The Board of Directors and the Membership of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area would like to thank you for your support in 2016 at Haven Hill in Highland Recreation Area. We wish you a Happy New Year 2017 and hope you will continue to have wondrous times at Haven Hill this winter season. Click below to see a short video "Thank You"!
The Antiques and Collectibles Sale at the Edsel Ford Barn, Vintage Model A Ford cars from the Livingston A's, an 1860's Base Ball game, Summer Food, Fun, and Beverages and even a Dog Costume Parade! All great things to see and do at the 2016 Haven Hill Festival at Highland State Recreation Area this coming Saturday, August 27. But did you know that there will be Art, History and the Outdoors too?
This year's Festival will include Art, History, and Photography on display at the Haven Hill Gate House complex. Come and see beautiful paintings and photography and other Haven Hill "art in the outdoors". And make sure to visit the Goose Meadow tent for short Haven Hill guided hikes throughout the day.
FOHRA volunteer Jay Fitzgerald and some of the Haven Hill photography on display at the Haven Hill Gate House..
Come to the Haven Hill Festival and enjoy free shuttle rides by the Gate House, Goose Meadow, Haven Hill, and the Edsel Ford Barn for these great experiences between 10 am and 3:00 pm this Saturday. And don't forgot a trip via the Shuttle up Haven Hill to experience the self-guided walking tour of Edsel and Eleanor Ford's former Haven Hill Lodge footprint. Informational signs will be out all day for your perusal.
Children and adults will enjoy seeing and learning of Haven Hill's rich history while experiencing the beauty of the People and Nature that have called Haven Hill their home both in the past and the present. And it looks like we may have great weather too!
A selection of collectible items for you and your home will be presented on the grounds of the historic Edsel Ford Barn at Edsel and Eleanor Ford’s former Haven Hill Estate. The historic barn is undergoing renovation by the park’s Friends Group, and is located within Highland State Recreation Area between Duck Lake and Bogie Lake Roads in White Lake. The fundraising Sale will be held during the “Haven Hill Festival” event on Saturday, August 27, 2016 from 10 am until 3:00 pm. Once inside the park please follow the signs to the Festival in Goose Meadow and the Sale at the Barn.
A FUNDRAISER
All proceeds from the sale of donated items will benefit the Friends of Highland Recreation Area and their restoration efforts at the former Haven Hill Estate. FOHRA is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring the structures and spirit of the historic Haven Hill.
Enter the Recreation Area at 5200 Highland Road (M-59), White Lake, Michigan. The entrance to the park is on the south side of the highway. The Michigan DNR requires the Recreation Passport on your license plate for state park entry. It is a great value and will give you and your family access to all of Michigan's State parks and waterways. A Passport may be purchased at the park on the day of the event.
Edsel Ford in the Haven Hill "Possibilities" Film
The Friends of Highland Recreation Area are once again proud to announce the “Redbud Reveal”, a season-opening event at Highland State Recreation Area in Highland/White Lake, Michigan.
To celebrate the arrival of the 2016 spring and summer season, the Reveal will be held from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm on Saturday, May 14 (rain date Sunday, May 15). Visitors are encouraged to come and see the beautiful and historic Haven Hill section of the Highland State Recreation Area which includes the Haven Hill Gate House, the Edsel Ford Barn, the picturesque Carriage House and the Haven Hill Lodge footprint high upon Haven Hill. Light refreshments will be served on the lawn around Edsel and Eleanor Fords’ wonderful former estate entrance. Come on out and join area residents to see if the redbuds are in bloom at Haven Hill!
The Friends of Highland Recreation Area are once again proud to announce the “Redbud Reveal”, a season-opening event at Highland State Recreation Area in Highland/White Lake, Michigan.
To celebrate the arrival of the 2016 spring and summer season, the Reveal will be held from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm on Saturday, May 14, (rain date Sunday, May 15). Visitors are encouraged to come and see the beautiful and historic Haven Hill section of the Highland State Recreation Area which includes the new Cedar Creek Trail, Haven Hill Gate House, the Edsel Ford Barn, the picturesque Carriage House and the Haven Hill Lodge footprint high upon Haven Hill. Light refreshments will be served on the lawn around Edsel and Eleanor Fords’ wonderful former estate entrance. Come on out and join area residents to see if the redbuds are in bloom at Haven Hill!
2016 Antiques and Collectibles Sale
A selection of collectible items for you and your home will be presented at the Edsel Ford Barn within Edsel and Eleanor Ford’s former Haven Hill Estate at Highland State Recreation Area. The historic barn is undergoing renovation by the park’s Friends Group, and is located in the Recreation Area between Duck Lake and Bogie Lake Roads on the south side of the highway at 5200 Highland Road (M-59), White Lake. The Sale event will be held during the “Redbud Reveal” spring season-opening event on Saturday, May 14, 2016 from 10 am until 4:00 pm. Once inside the park please follow the signs to the event sites and the Sale at the Barn. All proceeds from the sale of donated items benefit the Friends of Highland Recreation Area and their restoration efforts at the former Haven Hill Estate. Michigan DNR requires a Recreation Passport for state park entry. Visit www.fohravolunteers.org/sale for more information.
Have you ever flown over Highland State Recreation Area in Highland/White Lake, Michigan and looked down upon the gorgeous landscapes and historic structures within this truly special Michigan state park? If not, take a few minutes of your time right now and see a variety of beautiful "birds eye" views of these beautiful landscapes and historic landmark areas. See Edsel and Eleanor Ford's historic Haven Hill estate from high above the ground using a quadcopter and a tiny video camera.
The Haven Hill Gate House, Cedar Creek wetland and the new Cedar Creek Trail, Goose Meadow and Haven Hill Lake, the Haven Hill Lodge site, and the famous Edsel Ford Barn are all in view "out of your window seat" as you watch this amazing aerial film footage.
The members of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area are starting to shake off their winter "cabin fever" and begin spring and summer activities at the park. Come out and join us as we celebrate the season-opening Redbud Reveal and Antiques and Collectibles fundraising sale at the Edsel Ford Barn on Saturday, May 14.
Haven Hill Lake was created for Edsel and Eleanor Ford and their family in the 1920's by damming Cedar Creek, a part of Michigan’s Huron River watershed. The creek runs out of the lake and eventually becomes part of the Huron River flowing into Lake Erie south of Detroit, Michigan.
In the days of the Haven Hill Estate, the lake was a source of beauty and recreation for the Fords, their family members, and guests. Today it provides the same joys to guests of the Haven Hill section of Michigan's Highland State Recreation Area.
In winter, the lakes' surface freezes and thaws repeatedly throughout the season. Intriguing shapes form on the frozen surface as winter temperatures rise and fall. Sometimes unusual "Ice Stars" can be seen all over the surface of the frozen lake. These star-like shapes are formed when water seeps up through a hole in the ice and snow, creating a spider or octopus-shaped series of channels around the hole at the center.
Watch an aerial video flying over the Ice Stars HERE.
Visit a great lake ice website in Burlington Vermont for more lake ice information... HERE.
The aerial photos and video for this article were gathered using a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter and a GoPro camera by FOHRA member Jay Fitzgerald and his son Jack.
Visit www.fohravolunteers.org for more information about FOHRA in 2016. Happy New Year everyone!
Friends of Highland Recreation Area
PO Box 800, Highland, Michigan, 48357
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Within one of the most picturesque, fascinating, and historically significant state parks in southeast lower Michigan, our goal is to combine the former Haven Hill estate history with Highland Recreation Area’s existing amenities, wilderness, and recreation.
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