There are several different skill training or demonstrations all throughout Saturday and Sunday that are free to join and participate in. Signups will be first come first served on the day of the event at the command tent at 8am. So far we have knitting and crocheting (with Cathey Young), Blacksmithing with Bladesmith Bear, a village prenatal with Birth Alchemy Bear, and welding with Western Ranger Bear. This list will be updated as more people sign up to teach! 

We have businesses and individuals that will have booths open to sell, barter, or trade their goods in our market bazar. Our very own Bartertaria! If you are interested in selling some homemade goods or promoting your business at the Fest please fill out an application or get connected with us via email, IG, or BTA! Some of the vendors we have signed up so far sell soap, knives, baked goods, toys, and beautiful art! 

Copper Bear is going to host a seed swap in the main tent. She is bringing her vault of seeds, and will be leaving it open for a few hours to sit and exchange seeds or chat and hang out! Everyone is encouraged to bring some seeds to trade! Looking for something new? Trying something different? Get connected with some awesome seeds from some awesome people!

We will be hosting a preserved food swap. Much like the seed swap, it’s bring what you got and see what you can get! Any canned, salted, preserved ect. food to barter and trade to increase your pantry supply and maybe learn some new tricks about food preservation! There is no cost to this event besides what you bring! 

We have musicians and bands signing up to play music throughout the entire Midwest BearFest. There are a lot of spots open and so if you are interested please contact us or fill out an application! We would love to have you be a part of the lineup and there is no fee to perform!

Saturday night Rhino Bear will be putting on a phyrotecnical musical set to music from Anchor Bear! We are very excited about this and are so glad he is able to come and provide this. If you would like to contribute to the show by donating to the fireworks fund you can select that option on the checkout page through our website! You can also direct paypal us for a donation with our email through paypal!

We are building a range where you can practice your knife or axe throwing as well as archery skills! It will be set up all weekend and is free to whoever wants to get some “range time” in! A fun activity to try with your kids or just good practice if you’re a pro!

We are working on getting some food trucks and concession stands to provide food during the event but we are also really encouraging those that are camping to tailgate or campfire cook as much as possible. Some of the vendors at the market will be selling food items throughout the weekend as well. 

We will have a designated ministry tent with volunteers who will be there to talk or pray with you if you feel the need to connect in this way. Or if you just want a chill space to sit for a while. 

On Sunday morning we will have Benediction Bear give a blessing to those gathered as part of a send off for the last day. 

This is a legitimate Catan tournament, as long as we have at least 16 participants the winner of this competition could go to nationals! If you love catan or would like to try it this is a wonderful game and the competition just gives it a fun edge. If you purchase a regular ticket you can get admission to the Catan tournament included for free. If you would like to come for only the Catan the ticket is available on our merch page as well. 

A competition for men! Teams made up of a captain and four wingmen will compete for the title of Champion Crushers! Different challenges (some physical, some technical) will be scored on a points based system to see who will rise to the top! Pre-register your team on our website! The winning team will win some sweet merch from our fellow bears and the pride of being ultimate homesteading crushers!

Have a family recipe that never fails to impress? Got a proven winner in the pie department? Bring it to the pie competition and get voted on by a pannel of judges to bring home the prize! 

There are two divisions, one for kids and one for adults! Purchase a MWBF base shield from Little Wood Shop Bear [here] and design it however you would like! Let your creativity flow! Paint, carve, wood burn ect! The prize for the kids division is a wooden sword from Pro Tinker Toys! The prize for the adults division is a metal sword! The Sheild will be put on display for the fest and voted on for best in each division. Winners will be announced on Saturday (Time TBD.)

On Friday morning we will be hosting a 5K run! It will loop around our fields. Participate and receive a commemorative medallion and the pride of being a crusher! There is no cost to run the 5K, but we ask that you pre-register here so we can make sure to get you a medallion! 

Two divisions, kids and adults. Dress up in your favorite renaissance costume and really live up the festival life! Be the king or queen you always imagined yourself to be! Become a ranger, night, healer or jester! Get voted on by the crowd and win a prize! 

Show up, have the biggest, most amazing beard and win. Pretty easy and straightforward! The prize is a mens grooming basket from Maggie Plonski! Winner will be determined by popular vote at the time of competition! 

We are offering free camping to whoever wants to pitch a tent or bring a RV! If this is little too rustic for you there are also several nice hotels nearby in Fremont and Muskegon area. If you would like to camp please contact Hank Bear on BTA, IG or send us a email through our contact page!

A ticket which covers all three days and events is 30$ Tickets are for everyone under 12 years old are FREE! (We still need you to register for youth tickets so we know how many kids to expect for games and crafts ect.)

I’m so glad you asked! It is not just family friendly, it is family focused! We really want to make this an event that is easy for families to hang out and have fun! There will be a kids camp with crafts, activities, games, snacks and more! We will also have a petting zoo, face painting, hayrides, and competitions for kids as well as adults!

This event is taking place at Serenity Valley Farm located in Fremont Michigan! You can find our address on our contact section of our website. If you are coming from Wisconsin you can take the ferry over from Milwaukee to Muskegon. Muskegon is only 30 minutes from us! 

Yes! We ask that you take full responsibility for your animals while here. (Also note that there will be fireworks on Saturday night, so if your pet is not good with loud noises please keep that in mind.)

We have a giant field where everyone can hang out and camp. There are no electrical or water hookups. There will be porta johns at the event if you need to use the bathroom. Please bring your own water. 

n front of the camping area will have parking available! We will have signs and staff to help everyone get where they need to go! 

You can get more involved just by connecting with us! If you would like to volunteer, perform music at the event, be a market vendor or participate in any of the events just send us an email or register through our website! 

We have different people signed up to teach or demonstrate their skills and knowledge. You will be able to attend any of these sessions on a first come first serve sign up basis on the day of the event. Some of the sessions we have listed so far are knitting and crocheting, blacksmithing, chiropractic care, a village prenatal and more!

See the list of events to see all the different opportunities  and what each one entails!