Donate Now Call 800.590.9755 Upcoming Events Rates & Hours Home> About> 45th Anniversary Mission History of Sauder Village Our Founder Board of Directors Leadership Greenburg Gallery Conservation Efforts Wetlands and Naturalized Areas News Newsletters Archived Newsletter Awards Contact Us 45th Anniversary Sauder Village Celebrates our 45th Anniversary We are excited to celebrate our 45th anniversary this year! We hope you will join us this season to see all the wonderful things that Sauder Village has to offer. Many fun anniversary celebrations will take place throughout the season including contests, special deals and other fun activities. Details will be posted on this page and on our social media sites to help share the excitement. Stay tuned! We hope you’ll join us often in 2021 to be part of our anniversary celebration! Join in the Celebration! More events coming soon! Stay tuned for new events coming up to celebrate our 45th anniversary year. 1920s Main Street Fest - August 2021 Free Concert featuring The Red Carpet Crashers Friday, August 27, 2021 6:00-9:00 p.m. Help us Celebrate our 45th Anniversary with a Free Concert on the 1920s Main Street at Sauder Village - Enjoy a FREE concert featuring The Red Carpet Crashers - Purchase tasty snacks, sandwiches and ice cream on Main Street. - Stop by the Speakeasy to purchase the latest Prohibition Cocktails - Visit the old-time Soda Fountain to enjoy an ice-cream sundae, chocolate malt, cherry phosphate and other sweet treats! Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy a fun evening with family and friends at this FREE Sauder Village event! Entry to the concert will be at the gate east of the Welcome Center. New! 1920s Main Street Fest Friday, June 18, 6:00-9:00 p.m. Help us celebrate our 45th Anniversary with a Free Concert on the 1920s Main Street at Sauder Village! - Enjoy a FREE concert featuring The Lee Warren Band - Purchase tasty appetizers and sandwiches on Main Street. - Stop by the Speakeasy to purchase the latest Prohibition Cocktails - Visit the old-time Soda Fountain to enjoy an ice-cream sundae, chocolate malt, cherry phosphate and other sweet treats! The Main Street Confections Candy Shop will also be open with old-time candy, fudge and popcorn for sale. This event is open to the public, so invite your family and friends to join the celebration! Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy a fun evening at this FREE Sauder Village event! 45th Anniversary – Rolling Back Our Rates to 1976! June 16 & 17 10:00 am - 5:00 pm In celebration of the 45th Anniversary of Sauder Village, the price of tickets will be rolled back to the original 1976 admission price on Wednesday, June 16, and Thursday, June 17! On these two special days, guests will pay only $2.50 for a ticket to Sauder Village – Ohio’s largest living-history destination! “Forty-five years ago, in June of 1976, Erie Sauder welcomed the ﬁrst guests to Sauder Museum, Farm and Craft Village,” shared Kim Krieger, Media Relations Manager. “While Sauder Village has grown and changed in many ways, our core purpose remains the same: to honor the past and inspire the future. We are excited to be celebrating this landmark anniversary and thought rolling back our ticket price to the 1976 rate would be a fun way for guests to celebrate with us!” 45 Years of History - Sauder Village … How It All Began A Passion & Vision During the 1960s, Erie Sauder developed an idea to create a small museum at Sauder Woodworking to help children learn how woodworking was done before the advancement of automated machinery. Erie was concerned that children would not appreciate the hard work of the past and he wanted future generations to appreciate the difficult conditions settlers faced when they came to the Great Black Swamp. As he began to collect items, Erie soon realized that a small museum at the factory was not going to work. A Village is Born In 1970, Erie purchased 15 acres of the Grime farm and construction of the living history village started in the spring of 1971. As Erie started collecting buildings and artifacts, people in the surrounding communities came and offered him more. He also started going to auctions to acquire historic items that would help tell the stories of early settlement and early agriculture. The Village quickly grew larger than Erie’s original plan. The Village Opens The Sauder Museum Farm and Craft Village opened on June 14, 1976 with a total of 42 employees working that first summer. From a small group of historic buildings, a restaurant, and a bakery, the Village continued to grow in number of acres, structures and employees. The complex added facilities such as a new Welcome Center (1985), a new General Store (1986), Founder’s Hall (1988), a Campground (1991), and the Sauder Heritage Inn (1994). In addition to growing in size, Sauder Village also continued to attract new audiences including school field trips, adult group tours and niche audiences visiting for quilt, rug hooking, woodcarving and other events. Erie’s daughter-in-law, Carolyn Sauder, was instrumental in the development and growth of these special events at the Village. “Sauder Village has been a big part of my life and it’s so exciting to be celebrating our 45th Anniversary,” Carolyn shared. “I have met so many amazing people - event exhibitors, guest artists and our wonderful employees and volunteers. It is an honor to still be involved as a board member and I look forward to an exciting future for Sauder Village!” Enhancing Erie ’s Vision Historic Sauder Village has continued to grow and change through the years and is now recognized as Ohio's largest living-history destination. While the size, look and even the name of the Village has changed over the years, its purpose and vision have remained the same. Under the direction of Erie’s granddaughter, Debbie Sauder David, Sauder Village continues to look for new and exciting ways for guests to see and experience Ohio’s past. A Master plan was created for the ongoing development of Sauder Village and continued enhancement of the guest experience. The “Walk Through Time Experience” shares stories of hard work and perseverance as a new community was developed and provided the base for future generations to build upon and prosper. At Natives & Newcomers guests experience the early years of Ohio’s statehood. Costumed guides in the Pioneer Settlement Area tell stories about the first European immigrants struggling for survival in the Great Black Swamp. At the Grime Homestead guests can experience the beginning of the modern age in this 1920s farmhouse and visit farm animals in the barnyard. Finally, at the new 1920s Main Street the Roaring Twenties come to life as guests explore a theater, candy shop, fire station, hardware store, soda fountain, car dealership, clothing store, barbershop and more! “These early citizens realized that obstacles can be overcome with innovation, resources need to be used wisely, and helping your neighbor is how communities work best,” shared Debbie David, President & CEO. “Innovation, servanthood and stewardship are values learned from the past, that are relevant in the present, and that serve as inspiration for future generations. We continue telling that story into the 1920s with the Grime Homestead and 1920s Main Street." As part of the Master Plan, the Sauder Village leadership team has helped to implement a number of other projects including Little Pioneers Homestead (2004), the Erie Express Train (2006), Sauder Heritage Inn Expansion (2006) and the Sauder Village Campground Expansion (2015). Fun With A Purpose Today the Sauder Village experience moves guests from a modern, fast-paced life into a world that celebrates unforgettable sights, sounds and memories from the past. It is a place where guests can slow down, spend quality time together, and enjoy fun with a purpose. What makes Sauder Village such a unique destination? - More than 100 years of history in a walk through time - an ideal backdrop for the engaging stories, demonstrations, and memorable educational programs that inspire guests of all ages. - Costumed interpreters who personally engage guests, relating the stories and activities of the past to our lives today. - Working craftsmen demonstrating traditional skills from the past and modern artisans using current techniques spark creativity. - History made relevant for all ages in a wholesome, fun, and family-friendly environment. Because of You! We would like to express our deep gratitude to those involved in making the Sauder Village experience possible. It has taken everyone – donors, employees, volunteers, members, community partners, suppliers and guests – to make Sauder Village one of the premiere living-history destinations in the Midwest. We have been making a difference in people’s lives for 45 years and we look forward to what the future will bring – stay tuned! A Year of Celebration We are grateful as we reflect on all that has developed over the past 45 years and are very excited about plans for the future. We hope you will visit our website and social media sites to stay up-to-date on our special celebration plans and join us often throughout 2021 for our 45th Anniversary! Support Support Our Mission As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Sauder Village relies on support from admissions, retail sales and donations to sustain the mission, as well as the attendance and involvement of our members and volunteers. 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