University of Wisconsin - Extension

An innovative, hands-on barn preservation workshop, complete with a Saturday night barn dance, is being offered June 9-10 in Institute in Door County.

"Since the inception of the Wisconsin Barn Preservation Initiative, there has been a demand voiced for coordinating some type of hands-on workshop where barn owners can see and learn first hand from professionals who actually work on these older structures," explains Chuck Law, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension community planning and design specialist, "Well the wait is no longer."

"The University of Wisconsin- Extension, working in collaboration with the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation and Barns N.O.W! (Network of Wisconsin), will be offering a hands-on learning workshop unlike anything offered previously," Law adds. "Six regionally and nationally-known instructors will be teaching at two barn locations in Door County."

The workshop provides an opportunity to learn about foundation repairs, mortar mixes, roofing materials, timber frame restoration, barn straightening, barn assessment, wood pests, and more. If you have a barn or other agricultural structure needing attention, this will be the place to be on June 9 and 10, Law says.

The weekend is not just for work. Participants will have plenty of opportunities to interact with other barn enthusiasts and the contractors at social hours and a barn dance. Here is what the entire weekend looks like.

• Friday evening social hour and barn talk with Prof. Bill Laatsch, UW-Green Bay.
• Saturday afternoon contractor panel and social hour.
• Saturday evening barn dance (you don't have to dance; you can just enjoy).
• Sunday morning tour of Door County barns (optional).

The workshop "base camp" will be a restored barn that serves as a regional leadership training center. It is a T-shaped, circa 1912 barn with two silos inside. "The owner and his family, Tim Pflieger, have done an outstanding restoration job on the structure," says Law.

Since there is only room for 125 attendees and the workshop will likely "sell-out", early registration is encouraged. Cost per person is $80, which includes all hors d'oeuvres, Saturday morning treats, Saturday buffet lunch, Saturday instruction, transit between sites, and an informational packet.

For advance reservations, contact the Door County Extension Office at (920) 746-2260 or download an registration form from http://www.uwex.edu/lgc/barns/barnworks.htm.