PROGRAMS and EVENTS
The Redbud Reveal
The annual Redbud Reveal ceremony at the Haven Hill Gate House is a season-opening event at Highland State Recreation Area in Highland/White Lake, Michigan that celebrates the arrival of the spring and summer season. The Redbud Reveal is typically held on a Saturday in May from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm (rain date Sunday).
Visitors are encouraged to come and see the beautiful and historic Haven Hill section of the Highland State Recreation Area which includes the historic Haven Hill Gate House, the Edsel Ford Barn, the picturesque Carriage House, and the Haven Hill Lodge footprint up on Haven Hill.
At around 1:00 pm, the President of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area will give a public address at the Edsel Ford Barn or on the Gate House lawn highlighting the Friends group’s recent activities and event plans for the coming year. Light refreshments will be served. Come on out and join area residents to see if the redbuds are in bloom at Haven Hill!
The Haven Hill Festival
The Haven Hill Festival is a celebration of the amazing natural and historic resources of the Highland State Recreation Area. Each year’s free event will include an 1860’s vintage base ball game, summer foods, a live Brass Band, vintage Ford cars, Haven Hill history displays, children’s activities, and art displays. The event promotes awareness of the wonderful natural and historic resources that make up Highland State Recreation Area and the historic former Edsel and Eleanor Ford Haven Hill Estate.
The Festival will be held between 10 am and 3 pm primarily at the Goose Meadow Picnic site and activities will also occur at other locations throughout the park. The base ball game will begin at 10:00 am. Several other activities will typically be held throughout the park during the Festival such as an art displays at the Gatehouse, Haven Hill natural area photography displays, self-guided tours of the Haven Hill Lodge grounds, and volunteers dressed in period costumes.
The park can be entered on 5200 Highland Road, M-59 between Duck Lake and Bogey Lake roads. The Festival It is provided to the public at no charge, and entry into the state park is now via the Recreation Passport on your license plate.
The Haven Hill Festival is an alcohol-free, family-oriented event at Highland State Recreation Area. The celebration has grown yearly, and will continue to positively benefit all of those who attend as well as the surrounding communities now and into the future.
