Since 1998, North House Folk School has welcomed the warmest season with a celebration beside the Grand Marais harbor. This year’s Summer Solstice and Wooden Boat Festival, taking place June 20-21, continues favorite traditions of craft, community gatherings, and celebration beside Lake Superior. 

This year’s festival kicks off on Friday, June 20 at 2pm with family-focused activities and a speaker series on campus. North House is thrilled to welcome explorers Amy and Dave Freeman to give a talk about their five-month canoe journey from Great Slave Lake to Grand Portage. This journey was one part of a longer one, which they wrote about in their new book, North American Odyssey: 12,000 Miles Across the Continent by Kayak, Canoe, and Dogsled. At 3pm, Margaret Hedstrom, President of the Cook County Historical Society, will share stories of the special wooden boats in the historical society's care, and discuss how the organization is working to preserve them. Both talks are free and open to all in the Blue Building. 

This year’s festival will also include a Maritime Music Concert with guest Tom Kastle. For years, Kastle traveled the world, collecting and performing maritime songs and stories and captaining sailing ships on the Great Lakes. Kastle will share many of these songs at this free concert at 4pm.

At 5pm on Friday, everyone is invited to campus for a kickoff picnic and contra dance. The Grand Marais Lions Club will host a BBQ fundraiser, with classic picnic fare available for purchase. Superior Creamery will also be on campus with freshly made ice cream for sale before an evening poetry celebration and contra dance.

“One of the best things about the festival is seeing so many friends, neighbors, and visitors coming together to enjoy the best of the season—from dancing to paddling to sharing a conversation over ice cream by the harbor.” Executive Director Greg Wright said. 

All-Ages Craft

Last year’s Summer Solstice and Wooden Boat Festival brought a renewed emphasis on craft experiences, with new traditions that will continue this year. On Saturday, campus will transform into a carnival-like atmosphere with family-friendly activities, a pop-up craft market, and the Boats to Tools Auction featuring craft tools, outdoor gear, and items like a yurt, Thoreau’s Cabin, timber frame, and more. Visitors can take a stroll through a wooden boat display in the Rec Park, book a sail on the schooner Hjørdis, and enjoy live music and conversation beside Lake Superior.   

This year’s event also offers the chance to try traditional craft for yourself. Several of North House’s artisan instructors will be on campus hosting Traditional Craft Try-Its, where everyone is invited to participate in activities like woodworking, fiber arts, wood-fired baking, firemaking, and more.

“There’s a lot of curiosity about the crafts we teach at the folk school, as last year’s event showed,” Wright said. “We hope to see folks of all ages trying something they’ve never done before—whether it’s building a wooden playhouse or making sparks in the fire ring or baking delicious bread.” 

Community Events

Saturday at noon will bring one of the major highlights of the weekend: The Lake Superior Chowder Experience, featuring a variety of favorite soups from local restaurants. This event is a fundraiser for Empty Bowls Cook County, fighting hunger in the community.  

The festive weekend will culminate Saturday evening with the beloved Summer Solstice Pageant by the Good Harbor Hill Players. Featuring handmade, larger-than-life puppets and live music, this classic community event will once again take place on the North House commons at 8pm on June 21 (rain date June 22 at 2pm). Puppet-making workshops with the Good Harbor Hill Players are happening at the Cook County Community Center.

Student, Donor & Instructor Celebration and Annual Meeting

North House’s Annual Meeting will take place Sunday morning at 10am in the Red Building on campus. Celebrating the many individuals involved as students, instructors and supporter is at the heart of this gathering. An RSVP for anyone interested in attending is available online.