PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
FIFTY YEARS STRONG … This year, Sauder Village celebrates 50 years of presenting how the Great Black Swamp in northwest Ohio evolved from its settlement in 1803 through life in the 1920s on its Main Street. A two-day birthday celebration on Saturday and Sunday June 13 and 14 will recognize its 1976 opening. Archbold Rotarian and Sauder Village president/CEO Todd Norris and Sheri Friesner, director of historic operations at the Village, shared some of the highlights of the upcoming season recently with Archbold Rotary, which has held its weekly meetings at The Barn Restaurant for the past 37 years.
Sauder Village opened in 1976 as a place to visually tell the story of how the area that was part of the Great Black Swamp developed.
Its founder Erie Sauder said: “You can put all the history you want in books, but it will never speak like the tangible history will.”
Over the next 50 years, the village has evolved with Erie’s vision of showing how this development occurred with living historians and craftsmen who demonstrate how things were done and explain why.
Sheri Friesner, the director of historic operations at the Village, told Rotarians that she isn’t sure whether Erie could have envisioned all of the aspects that have been added to the 156 acres of farmland that is now part of Sauder Village.
She explained, it’s not just individuals and families who visit the Village, but in May alone some 12,000 tri-state school children and their chaperones will visit the Village with more to come in the fall when school resumes.
In addition to the adult living historians, Friesner said about 70 youth between 12 and 16 years of age help at the Village as junior historians.
Although a number of annual events, such as the antique car and motorcycle show, the season-opening quilt show, and rug hookers week, are on the schedule, Friesner noted that this year Sauder Village is adding three Sensory Friendly Tuesdays (June 9, July 14 and August 11).
On those days, the living historians, train rides and other village programming will lower the volume a bit of their presentations.
They will consciously speak softer and be more friendly for families who have members who do better with quieter surroundings.
The Sauder Village 50th birthday celebration will be held Saturday and Sunday June 13 and 14. Friesner indicated that some pricing may even be rolled back to 1976 levels for that weekend.
Also, an America 250 (birthday) picnic will be held on Saturday, July 4 as part of the Naturalization Ceremony that will be held on the Village Green where dozens of “new Americans” will officially become American citizens.
For more complete information on the 2026 Sauder Village special event schedule, visit the Sauder Village website at saudervillage.org.