
Ellison Wonderland LLC
Hosting Special Events in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin
Brief and small-scale events may be booked with a simple memorandum of
understanding. Rental fees are individually determined by the specific needs of each party. Please, call to discuss
your specific requirements with us.
Recent Events
- The Midsummer Music Festival
has performed in the "Bolshoi Room" of our barn on balmy evenings with the wagon doors open, allowing
a bird to sing along with the chamber music.
- We have had evenings of impromptu entertainment provided by the actors
who regularly stay with us.
- The Ellison Bay Women's Club has met here.
- A garden club from Iowa included us on their tour, with a large busload
of flower people.
- The first annual Door County Barn Walk included our structure, with
750 people sloshing through in the pouring rain,
- And then 2000 (yes, 2000) people passed through again for the House
and Garden Walk.
- We were featured in articles in The New York Times, Door County Magazine,
the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the Door County Advocate, the Door Peninsula Voice, Wisconsin Trails Magazine and
the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- And, of course, the Silver Poplar Studios GALLERY, occupies one wing
of the barn.

from Silver Poplar Studios Archives
Future Plans
- There will be trunk shows occasionally, featuring antiques, textiles,
books, tools, oriental carpets, country furnishings and tchotchkies.
- We continue to provide a setting for Rustic Weddings in an unforgettable
Door County style.
- Not to mention big Russian parties, which is what the barn was built
for in the first place.

The story of the barn
Although the barn was built in 1998, it appears to have been in the meadow
forever. This is due to the use of recycled materials and country landscaping. It is, however, unique in many respects.
There is a Russian theme in the architectural details. The Gallery is a carefully reassembled log barn.
In the "Bolshoi Room," there is a drawbridge staircase leading
to a cat walk, which in turn connects to an interior balcony. Beyond this is an exterior balcony which accommodates
an antique telescope originally belonging a Boston harbormaster. The room is flooded with daylight from large,
arched, period windows. An adjacent garden room is equipped with antique tools and artifacts. As an entry vestibule,
a rare, wooden-stave silo has been attached, with a transparent roof.
Components of the barn
Slovak log barn (Kocurek)
Post & beam addition (Moore)
Door County dairy barn (Kracht, courtesy of Habitat for Humanity) Denmark silo (Kranik)
New Jersey barn beams & siding (Rudzina)
Gurnee barn siding (present site of Six Flags Great America)
Sister Bay barn fragments (Zander)
Namur barn artifacts
Architectural salvage from:
The Granada Theatre, Chicago
Belle Avenue historic district, Highland Park
Convent windows, Sturgeon Bay, The Civic Opera House and Theatre, Chicago
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