Community Honey Harvest, ‘Foodways of the Watershed’ at Crossroads

By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc.

August 19 will be quite a day at Crossroads at Big Creek. In the morning, volunteers will be helping with restoration; in the evening, the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society will hold a Viewing Night at the Astronomy Campus. This weekend we begin offering tours of the historic Hanson House. And, from 9:00-11:00 a.m., the Door County Beekeepers will hold their annual Community Honey Harvest.

The Community Honey Harvest is a wonderful opportunity to learn about honeybees and their amazing products: wax and honey. Apiary tours, tasting and extraction demonstrations, exhibits and kids’ activities will celebrate honey, much of which was produced at the Apiary at Crossroads at Big Creek.

Over the centuries, many kinds of food have been hunted, fished, foraged or grown on the preserve.

“Foodways of the Watershed” will be the educational theme for many upcoming history-related programs at Crossroads because we understand that the people of the Cove Estuary and the Big Creek Watershed – from the First People of the Woodland Era, to the early settlers, and later farmers and orchardists – chose to settle beside Big Creek where they could acquire or grow the food they needed to feed their families.

To explore the foodways of the early Door County settlers, on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from now until mid-October, we will offer tours of the historic Hans and Bertha Hanson House, which was originally a snug two-room, log home built in 1856. The home was moved a short distance in the 1870s and has been enlarged and renovated a number of times. But the original ax-hewn logs and dovetailed corners still show the skilled craftmanship which went into the structure.

In keeping with the Foodways theme, each weekend we will have a food-related, hands-on activity for kids.

Folks who visit the Hanson House will notice other activity on the Hanson Homestead. The picturesque historic barn which once housed livestock is being restored, so in the future, it can be used by researchers as a field station and for special programs.

Last spring, the deteriorating barn was moved off its foundation. Currently, work is being done by contractors and volunteers to create a new foundation, structural improvements, and a new roof, but much of the original exterior has been saved in order to preserve the rustic charm of the building We are continuing our fundraising efforts to complete this project. Contact Crossroads if you would like to make a donation.

Crossroads at Big Creek Learning Center and Nature Preserve is located at 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay. Crossroads is a 501(c)3 organization committed to offering education, conducting research and restoration, and providing outdoor experiences to inspire environmental stewardship in learners of all ages and from all backgrounds. We welcome your support.