The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is celebrating its 51st anniversary with community, virtual events for all. The anniversary celebration will help you take a look inside the time capsule for the next 25 years, while the event with Eric Hemenway, Anishinaabe historian, will cover fundamental information about the Native American tribes in Michigan.

This is an official press release brought to you by MyNorth News Service and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore team at NPS.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (Lakeshore) is continuing to celebrate the park’s 50th anniversary with the theme of 51 is the new 50. The Lakeshore and Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes are holding a virtual celebration on the park’s anniversary, Thursday, October 21. This half-hour-long Zoom event will begin at 7:00 p.m. and is free to the public. Links to this Zoom session can be found on the park’s website events calendar.

The Lakeshore was established by Congress on October 21, 1970. Although the pandemic has thwarted efforts to hold any big, in-person gathering for the 50th anniversary year, these events will be a great opportunity to celebrate this milestone, as well as provide a chance to learn and engage with park rangers, partners, and visitors from the comfort of your own home. Attendees can expect messages from park staff and park partners, unveiling of the name of the park’s new mobile visitor center, and a chance to see the park’s time capsule before it is left untouched for the next 25 years. Visitors to the virtual event will be able to interact with park staff via Zoom’s question and answer function.

Along with the virtual anniversary celebration, the Lakeshore will be virtually hosting Eric Hemenway, Anishinaabe historian, on Tuesday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m. This hour-long Zoom event will cover fundamental information about the Native American tribes in Michigan with a focus on the Odawa of Western Michigan. Links to this Zoom sessions can be found on the park’s website events calendar at www.nps.gov/slbe/planyourvisit/calendar.htm.

Related Read: Ready to plan your next trip to the dunes? Visit our Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore for everything you need to know from beaches to restaurants.

For more in-depth information about Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, please go to www.nps.gov/slbe. Also, check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sbdnl, Twitter site at www.twitter.com/sleepingbearnps, and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sleepingbearnps/.

About the National Park Service

More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more about the National Park Service at www.nps.gov, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter at www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube at www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.

Photo(s) by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore