The Cook County Historical Society, Historic Harbor Theater, Knife River Cultural Heritage Center, Lake County Historical Society, Noatun Community Wooden Boatworks, and Two Harbors Public Library are banding together to offer “History Day on the Shore” as part of the 5th annual Twin Ports Festival of History. Visit at least three of the participating North Shore venues Friday, March 27th to receive a complimentary movie ticket to a Friday or Saturday show at the Harbor Theater valid March 27th & 28th only.
Stop on your way to Two Harbors at the Knife River Heritage & Cultural Center from 10AM to 2PM where Knife River Depot Agent Paul von Goertz will share the lore of Knife River from Indigenous times to logging, railroading and commercial fishing. Tour the depot’s exhibits and the restored fish tug CRUSADER II and the Viking ship LEIF ERIKSON. While you’re in town, stop by Noatun Community Wooden Boatworks during their open house 10AM to 5PM. Nóatún (pronounced no-a-toon) In Old Norse, means “boat home” or “boat enclosure.” The boat workers connect community volunteers with building & preserving traditional wooden boats, rowing, and sailing on Lake Superior and beyond.
Visit the Two Harbors Depot at 520 South Avenue 10AM to 5 PM for complimentary admission and scheduled talks in the Depot Gallery Space. 11AM at the Two Harbors Depot, Executive Director of the Cook County Historical Society, Catherine Magi James, will explore the riveting tale “Witches of November: the Legend of Helmer Aakvik.” At 3 PM Brian and Sue Matuszak, professional artists (and novice researchers) will combine humor and history telling the forgotten Northern Minnesota stories of artists and the artwork they created as part of the WPA’s Federal Art Project from 1935-1943.
Stop into the Two Harbors Public Library at 320 Waterfront Drive starting at 11AM for Micro Lesson on Micro Film where library staff will be on hand to give a primer on archival material for local research. Take a peek at local history and learn more about microfilm for future research rabbit holes! Stick around to learn more about the history and lore of Santa and Reindeer visiting towns around Minnesota with Duluth Researcher and longtime member of the North American Sami community Marlene Wisuri with her presentation “Santa Visits Minnesota-A Reindeer Tale” at 2pm.
Take in a classic movie at the single screen Historic Harbor Theater at 616 2nd Avenue. Dating to the 1940s, the Historic Harbor Theater is a single screen theater right in the heart of Two Harbors with films playing every Friday and Saturday. Learn about the history of the iconic theater at 6:00 PM from Harbor Theater owner Matthew Unzeitig. On March 27th, if you visit 2 other Two Harbors History Fest locations, receive one free movie pass for any Friday showing or the 6:30 PM Saturday showing. Friday films kickoff at 12PM with Singing in the Rain (1952) with following screenings of 3PM Casablanca (1942), and 6:30 PM The Majestic (2001).
Close out the evening on the shore with a visit to the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery 115 West Wisconsin Avenue in Grand Marais for an opening reception for exhibit “Line Shape Color” by artist Steve Dahlstrom 5-7PM. This solo exhibition displays Dahlstrom’s moves toward working closely with three compositional elements: line, shape, and color. Light refreshments will be served. Enjoy a full day of history and culture on the North Shore March 27th, the Friday of Twin Ports History Fest. The 2026 Twin Ports History Fest runs Monday, March 23rd through Sunday, March 29th at various venues across the Twin Ports and up the North Shore.
Twin Ports Festival of History
Twin Ports History Festival is a week-long celebration of local history entering its 5th season March 23rd-29th 2026. Organized by the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Public History Program this event offers a large variety of author talks, tours, and workshops across the Twin Ports and up the North Shore. More information on Twin Ports History Festival: https://sites.google.com/d.umn.edu/twinportsfestivalofhistory/
VENUE ADDRESSES
Knife River Cultural Heritage Center (Knife River Depot)
180 Old Harbor Rd., Knife River, MN 55609
info@krcc.org
https://www.krhcc.org/
Noatun Community Wooden Boatworks
222 America Dock Road
Knife River, MN 55609
Historic Harbor Theater
616 2nd Avenue, Two Harbors, MN 55616
https://www.facebook.com/harbortheaterllc/
Lake County Historical Society
Two Harbors Depot Museum
520 South Avenue, Two Harbors, MN 55616
(218) 834-4898
info@lchsmn.org
lakecountyhistoricalsociety.org
Two Harbors Public Library
320 Waterfront Drive, Two Harbors, MN 55616
(218) 834-3148
thpl@alslib.info
https://www.twoharborspubliclibrary.com/
Cook County Historical Society
Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery
115 West Wisconsin Avenue, Grand Marais, MN
(218) 387-2883
history@boreal.org
https://www.cookcountyhistory.org/
