Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will host its annual barn restoration workshop June 28-29 in the Port Oneida Historic District.

The workshop, being organized with help from the Michigan Barn Preservation Network, will be held at the Lawr Farmstead on M-22 and Basch Roads, approximately five miles north of Glen Arbor.

The workshop will focus on assessing and repairing structural damage caused by an unexpected event, such as an accident or natural disaster. The course will cover the following topics: assessing the damage; installing temporary supports to keep the building from collapsing; hiring the correct personnel for the job; repairing and reconstruction damaged or missing structural components; returning the structure to pre-accident condition; and equipment safety.

The course, scheduled to begin both days at 9 a.m., is set up so participants receive “hands on” training of all techniques. There is no cost to participants, and tools and materials will be provided. Sturdy shoes and gloves are suggested, and participants are asked to bring a sack lunch for each day they attend. Campsites will be provided for those workers who request one.

Workers are not required to be skilled in the building trades, though experience will be helpful. The purpose of the workshop is to teach the techniques and train owners and interest members of the public how to do restoration work on timber and frame structures. Past workshop attendees have range in age from 7 to 70, with each contributing their own unique skills to the project.

This series of public workshops started in 1997 at the John Burfiend Barn in the Port Oneida Rural Historic District, with subsequent workshops at the Burfiend Barn, Brunson Barn, Lawr Barn, Klett Pasture Barn, and at South Manitou island’s August Beck Farm. Last year’s project restored the Miller Barn in the rural historic district.

Approximately 50 people from the public and other national parks attend this workshop each year.

Interested parties should contact the park historical architect Kimberly Mann at 326-5134 ext. 501 or kimberly_mann@nps.gov.