site map at the bottom of the page.

Shuttle

Park your car at one of the three parking lots (Olsen, Dechow, Thoreson Farms).
A free shuttle stops at each site approximately every 15 minutes.

On foot

Walking paths connect all the farm sites. 
To reach the Thoreson Farm, expect an hour walk on the Bay View Trail.
Parking is also available at Thoreson Farm.

Horse and wagon

Take a horse and wagon ride between the Olsen and Dechow Farms.
 

Details

Activities by location

Burfiend Farm

Music:
Rigs & Jeels - traditional fiddle & mandolin - Friday only North Bay Celtic Band - Saturday only

Activities and demonstrations:
Early American Michigan cricket - Friday only
Leelanau Historical Society - Poor Farm Barn
Rope making for kids 
Daily activities of the U.S. Life-Saving Service
Traditional timber framing demo
Antique woodworking tools and wooden nametags for kids

Dechow Farm

Activities and demostrations:
Dechow Family history 
Horse and wagon rides
Horse teams working fields
Donkeys and farm animals
Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes
Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network - Friday only
Antique bicycles and single engine motor display
Hand weaving, rug weaving, basketmaking, hand spun wool
Vintage masonry glass jar history
Wind-up musical instruments
“The Past in Present Time” Living history barn tours
Historic Sleeping Bear Preservation 2023 poster sales
Traverse City Model A Club auto display
Goats, conservation grazing, and goat milk soap making
Maple Grove Cemetery display
Native seeds information
Chair caning
Hand coloring historic photographs

Food:
Schwenk’inWagon - lunch and Saturday breakfast
Moomers’ Ice Cream

Kelderhouse Farm

Activities and demonstrations:
Kelderhouse Family history by Kelderhouse descendants
Maritime history and 1931 Ford Model A
Apples with Leelanau Conservation District - Friday only

Olsen Farm

Music:
Dulcimer music
Hammer’d – dulcimer group - Saturday only at 2:15 pm

Activites and demonstrations:
Rug hooking and tattling, penny rug making, rug braiding
Life of a Lighthouse Keeper – on the hour, 10 am -3 pm
Quilt sewing and hand sewing
Old Tyme Photography selfie station
Port Oneida History and Olsen Barn Tours
Historic building preservation station
Historic cooking and bread and butter churning
Composting
Fair artist poster signing - Saturday only
Fishing and fish of the Great Lakes
Vegetable and flower garden - potato and corn planting
Children’s lawn games and washtub demo

Food:
Chubby Unicorn Panini Sandwiches
Cherry Republic Ice Cream

Port Oneida School House

Activities and demonstrations:
11 am & 2 pm - School Days in a One Room Schoolhouse

Thoreson Farm

Music:
Norm Wheeler & Pat Niemesto in the barn

Activites and demonstrations:
Thoreson family tales and history with Leonard Thoreson
Coiled pine needles, crocheted doilies
Shaker boxes, french rolling pins,  and vintage sewing
Spinning wheel yarn spinning, knitting, and crocheting
Thrown pottery
Blacksmith in action
Basket weaving, quilting, rag rug twining

Food:
Roll Model Spring Rolls - Friday only

Pets are welcome in outdoor areas on a six-foot leash. Pets are not allowed inside historic buildings.
Please display a Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore or other federal lands pass in your vehicle.
August 11 & 12, 2023

Parking lots are availabe at:

Port Oneida Farms Heritage Center - Olsen House
Dechow Farm
Thoreson Farm
Burfiend Farm

A shuttle and mowed walking paths are available between sites.
Reservations
No
10 am - 4 pm Friday and Saturday
Plan to spend at least 2 hours at the fair.
Accessibility Information
Parking
All four parking lots have handicap parking.

Shuttle
A wheelchair accessible shuttle departs from the Dechow Farm approximately every 15 minutes. This shuttle will make stops at the Kelderhouse and Burfiend Farms. Those wanting to visit the Olsen and Thoreson Farms using the accessible shuttle should speak with the National Park Service Ranger at the entrance to the Dechow Farm.

Restroom
An ADA restroom is available at the Dechow Farm.

Terrain
Fair activities take place on mostly flat terrain. The activites are set up on mowed lawns where tree roots or uneven ground may be present.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Tags

Dechow's (Deco) 2-story house with a barn behind with towering silos surrounded in changing almost leafless trees and long yellowing grass.
Dechow House and Barn

NPS Photo

Dechow Farm

Activities and demonstrations:
Horse and Wagon Rides, Horse teams working fields
Early American Michigan cricket 10-4 (Friday only)
Mrs. Dechow leads tours of the Barn “The Past in Present Time”
Goats and Conservation Grazing
Donkeys, Farm animals
Moomers’ Ice Cream, and Calves in the Barn Stalls
Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes—Information
Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear – 2024 Poster Sales and Donation Can
NPS Interpretation – Natural and cultural history, education
Summer Internship Display
Family History
Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network – (Friday only)
Antique Bicycles
Model A Vehicle
Hand Weaving and Basket Making
Rug Weaving
Vintage Masonry Glass Jar History and Tumbled Glass Treasures
Wind-up musical instruments
Goat Milk SoapMaking
Hand Spun Wool
Felting and knitting
Maple Grove Cemetery
Single Engine Motors
Hand Crafted, USDA Organic, All Natural Ingredient Soaps, Lip Balms, Body Butter
Hand Coloring Historic Sleeping Bear Dunes Photographs
Pottery, Fused Glass, Maple Syrup and Honey

Food:
Schwenk’inWagon - lunch and Saturday breakfast
Moomers’ Ice Cream
White two-story Kelderhouse home surrounded in yellowing tall grass, framed between a split in a nearby tree.
Kelderhouse Farmhouse

NPS Photo

Kelderhouse Farm

Activities and demonstrations:

Kelderhouse Family history by Kelderhouse descendants
Maritime history
1931 Ford Model A
Apples with Leelanau Conservation District - Friday only

Olsen's white two-story farmhouse basks in the sun, red details of the porch overhang, and the red, blue, and white "open" flag greet you. Sides of the house with yellow scaffolding for a project, while the front porch is surrounded by green circular trim
Olsen farmhouse during preservation project

NPS Photo/ K. Maisano

Olsen Farm

Music:

Musicians and storytelling – Norm Wheeler and Pat Niemesto
Dulcimer music
Hammer’d – dulcimer group - Saturday only at 2:15 pm

Activites and demonstrations:

Old Tyme Photography – selfies in costume in barn
Tom VanZoeren – oral history recording; his books; Port Oneida History
Children’s Lawn Games – Hoops, Graces, potato spoon, burlap sack, box hockey, croquet, bean bag
Olsen Barn Tours
Root cellar open

Farm life/City Life (Friday only)
Flax and Linen – (Friday only)
Spinning and wool types – (Saturday only)
Washtub demonstration
Soap making and herbs
Tatting, rug hooking
Penny Rug Making
Rug Braiding
Sewing/patching/show quilt - (Friday only)
Hand quilting
Preservation Station - food preservation using traditional methods
Antique woodworking tools & wooden nametags for kids
Cooking /food-ways
Stamping
Bread and butter making
Composting
Fishing
Vegetable and Flower Gardening



Food:

Chubby Unicorn Panini Sandwiches
Cherry Republic Ice Cream

Inside of a historic one-room schoolhouse, surrounded by a piano, chalkboard with the alphabet, and a map of Africa, Mrs. Peterson dressed in a long black skirt and white button-up shirt teaches today's youth.
Experience a one-room schoolhouse.

NPS Photo

Port Oneida School House

Activities and demonstrations:

11 am - 2 pm - School Days in the one-room schoolhouse

Red gabled building with two small white building in front sitting in a bright light green field
The Thoreson farm offers an idyllic setting

NPS photo

Thoreson Farm

Music:

Rigs & Jeels - Traditional fiddle & mandolin 11-4 (Friday only)
North Bay Celtic Band - Traditional Irish & American tunes 10-4 (Saturday only)

Activites and demonstrations:

Leelanau County Historical Preservation Society
Coiled pine needles and crocheted doilies
Shaker boxes & French rolling pins
Spinning wheel yarn spinning, knitting, vintage sewing machines
Thrown pottery
Knitting and crocheting
Blacksmiths
Rag rug twining
Basket weaving
Basket weaving with found natural materials
QuiltingTraditional timber framing

Star Party, 9-11 pm, Saturday August 10

2024 Fair Sponsors

Platinum $1000

Drs. Joanne Blum and Paul Dechow

Moomers Ice Cream

Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear

Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitor Bureau

____________________________________

Silver $250

Northwoods Hardware

Art’s tavern

__________________________________

Bronze $100

Good Harbor Grill

Tags

Last updated: July 25, 2024