Port Oneida Fair
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Step back in time at the Port Oneida Fair and experience life as it was in the late 1800's and early 1900'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 six of the historic farmsteads in Port Oneida. Each farm has a variety of artists, crafts, food, and activities for visitors. Click on the farm names below to see what's happening at each farm. 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.
Shuttle
Park your car at one of the four parking lots (Olsen, Dechow, Burfiend, 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.
Horse and wagon
Take a horse and wagon ride between the Olsen and Dechow Farms.
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
