Photo courtesy of Marilla Historical Society.
Edited from a news release
MARILLA TOWNSHIP, Mich. ‒ Seating is limited for a unique holiday experience offered in the spirit of the pioneer days.
The Joyfest Pioneer Holiday Dinner will take place 6-8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 30, at the Marilla Museum and Pioneer Place. Festivities will include tours, a “jolly” dinner and music.
The event will be held at 9991 Marilla Road in Copemish, five miles south of M-115.
“This very special seated dinner is a favorite of those who have attended in the past,” read a statement in a 2024 Marilla Historical Society newsletter.
Activities are scheduled to begin with a tour of the main museum, housed in a two-room schoolhouse built in 1922. Also open for touring will be three other restored and festively decorated pioneer buildings: a fur-trapper’s log cabin, a two-story 1870s log home and a 1900 barn with logging and farming implements.
A four-course meal, prepared by the Marilla Historical Society, will be served at 6:30 p.m. Dinner features spiced cider punch, squash soup topped with pepitas and yogurt, red cabbage slaw with apples and walnuts, pork loin stuffed with apples and served with shallot/brandy sauce, garlic parmesan potatoes, and pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for dessert.
Accomplished hammered dulcimer artist Katelyn Baas will provide uplifting music throughout the meal. Baas, who teaches others to play the ancient percussion instrument, was a finalist in a national hammered dulcimer competition last month.
The minimum suggested donation for JoyFest is $50 per person. Seats may be reserved by visiting the organization’s website at marillahistory.org or by emailing marillamuseum@gmail.com or calling 231-379-0040.
The Marilla Historical Society was founded in 1980. The volunteer-run museum is supported entirely by donations. Items sold by the organization online and at the museum include books about Marilla’s history, a country cookbook, wildflower prints and more. Follow them on Facebook @MarillaHistory.
Read more about Marilla:
Influential women of Marilla Township
Marilla: remembering a close-knit community
