North House Folk School

Under the Big Top Tent

While all of campus will be packed with goodness over the three full days, the big top tent features several can’t miss opportunities!

Featured Concerts - Thursday & Friday - 5pm Doors, 7pm Concert

Thursday Night - Great Lake Swimmers (Acoustic) & The Penny Peaches
Friday Night - Great Lake Swimmers & Dusty Heart

Come down to campus at 5pm and purchase a bite to eat from our favorite local food trucks and beverages from our amazing neighbors and friends. The Red Building will be transformed into our banquet hall where you can enjoy great food with neighbors and tunes from talented local favorites. 

You’ll also have a chance to engage with North House instructors in the Folk Artisan Marketplace - hosted in the new Welcome Center - and make sure to check out the new school store while we get ready for the concert under the big top tent!

Each night of music will have a different flavor - Thursday night will feature an accoustic set with the Great Lake Swimmers and the up and coming Penny Peaches! Friday night will feature the plugged-in Great Lake Swimmers, along with our long time friends Dusty Heart (with a full backing band!).

Tickets start at $35 dollars, but new this year is pay-what-you-can tickets for Thursday night's show. We want to make sure EVERYONE can be part of the celebration.

Family Concert - 9am Craft Opportunities & Clogging Mini-Class, 10am Concert with the Roe Family Singers

Holy moly are we excited to be continuing the incredibly fun Saturday morning family concert with the Roe Family Singers (Free!). Come down early to explore craft opportunities led by our interns and Susan, our Youth and Family Programs Coordinator followed by a free community concert! There will also be a clogging mini-class ahead of the concert to make sure you are limbered up and ready to cut loose when the tunes start!

We are also excited to once again host Superior Creamery, because there’s nothing better than an excuse for ice cream before noon!

Birch Bark Bash - Doors Open at 5pm

The weekend culminates with the dedication of the new Welcome Center and the biggest bash on the North Shore. Hosted by Chef Scott Graden of the celebrated New Scenic Café,  with beverages from Poplar Haus, Fika Coffee, Fulton Beer, North Shore Winery, and Voyageur Brewing, this is a night to indulge in the flavors of the North!

We are also thrilled to welcome back our favorite Auctioneer, Christian Kolberg, who will guide our live auction and Fund-a-need efforts that help to power the future of North House.

Celebrating Craft

Featured Instructors

Shuji Nakagawa - is a traditional craftsman of Japanese woodwork and a contemporary artist. In Shiga, on the shores of Lake Biwa. As much a woodworker as an artist, Shuji’s works appear in permanent museum collections across the world. His studio represents the tradition of Kyoto woodcrafting where time honored skills are passed from Father to Son. The company prides itself on its wooden buckets (kioke), which are handcrafted using a technique developed 700 years ago. Shuji is the third generation of woodwork in his family and studied under his father.

Barnaby Carder - Affectionately known as Barn the Spoon, is the original spoon fanatic and green wood evangelist from the United Kingdom. His spoon ideologies have mellowed in middle age, but he still passionately believes in the power craft has to transform lives and connect us through materials to the natural environment.

Folk Artisan Marketplace

The Folk Artisan Marketplace features a sampling of the artisan instructors of North House and the chance to meet the hands-at-work behind your favorite beautiful and useful items. Baskets, fiber goods, wooden wares, jewelry, leather goods, and more!

Points North Auction

From unique North Shore experiences to one-of-a-kind instructor craft, place your bids and support North House’s mission! Bid early and bid often! Points North features hundreds of Auction Items from North House instructors, supporters and favorite partner businesses. 

Online bidding is open for 10 days. All proceeds support North House's Programs, Youth Initiatives, Events, Instructors and Scholarships. The Points North Online Auction brings the story of the North to life, celebrating the Northern Neighborhood we are honored to call home. Get your bids in before the auction closes on September 22th at 8pm Central Time.

Framing the Future

Over Unplugged we'll be welcoming friends and neighbors into the new classroom spaces and celebrating the success of the Framing the Future capital campaign. Last year we kicked off construction of the new Welcome Center with the cutting of the first timber during the Birch Bark Bash, and then over the following weeks more than 60 volunteers helped with the project! Learn more about how you can get invovled now to help us cross the finish line ahead of the big event!

Gathering Community

Unplugged isn’t just a celebration of North House - it’s a celebration of the entire North Shore community that makes the folk school possible! That includes 20+ friends and neighbors that run great local businesses and helped to build our new Welcome Center. We are proud to host them on campus as part of this magical weekend.