WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI -- The iconic prehistoric monument known as Stonehenge is coming to life in Washtenaw County with the help of some bales of straw.
Saline Celtic Festival will feature its own version of Stonehenge called Strawhenge during its festival, which will take place on Friday, July 7, and Saturday, July 8, at Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, 5055 Ann Arbor Saline Road.
Located in England, Stonehenge is one of the world’s most recognized archeological sites. It is believed to have been built in multiple stages between 3000 and 1500 B.C. There have been many speculations behind the famous manmade structure, but its creation still remains a mystery to many historians to this day.
Jim Peters is the man behind the design of Strawhenge which is a half-scale replica of the real thing. Peters is an organizer of the Saline Celtic Festival as well as an engineer who has been behind other creations for the festival including its iconic Millie the Mill Pond Monster, which debuted in 2003.
Peters said he has had the idea to create Strawhenge for years now, but he never had the space to do it at the festival’s last location in Mill Pond Park. With the festival’s new location, Strawhenge is finally a reality.
Read more: ‘It is a dream come true’: Saline Celtic Festival plans to expand, change locations this year
“Jim had mentioned it for a number of years, and it was one of those things where (we had our) fingers crossed,” Saline Celtic Festival Secretary Katherine Downie said. “I think we’re all still kind of in shock that we were able to pull it off, but Jim is so good at coming up with these sort of ideas and then pulling them together.”
Peters put together Strawhenge with the help of local farmer Steve Drake who supplied straw and hardware along with volunteers from the Celtic Festival Committee, Washtenaw Farm Council and the Saline Historical Society.
The replica is about 63 feet in diameter and uses 336 bales which Peters said is roughly 7.5 tons of straw. The engineer added each straw bale has been moved by hand and is also aligned with the cardinal points accurate to the original Stonehenge in England.
Peters said he got Strawhenge up within two days with the help of volunteers, but it took him weeks to research the project, create plans and lay out the site. He said it also took eight volunteers eight hours each to actually construct Strawhenge along with spending multiple hours doing other jobs to prepare for the project.
While the sight of Strawhenge may be entertaining, Peters plans to also educate others about the real Stonehenge with some facts throughout the replica.
“(The festival) is entertainment, but we are also cultural,” he said. “We like to talk about the Celtic culture, and (Strawhenge) plays right into that.”
As for the future of Strawhenge, Peters recommends anyone interested in checking it out to come to the Saline Celtic Festival this weekend.
He said he doesn’t think Strawhenge will become a permanent attraction for the Saline Celtic Festival and may just be a one time deal. He added he already has some new ideas of what he may bring to the festival next year now that he has more space.
Regardless of what happens, Peters said is proud he can show others what Stonehenge is all about through his work.
“Our ancestors were really bright, dynamic and motivated people. This is 5,000 years old and these people were building this thing with very limited resources,” he said. “These guys were sharp. To do what they did with the limited resources is incredible.”
Learn more about the Saline Celtic Festival online or on social media.
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