Port Oneida Fair

Presented by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in partnership with Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear. Every August, the Port Oneida Rural Historic District comes alive with activity true to the period when it was a community of robust settlers. Step back in time at the two-day Port Oneida Fair to experience life as it was in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Take the shuttle bus, hike, bike, or drive (if you must!) to the select historic sites where traditional rural crafts and activities take place. Over 60 demonstrators will be hard at work. Children can try their hand at crosscut sawing and other farm implements. Horses mow in the fields while artists create paintings inspired by the cultural landscape. Displays of antique bicycles and phonographs, engines. Watch the art of basket weaving, buttermaking, spinning, and hand tools crafting a functional piece. Barn tours, music, re-enactments, horse, and other animals engage the sense. Pack a picnic lunch to eat under a tree, or purchase food at various sites. This is an enjoyable and relaxing, yet educational family time. Visit 5 historic farms and a one-room schoolhouse: Burfiend Barn, Dechow Farm, Kelderhouse Farm, Olsen Farm, Port Oneida Schoolhouse, Thoreson Farm