A community sail took place on Friday evening around the Grand Marais Harbor during the Wood Boat Show Festival at North House Folk School. Photo by Laura Durenberger-Grunow.


By Haley Brickner, Laura Durenberger-Grunow, and Tryg Solberg - Boreal Community Media - June 27, 2024


The Summer Solstice and Wooden Boat Festival, hosted by North House Folk School, kicked off on Friday, June 21, 2024.

 Photo by Laura Durenberger-Grunow. 

This joyful event brings the community together around crafts, music, games, and food. The first day of the festival included drop-in arts & crafts, demos, games, live music, mini-courses, and a speaker series.

 Erik Reddix presented "Rivers of the North Shore: An Ojibwe Perspective". Photo by Haley Brickner. 

 The first speaker series was Rivers of Lake Superior’s North Shore: An Ojibwe Perspective by Erik Redix. “The rivers of the North Shore are part of our way of life,” said Redix. Knowing the Native names of the rivers gives us a much richer understanding of the area and reminds us that we are on Ojibwe land.

 Reddix provided the Ojibwe name for each of the North Shore's 23 rivers. Photo by Haley Brickner. 

In his presentation, Redix provided the Ojibwe name for each of the 23 rivers along the North Shore and an explanation of the translation. For example, the Ojibwe name for Fall River is Oginiikaan-ziibi, which translates to “abundant rose hips.” Through learning the traditional names of rivers, we can learn about the relationship between the Ojibwe people and the environment.

 Family crafts provided a hands-on experience. Photo by Haley Brickner. 

 Fidchell is known as an ancient Celtic Chess game. Photo by Haley Brickner. 

The Scandinavian game Kubb involves knocking over your opponent's blocks by tossing a baton. Other games included classics like checkers, ring toss, and pickup sticks. Photo by Haley Brickner. 

 Live folk music bolstered the festive mood. Photo by Haley Brickner. 

 Wood carving class with teacher Alex Yerks. Photo by Haley Brickner. 

 Wolf Heart Ironworks provided a welding class in the Blacksmith Shop. Photo by Haley Brickner. 

 Northwoods Fiber Guild demonstrated a loom weaving technique. Photo by Haley Brickner. 

 Lily and Caroline of Elderberry Textiles demonstrated Contemporary Scandinavian yarn crafts. Photo by Haley Brickner. 

On Friday evening, the festivities continued with the annual Grand Marais Lion's Club BBQ and Ice Cream Social (with ice cream from Superior Creamery). The Lion's Club BBQ raises money that goes directly back into the community through donations and grants/scholarships to local students and organizations. This year, the Lion's Club sold over 200 hot dogs and brats, along with cole slaw, chips, and beverages.

 The Lion's Club hosted its annual BBQ fundraiser. Photo by Laura Durenberger-Grunow.

 Superior Creamery served ice cream for those looking for a sweet treat. Photo by Laura Durenberger-Grunow.

Simultaneously, people were able to marvel at many different wooden boats, and participate in a community paddle around the Grand Marais harbor. 

 Many unique wooden boats lined the harbor before the community sail. Photo by Laura Durenberger-Grunow.

 Community members prepared for the community sail on Friday evening. Photo by Laura Durenberger-Grunow.

 Many unique wooden boats lined the harbor before the community sail. Photo by Laura Durenberger-Grunow.

A Family Contra Dance and Community Contra Dance also took place that evening. 

Craft demonstrations, a chowder feed, and the renowned Summer Solstice Pageant took place on Saturday, June 22. Hundreds of visitors and locals observed blacksmithing, fiber making, wood-fired baking, timber framing, and more across the North House campus. A long line formed across the courtyard for the Lake Superior Chowder Experience which served 231 people and raised over $4000 for Empty Bowls, a non-profit fighting food insecurity in Cook County. 

Boats and other various equipment were auctioned off by North House Folk School to raise money for their intern program. Handmade wooden boats of all sizes lined the shore to observe their beauty, functionality, and the labor that went into their creation.

 Attendees inspect a wooden tandem kayak that was for sale in Saturday's auction. Photo by Tryg Solberg. Photo by Tryg Solberg. 

The fiber arts demonstration pulled in a constant stream of interested observers. Photo by Tryg Solberg. 

 A hand crank beam drill was used in a 6x6" timber. Photo by Tryg Solberg. 

 The line for the Empty Bowl's chowder feed stretched through the North House campus for Saturday's lunch. Photo by Tryg Solberg. 

North House Folk School shared that there was good attendance and above-average numbers of people hanging around campus during the day.

The night ended with the ever-favorite annual Summer Solstice Pageant, hosted by the Good Harbor Hill Players.