Check Out Dick Russell's Great Interview on "Back to Business"

A fantastic interview with Dick Russell, President of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area... 

2014 FOHRA Annual Meeting is Next Wednesday Night

2014 Friends of Highland Recreation Area Annual Meeting

Wednesday, November 5, 7:00 pm

It's that time of year again... for Fall colors and pumpkins and cider mills and the Friends of Highland Recreation Area (FOHRA) Annual Meeting!

The 2014 FOHRA Annual Meeting and Social will be held on Wednesday, November 5, at the White Lake Township Community Building.  Come and bring friends or family members, to 7500 Highland Road (M-59) across from the White Lake Township Hall. Appetizers and light beverages will be served at 6:30 pm. The formal meeting and presentations start at 7:00 pm and wrap up around 8:30.

This year's meeting highlights will include aerial video footage from high above Haven Hill's historic structures and landscapes, as well as other special information and displays. Please attend for a great evening with Highland State Recreation Area and Haven Hill enthusiasts!"

Sincerely,

Your Friends

2013 FOHRA Annual Meeting - Tuesday, November 6

Friends of Highland Recreation Area 2013 Annual Meeting

Wednesday, November 7, 2013

Snacks and Light Refreshments - 6:30 PM

Formal Meeting Start Time - 7:00 pm

End of Formal Meeting - 8:30 PM

HVCA Building, 205 W. Livingston Rd., Highland, MI. 48357

The Board of Directors of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area would like to welcome the public to the 2013 FOHRA Annual Meeting and Social. Our yearly event showcases FOHRA’s volunteer activity at Edsel and Eleanor Ford’s former Haven Hill estate within the Highland State Recreation Area.

Special Presentation

This year’s meeting will be highlighted by an informative presentation “Native Beauty: Landscapes Designed by Jens Jensen for the Ford family in Southeast Michigan” presented by Professor Robert E. Grese, Director of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor, and Professor, School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan. Famed landscape architect Jens Jensen was employed by the Fords to sculpt the Haven Hill lands and gardens during the estate’s creation in the 1920’s.

In addition to Professor Grese’s presentation, a FOHRA 2013 highlights video slideshow, and other informative and enjoyable Haven Hill displays, will be presented during the evening.

Stay tuned for more details....

Redbud Reveal and Art on the Hill Planned for Sunday, April 29

Redbud Reveal at the Haven Hill Gate House
The Friends of Highland Recreation Area are once again proud to announce a season-opening event at the Haven Hill Gate House at the entrance to the Highland State Recreation Area in Highland/White Lake, Michigan. We’ve had an early arrival of spring-like weather and beautiful flowering tree blooms at the park this year. To celebrate the arrival of the 2012 spring/summer season the "Redbud Reveal" will be held on the lawn of the Haven Hill Gate House at 1:00 pm, Sunday, April 29. Casual refreshments will be served. This year's kick-off address by FOHRA President Mr. Dick Russell will be highlighted by the first annual "Art on the Hill" exhibit up on Haven Hill Road. This will be the first of several art exhibits this year on Haven Hill.

Art on the Hill: Maps Art - Haven Hill in Place and Time
The Friends group will present a beautiful and informative display of "Maps Art - Haven Hill in Place and Time" on Haven Hill throughout the day Sunday, April 29, starting after 9:00 am. The exhibit is a wonderful show of area history and information presented through the art of cartography. Guests are welcome to enjoy a beautiful walk up Haven Hill whilst enjoying the display.

Please bring your family and friends and join us in the Park on Sunday, April 29 to start the 2012 season at Haven Hill. We'd love to have you!

Go to www.fohra.org for more information about 2012 FOHRA events and the Friends of Highland Recreation Area.

Thanks for reading! See the informational flyer attached to assist you. Please forward this email freely to support the Friends of Highland Recreation Area.

Edsel Ford Barn Storm Debris Clearing Complete!

A dedicated group of Friends of Highland Recreation Area members this last Sunday, August 8, with shovels, pitchforks, brooms, and a tractor, scooped another pile of broken wood, shingles, twisted metal, and dirt into a large dumpster...

...this was more debris from the historic Edsel Ford Barn in Highland State Recreation Area that was hit by a violent storm on June 8, 2008 and nearly completely demolished. The difference this last Sunday was that these last few piles were the final vestiges of more than a year's work cleaning up the beloved barn's injuries.

The destruction from the storm in 2008 was devastating to the old barn, built in the 1920's for Edsel and Eleanor Ford who once owned what is now the Haven Hill section of Highland Recreation Area (named after "Haven Hill", the name the Fords' gave to their once grand country estate).

Below: The Edsel Ford Barn in May of 2008, prior to the devastating storm that destroyed nearly 3/4 of the barn's structure.

Below: The Edsel Ford Barn soon after the storm of June 8, 2008.

During the last year the fallen debris from the storm damage to the barn was cleared off of the concrete slab that lay beneath the once grand structure. The task was completed during weekend work sessions wherein members of the Friends group, and partner organizations, all took part in the effort. Rescue efforts did not begin in earnest until the spring of 2009 after various safety and insurance requirements were met.

Below: The cleared Edsel Ford Barn concrete slab last Sunday, August 8, 2010.

This was indeed a major milestone for the project, and for those people directly involved in the effort, but it is also just another beginning of a process of rejuvenating the site from a relatively unknown historical asset into a place that is beneficial to the local community. The Friends of Highland Recreation Area (FOHRA) still need the continued involvement of those of you willing to help. Donations of manpower, materials, finances, and services can be contributed to the effort by contacting the Friends group. Go to www.fohra.org for more information.

Below: A conceptual drawing of the potential future for the Edsel Ford Barn in White Lake/Highland, Michigan.