Soo Locks Engineers Weekend June 24-25, 2016
The perfect itinerary of family-friendly activities awaits you during Engineer’s Weekend in Sault Ste. Marie. The last weekend in June has something for everyone, including racing boats, spectacular vistas, unbridled power, and so much more. Best of all, it’s your once-per-year chance to sneak a peek behind the scenes at the Soo Locks.
- Walk across the mighty Soo Locks Walls
- Tour the Hydroelectric Plant
- Stroll the Soo Locks Park
- Enjoy the Arts, Crafts, and Family Fun Fair
- Explore the U.S. Coast Guard Station
- Join in on the International Bridge Walk
Watch the video and get to know the excitement of Engineer’s Weekend!
June 24
9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
It’s the event that started it all – the one day when you can walk across the mighty Soo Locks walls and explore the buildings and special exhibits open only on this day – the last Friday in June.
Engineer’s Day festivities are held from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The gates are open to allow visitors across the Locks and into historically-important structures (Davis Building and the Administration Building) used solely for the work of one of the world’s busiest Lock systems.
Visitors are invited to stroll the Soo Locks Park, explore history in the visitor’s center and climb observation platforms as mammoth freighters ply the waters of the St. Marys River system. At the onsite Soo Locks Visitor’s Center new displays feature shipping and history themes. The exhibit “Ships of the Great Lakes” feature historic photographs and information on ships that have sailed the lakes since the early 1800s, including whaleboats, side-wheelers, steamers with barges, wooden freighters and the modern 1,000-foot freighters that can hold 70,000 tons of iron ore. “Sisters” is a display featuring those freighters constructed with the same plans and therefore considered to be sister ships. Several other displays are new this year, thanks to the hard work of the Soo Locks Visitors Center Association (SLVCA), a group of volunteers whose mission it is to continually update the center.
Tour the Cloverland Electric Cooperative Hydroelectric Plant 9 AM TO 4 PM
Powerhouse-June 24, 2016, 9 AM TO 4 PM visit this historic building
The Sault Ste. Marie landscape is blessed with a fantastic structure that is architecturally important, provides power to part of the city, and has operated for more than a century. Best of all – you can tour inside! Read more about the Hydro Plant
Arts, Crafts, and Family Fun Fair 10AM TO 5PM
Want to take home a souvenir, snack on locally-made goodies, or add a new piece to your art collection? There’s something for everyone at this outdoor fair.
2015’s Arts, Crafts, and Family Fun Fair was so much fun that the EUP Community Dispute Resolution Center, that coordinated the Fair, plans on doing the event every year! 2016 will be even bigger and more fun, so plan on over 40 high quality arts and crafts vendors, favorite foods, and kids’ activities from bouncies and balloons to intriguing adventures. Count on local maple syrup items, traditional and creative handheld meals, assorted roasted nuts, and familiar hot and cold dishes. Awesome artistic media will include photography, oil paintings, charcoal drawings, hand-woven and other fabric items, furniture, glass work, beadwork, and jewelry. Click here for more information.
U.S. Coast Guard Station Open House 10AM TO 2PM
Explore the U.S. Coast Guard Station and the USCGC KATMAI BAY icebreaker. There will also be a inspection demonstration aboard the Museum Ship Valley Camp from 10am-Noon.
U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Demo 2PM
This life saving rescue demonstration will take place on the east side of the Museum Ship Valley Camp.
Saturday June 25 International Bridge Walk
International Bridge Walk Lace up your sneakers and get ready to walk a Michigan landmark. The annual International Bridge Walk takes an easy pace and provides spectacular views of the twin Saults, the St. Marys River rapids and the Soo Locks.
Young and old, physically fit or fitness challenged, all enjoy the fantastic views and the resulting pictures that will last a lifetime. Best of all, there’s no admission fee, no long waits, and no sweltering heat to contend with since the walk steps off at 9:30am.
Bicyclists are invited to join the round-trip Bike Parade, which leaves LSSU at 8:30am.
Sponsored by the International Bridge Authority and the Chamber of Commerce from both cities, organizers remind walkers to bring a passport or other approved I.D. found in the Soo Area Info, International Bridge Customs section of this site. PLEASE, contact the Sault Ste. Marie Area Chamber of Commerce for more details at 906-632-3301.
Bus transportation is available for $4 and can bring walkers from Mill Market in Sault Ontario to the starting point or, afterward, return those with vehicles waiting to the Norris Center.
Have questions about any of these great events? Call our office at (800) 647-2858.