Sleeping Bear Forever launches folk & field school
Sleeping Bear Forever (formerly Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear) will launch of Sleeping Bear Folk & Field School, a new series of immersive educational experiences designed to help people discover, preserve, and engage with the rich heritage and natural landscapes of the Sleeping Bear Dunes region.
The inaugural season includes approximately 20 classes offered throughout the summer and fall. Classes and workshops range from half-day to multi-day immersive experiences led by skilled artisans, historians, naturalists, preservation specialists, and local experts.
The Folk & Field classes are a continuation of Sleeping Bear Forever’s work of nearly 30 years as an official philanthropic park partner, to preserve, revitalize, and create connections to the historic sites, landscapes, natural history, and stories, of those who inhabited what is now the legendary Sleeping Bear. The organization works to fill the gap between the capacity and funding of the National Park Service, and the park’s preservation and interpretive needs.
“We’re preserving not only the places – structures and landscapes - of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, but also the knowledge, skills, and traditions that have shaped them for generations,”, said Susan Pocklington, executive director of Sleeping Bear Forever. “The Sleeping Bear Folk & Field classes offer a space and a way to pass these traditions to the next generation by harnessing the growing interest in hands-on learning, self-reliance, and sustainable living. Participants can discover the satisfaction of creating something with their own hands while gaining a deeper appreciation for the knowledge and traditions that have connected people to this landscape for generations.”
A sample of courses include leather crafts, basketry, rug braiding, and dulcimer; to gardening, food preservation, regenerative agriculture, fly fishing, woodworking, and photography of historic structures.
Registration opens July 2nd. Classes will take place in the historic farms and cultural landscapes of Port Oneida, offering participants the rare opportunity to learn in places where history was lived. Most courses will be held at Thoreson Farm, sharing the farm site with the Glen Arbor Art Center who leases one of the buildings from the park.
“The Folk & Field School has been an idea that we have been nurturing for quite a while”, said Pocklington. “We have visited and contacted several Folk Schools all over the country the past several years, and we look forward to serving residents and visitors, including mentoring youth. Having showcased and demonstrated these skills for years in various ways, we wanted to share this heritage on a more regular basis as well.”
Kaitlyn Springsdorf was hired late spring as Sleeping Bear Forever’s new Events and Program Coordinator, to plan and implement the program. Kait is known in the Glen Arbor community as a Glen Arbor Chamber board member, and from having worked for several years with Crystal River Outfitters. Kait says, “Classes are designed for learners at all levels and a variety of ages— from curious beginners to experienced makers and outdoor enthusiasts.”
Registration information and the class schedule can be found at SleepingBearForever. org. Proceeds directly support Sleeping Bear Forever’s preservation projects and programs in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
