Happy New Year from FOHRA and Get Ready for State Park Centennial Anniversary in 2019!→

The Friends of Highland Recreation Area volunteers wish to thank the supporters of Highland State Recreation Area and Haven Hill for a great 2018.

The coming year of 2019 is the Centennial Anniversary of the Michigan State park system. The official 100-year anniversary of Michigan State Parks will fall on the weekend of May 10-12, 2019 and we’re excited to participate! Keep in touch via the website at www.fohravolunteers.org for your Centennial activities at Highland State Recreation Area and Haven Hill.

And make sure to add your Highland Rec stories to the awesome “memories map” where you can click on Highland State Recreation Area and add a story and photos.

https://midnr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/StoryMapCrowdsource/index.html?appid=ab30d92b09af4fa08eb9622d47b1dc71

Flint Knappers and Pre-History at Haven Hill Festival

Watch and learn of amazing tools of our ancestors at this years Haven Hill Festival!

Enjoy a hands-on immersive experience that puts you face to face with a real life paleolithic hunter gatherer in period correct attire and tools for an in-depth explanation and instruction. PRIMITIVE CLASSROOM is an ice age reenactment program geared towards children to adults of all ages. Come learn of Pleistocene-era cultures from central Europe and north America.

JUMPING FOX PRIMITIVE TOOL WORKS as a part of Primitive Classroom specializes in the production of atlatls, darts, bull roarers, cane arrows, stone and bone points, and bone jewelry. 

Flint Knapping

Atlatl - A spear-thrower, or atlatl, is a tool that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in dart-throwing, and includes a bearing surface which allows the user to store energy during the throw.

Bullroarer - The bullroarer, rhombus, or turndun, is an ancient ritual musical instrument and a device historically used for communicating over great distances. It dates to the Paleolithic period, being found in Ukraine dating from 18,000 BC. 

Flintknapping - Knapping is the shaping of flint, chert, obsidian or other conchoidal fracturing stone through the process of lithic reduction to manufacture stone tools, strikers for flintlock firearms, or to produce flat-faced stones for building or facing walls, and flushwork decoration. 

And enjoy general knowledge about our ancestors from an era so long ago. And try some interesting things out for yourself!

www.fohravolunteers.org

Haven Hill Festival Coming Soon - August 25

Hello Everyone!

The Haven Hill Festival is a celebration of Edsel and Eleanor Fords’ historic Haven Hill Estate and the natural beauty and historic wonders of the Highland State Recreation Area in the townships of Highland and White Lake, Michigan. The 2018 family event is currently scheduled for Saturday, August 25 from 10 - 3:00 pm.

Mary Moore, who is a former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League infielder, will throw out the first pitch at the ball game and stay after to chat and sign autographs and display her memorabilia.

We also plan to feature vintage Model A Ford cars from the members of the Livingston A's driving club, an Antiques and Collectibles Sale at the Edsel Ford Barn, an 1860’s exhibition vintage base ball game, the beautiful MDNR Cedar Creek Trail, guided short hikes, primitive man displays, summer foods and beverages, Haven Hill art and history displays, and children’s activities in Goose Meadow. Come to the Gate House and see the council ring and brick displays commemorating family, donors, and beloved pets.

Baseball fan? Bring along a picnic blanket, sun umbrellas, and folding chairs to stay and watch the historic base ball game played the way the American sport of "base ball" originated in the 1860's. 

The arrival of the Model A Ford cars and the 1860's Base Ball game is planned in Goose Meadow at 10:00 am. Other locations throughout the park will provide activities during the Festival such as self-guided tours of the Haven Hill Lodge grounds, and the sale at Edsel Ford Barn. Volunteers will be dressed in period costumes.

The food and beverages available for purchase in Goose Meadow will be a fund raiser for the efforts of the volunteer group Friends of Highland Recreation Area. The park can be entered on 5200 Highland Road, M-59 between Duck Lake and Bogey Lake roads. Parking is at the Goose Meadow picnic shelter area, the 1st right turn on Haven Hill Road after you enter the park off of M-59 between Duck Lake and Bogie Lake roads.

The Festival is provided to the public at no charge, and yet entry into the state park is now via the Recreation Passport on your license plate. If you do not have this great State Park feature on your license plate, you will be asked to buy one. It's a great deal!

The Friends of Highland Recreation Area (FOHRA), is a non-profit organization supporting the Highland State Recreation Area in Highland/White Lake, Michigan, and the historic Edsel Ford Haven Hill Estate structures within its boundaries. The Haven Hill Festival is an alcohol-free, family-oriented event, and it will be held on it's 10th year in 2018 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.

Nature Hike at the Highland State Recreation Area on Saturday, June 9, 1:00 pm

Hello everyone! There will be a nature hike at Highland State Recreation Area on Saturday, June 9 at 1:00 pm.  Meet at the Circle parking lot. The hike will be to the Haven Hill Lodge and then back down the road to the loops by the Haven Hill Lake dam.  

Plan for an approximately 4 mile, easy-paced nature hike with plenty of opportunity to take pictures. The trails are moderately inclined and dog-friendly; recreation pass required for vehicle entry.

Go to http://www.fohravolunteers.org/hiking/ for more hike info and links to Maps and directions.

Come on out, meet new friends, and enjoy the beauty of the Haven Hill Natural Area! A Recreation Passport is required for state park entry.

Hope to see you there!

Antiques and Collectibles Sale Inside Edsel Ford Barn on Saturday

The rainy forecast for this weekend will be a great reason to come inside the Edsel Ford Barn at Highland State Recreation Area and shop for your own enjoyment or maybe a great Mothers Day gift. Bring family and friends to this fantastic fundraising sale for the Friends of Highland Recreation Area.

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 "Redbud Reveal" event on Saturday, May 12, 2018 between 9 am and 4 pm. Once inside the park please follow the signs to 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. 

Press Release: 2018 Antiques and Collectibles Sale at Edsel Ford Barn on Saturday, May 12

A fundraising Sale will be held in Highland State Recreation Area during the “Redbud Reveal” spring season-opening event on Saturday, May 12, 2018 from 9 am until 4:00 pm. Items for you and your home will be presented in the historic Edsel Ford Barn on the grounds of Edsel and Eleanor Ford’s former Haven Hill Estate. The historic structure is undergoing renovation by the park’s Friends Group.

All proceeds from the sale of donated items and a 50/50 drawing 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 Estate that was once the home of Edsel and Eleanor Ford and their family.

The Edsel Ford Barn is located within Highland State Recreation Area between Duck Lake and Bogie Lake Roads in White Lake. 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 a Recreation Passport on your license plate for state park entry and they are available at the park if you do not yet have this great benefit. Once inside the park please follow the signs to the Sale.