Calendar of Events
Port Sanilac Farmer’s Market is every Friday from 1-5pm, May 8th – October 30th
Port Sanilac Lighthouse Tower Tours are every Friday 12-4pm, July 3rd – August 28th
June
Thumb Bank & Trust Summer Solstice Celebration
Saturday, June 20th
DOGGIE PARADE | 10:00 AM
Calling all dogs and their humans! The Doggie Parade steps off at 10:00 AM from the southeast corner of the campus at the nature trailhead, winding around our historic train depot and train car. Dog costumes are strongly encouraged! 
Costume contest judging to follow, with three prize baskets up for grabs.
Wagging Waters of Lexington will be on site with agility course equipment, a lure course machine, and interactive training demonstrations curated by their team. The Sanilac County Humane Society will have a table on the grounds. And our beloved friends Dog & Bear from The Adventures of Dog & Bear will be joining us too! Morning programming runs through approximately 12:30 PM.
Register your dog here
WOMAN’S LIFE CHAPTER 927 QUARTER AUCTION | Doors 12:15 PM | Bidding 1:00 PM
Hosted by Woman’s Life Insurance Society – Lexington Chapter 927 in the Church on the Museum grounds. Win amazing prizes for as little as 25 cents! Admission $10 per person includes one bidding paddle and light refreshments. Additional paddles $5 each. Woman’s Life will match the first $500 raised — all proceeds benefit the Museum!
DECKERVILLE AREA COMMUNITY CHOIR | 3:00 PM
Settle in under our grand Pavilion for a free outdoor concert by the Deckerville Area Community Choir performing alongside the Carriage Barn stage. Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy!
THUMB BANK & TRUST CORNHOLE TOURNAMENT | 4:30 PM
Free to enter! Bracket-based tournament sponsored by Thumb Bank & Trust. Sign up on site. Casual yard games available across the grounds for free play all afternoon.
Family Fun Day
Friday, July 3rd
1:00pm – 5:00pm
Kick off your Independence Day weekend with a FREE Family Fun Day on the museum grounds! There is something for everyone: hands-on activities, live animals, local vendors, history, and more.
Live Music: The Humbuckers | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM & 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Timber Creek Petting Farm | Exotic Animal Presentations at 2:00 PM & 4:00 PM
Meet 8–12 species of exotic animals in a live presentation lasting approximately 45 minutes. A crowd favorite for all ages!
SPONSORED BY HIGHLINE INTERNET
Giant Caterpillar Inflatable Obstacle Course
Kids will love this horseshoe-shaped inflatable obstacle course, a giant caterpillar adventure for the little ones!
Loop-Harrison Mansion & Historic Village Tours | 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Step back in time. Tour prices range from $5–$15 per person.
Thumb Ball Pythons Exhibit
Get up close with ball pythons and other snakes [some available for purchase]
Summer Reading Storytime | 3:00 PM
Gather in the historic One-Room Schoolhouse for a special storytime session.
Port Sanilac Farmers Market | 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Shop local produce, goods, and more from your community vendors.
Hands-On Kids Activities & Community Arts & Crafts Booths
Chalk, hula-hoops, stilts, coloring, cornhole, and local artisan booths throughout the afternoon.
Echoes of Sanilac: America250MI Traveling Exhibit
On display as part of the statewide America 250 commemoration, explore the history of Sanilac County and the Thumb region through this specially produced traveling exhibit, currently touring Sanilac, Huron, and Tuscola Counties.
Admission to the grounds is FREE. Some individual activities and experiences may have a nominal cost.
Coney Detroit History Lecture by Joe Grim
Friday, July 24th
5:00pm – Concert by Ourselves (hot dog themed songs)
5:30pm – Lecture begins
The Detroit-style coney dog is more than a meal. It is a civic identity, a family legacy, and a Michigan tradition unlike anything else in American food culture. And nobody tells that story better than Joe Grimm.
Grimm spent 31 years in journalism — 25 of them at the Detroit Free Press — before becoming a journalism professor at Michigan State University and co-authoring Coney Detroit with Katherine Yung, published by Wayne State University Press. With more than 20 books on Michigan culture and history to his name, Grimm knows how to make a story come alive.
This presentation is interactive and audience-driven, packed with photography, artwork, and video. You will learn what actually goes into a proper Detroit-style coney, why Detroit became the undisputed capital of coney culture, what makes a Flint coney different, the story of the Greek families who built a culinary empire, and the finer points of coney dining etiquette. Stick around for the ConeyPhD quiz — because someone in this room is about to earn the title of Philosopher of Hot Dogology from the Coney Detroit College of Hot Dog Knowledge.
Admission is free! Donations are welcomed
Proudly Sponsored by Ron & Ann Erickson
The Barn Theatre
Barn Theatre Performances are every Friday & Saturday at 8pm, May 29th – August 29th
