Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes

The Annual Port Oneida Fair celebrates the art and culture of rural agricultural communities in Northern Michigan. The 12th annual fair is scheduled for August 9 & 10, 2013 from 10 AM to 4 PM both days. This FREE two day event allows visitors to step back in time to the period of 1850 – 1945.  The Fair is held at six historic sites within the Port Oneida Rural Historic District of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Over 100 artists and craftspeople demonstrate their specialty during the Fair. Horses and oxen work the fields and music is in the air both days. Activities for children can be found at each site along with horse-drawn wagon rides and great food! Many of the buildings at these sites are open to walk through and explore.

The Port Oneida Rural Historic District is a community of 18 farmsteads listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Pioneer, maritime, and tourism history are represented here and in the 350 historic structures within the 3,400 acre district. The farms of the Port Oneida area are typical of the turn of the century farms throughout the Midwest. It is rare, however, to find such a large collection of older farms that are free from modern development. The district is historically significant because it conveys the land use practices, architecture and evolution of agricultural technology common to subsistence farms of the upper Great Lakes region. Port Oneida was farmed for over 100 years; the houses and fields passed down from generation to generation.

Site Locations

Music at the Burfiend Barn

Burfiend Barn: Live Music all day – both days in the Music Barn, square dancing, teams of horses working in the field, historic farm equipment displays, local history, old-time yard games, timber framing exhibit, Lighthouse diplays
Food: Nate’s Kettlecorn

Dechow Farm - Bicycle Exhibit

Dechow Farm: Working farm activities, horses and oxen working in the fields, hay cutting & baling, farm animals up close and personal, museum exhibits, tours of the barn and sugar shack
Food: Eagles Club lunches and snacks, MOOMERS Ice Cream

Port Oneida School

Port Oneida Schoolhouse: One-room schoolhouse sessions

Civil War encampment at Kelderhouse Site

Kelderhouse Farm: Civil War living history, Kelderhouse family history

Cooking in the Olson Kitchen

Olsen Farm: Domestic life – quilting, historic cooking demonstrations, butter-making, soap-making

Blacksmith at Thoreson Farm

Thoreson Farm: Traditional crafts – spinning, blacksmithing, local artists, musicians
Food: Cherry Republic lunches and snacks

Take the FREE shuttle or horse and wagon ride, hike the trails, ride your bike, or drive between sites.