Community Calendar

Join the Benzie Area Historical Society as Executive Director of the Oliver Art Center Tamara Hoffbauer shares the 78-year history and mission of the Oliver Art Center, along with current and future plans for the organization.

**Please note a change in the start time. Starting with our October Academy Lecture and through our April Academy Lecture, the start time will be 4 pm.**

This presentation is part of the Benzie Area Historical Society’s Benzonia Academy Lecture Series, held on the second Thursday of each month. Admission is by donation; a $5 donation is recommended.

To learn more about the October 8th lecture, visit the Benzie Area Historical Society’s website, benziemuseum.org, Instagram, or Facebook page; call the Museum at (231) 882-5539; or email info@benziemuseum.org.

Mills Community House & ZOOM

Great Michigan Gathering Kick Off & Watch Party

Priya Parker, author of 'The Art of Gathering' will be discussing how to fight the loneliness epidemic live from Dearborn.

Benzie County humanities organizations are coming together to celebrate the Great Michigan Gathering. Join the Institute for the Humanities as we tune in to The Great Michigan Gathering Watch Party, a statewide event hosted by the Michigan Humanities Council from the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn.

This event is part of the Great Michigan Gathering program presented by Michigan Humanities.

Watch Parties will be held around the county at:

The Garden Theater
301 Main St, Frankfort, MI 49635

Benzonia Public Library
891 Michigan Ave, Benzonia, MI 49616

Elberta Labor Heritage Center
704 Frankfort Ave, Elberta, MI 49628

Step back in time at the 1842 Dougherty Mission House built by Chief Agosa, the Odawa and Ojibwe people and Rev. Peter Dougherty. Explore life from 1842 to 1917 through the house, outbuildings and demonstration garden.

See unusual pure American chestnut trees. Docent led tours Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11am to 4pm. Discover the Mission House that gave Old Mission Peninsula its name.

Tours:
Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays
11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Admission: $5 adults
(12 and under free)

Cost: FREE
Audience: All ages, abilities, and interests

🎨🦉🔬 Discover, Explore, Create

Join us every second Saturday for a FREE afternoon of hands-on discovery! Families are invited to enjoy interactive experiences in science, history, and art while exploring the museum’s indoor and outdoor exhibits—including live animals and nature displays.

What to Expect:

🧪 Engaging science, history & art activities
🐍 Animal encounters & museum exploration
🌳 Outdoor exhibits to spark curiosity
🧩 Opportunities for problem-solving & creative thinking
🧠 A space to build critical thinking skills and lifelong learning

Please note: Free Second Saturdays are designed for quality family time. We kindly ask that no large groups attend.

Please Pre-register by "purchasing" a free ticket. This helps us prepare for number of people attending, THANK YOU!

Join The Dennos and the Traverse Area District Library for storytime at 11am to kick off a free day of learning, celebration, and community as we honor the vibrant and enduring cultures of indigenous peoples.

11am Storytime with TADL followed by pow wow dancer presentation. A free book and take home craft will be available.

We hope you will join us for the artist's reception to meet Rachel and see her photographs on Thursday, October 15, 6-8pm. In addition, Rachel will discuss her process and exhibition at the library during the month of January, please stay posted for the exact date and time. The exhibition, "The Long Moment," runs through Feb. 15, 2027.

THE LONG MOMENT: POLAROIDS AND SOLARGRAPHS BY RACHEL WINSLOW
During an era of digital “insta-moments,” posted directly from our mobile devices to social media, Rachel uses analog processes (light sensitive film and paper, vintage and pinhole cameras, etc) to create beautifully rendered atmospheric images of otherworldly proportions. Her exhibition, The Long Moment, brings together a selection of Polaroids and Solargraphs that portray life’s colors and tones at the crossroads between the imagined and real: whether using a Polaroid instant camera to capture daily observations or her pinhole camera to make unique Solargraphs charting the path of the sun over the course of a year in a single exposure, she finds poetic resonance between a single moment and the perpetual cycle of our sun’s rising and setting. As our days get shorter with Autumn’s return, we are reminded of time’s passing. In a truly captivating study of the spectrum of time, Rachel empowers the ordinary and familiar with enchanting visibility, bringing life’s daily events into the orbit of the infinite, prompting us to see ourselves as part of the larger expanse of history and the universe.

Step back in time at the 1842 Dougherty Mission House built by Chief Agosa, the Odawa and Ojibwe people and Rev. Peter Dougherty. Explore life from 1842 to 1917 through the house, outbuildings and demonstration garden.

See unusual pure American chestnut trees. Docent led tours Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11am to 4pm. Discover the Mission House that gave Old Mission Peninsula its name.

Tours:
Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays
11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Admission: $5 adults
(12 and under free)

Using Timelines, Find A Grave Website, and Roundtable Topics

Cost: FREE
Audience: All ages, abilities, and interests

🎨🦉🔬 Discover, Explore, Create

Join us every second Saturday for a FREE afternoon of hands-on discovery! Families are invited to enjoy interactive experiences in science, history, and art while exploring the museum’s indoor and outdoor exhibits—including live animals and nature displays.

What to Expect:

🧪 Engaging science, history & art activities
🐍 Animal encounters & museum exploration
🌳 Outdoor exhibits to spark curiosity
🧩 Opportunities for problem-solving & creative thinking
🧠 A space to build critical thinking skills and lifelong learning

Please note: Free Second Saturdays are designed for quality family time. We kindly ask that no large groups attend.

Please Pre-register by "purchasing" a free ticket. This helps us prepare for number of people attending, THANK YOU!

Cost: FREE
Audience: All ages, abilities, and interests

🎨🦉🔬 Discover, Explore, Create

Join us every second Saturday for a FREE afternoon of hands-on discovery! Families are invited to enjoy interactive experiences in science, history, and art while exploring the museum’s indoor and outdoor exhibits—including live animals and nature displays.

What to Expect:

🧪 Engaging science, history & art activities
🐍 Animal encounters & museum exploration
🌳 Outdoor exhibits to spark curiosity
🧩 Opportunities for problem-solving & creative thinking
🧠 A space to build critical thinking skills and lifelong learning

Please note: Free Second Saturdays are designed for quality family time. We kindly ask that no large groups attend.

Please Pre-register by "purchasing" a free ticket. This helps us prepare for number of people attending, THANK YOU!