Youth Volunteer Day at Haven Hill Gatehouse in Highland State Recreation Area
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FOHRA Youth Volunteer Day!
Saturday, September 21
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Please join FOHRA for a fun day at the Haven Hill Gatehouse in Highland State Recreation Area. Volunteers ages 11-17 are welcome! Saturday, September 21, 2019. 9 AM to 3 PM.
Planned activities include:
Introduction to Haven Hill history
Painting of Gatehouse
Grounds maintenance.
Please pack a sack lunch. Bottled water and prepackaged snacks will be provided to volunteers by FOHRA. Weather appropriate clothing is suggested.
If verification for volunteer hours is needed, please bring required forms to day of volunteering for FOHRA signature.
Come to the Iced Tea Event at Haven Hill - Saturday, August 3rd
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An event presented by the Ladies of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area Saturday, August 3, 2019 from 1 PM – 3 PM
On the lawn and under the canopies of the Haven Hill Gatehouse…
Sample and sip multiple homemade teas. Enjoy tasty desserts. Have some fun exploring “100 Years of Tea”. Choose a mallet and play a game of croquet!
The Ladies of The Friends of Highland Recreation Area are hosting this fundraiser to support the ongoing efforts to restore and repurpose the former buildings of the Edsel and Eleanor Ford Estate.
Tickets: $20 Per Person; $18 Students/Seniors 55 And Up.
Tickets are available on the FOHRA website in the FOHRA Store.
Tickets Are Limited, Contact Jacqui At (248) 701-0076 With Any Questions.
The Gatehouse is opposite the park entry booth - you must have an MDNR Recreation Passport to enter the state park.
Rain Date Sunday, August 4th, 1-3 pm
New Roads "Pave the Way" for Highland State Recreation Area's Haven Hill Festival 2019 Date Change
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Great news for park visitors that are bothered by unpaved and sometimes muddy or dusty bumpy roads… the long-awaited road paving project at the Highland State Recreation Area will begin in July! New blacktop roads will be installed throughout the summer starting after July 8, 2019.
To avoid conflicts with the paving of roads and of the Goose Meadow and Edsel Ford parking areas, the annual Haven Hill Festival will be moved from its’ currently scheduled date of July 27 to Saturday, October 19.
M-59 Highland Road sign announces the repaving project at Highland State Recreation Area.
The major road paving project will cause some inconveniences when various areas of the park are repaved and repaired. Park visitors are encouraged to be patient and safe with road crews as they do their jobs throughout the summer.
As a result of the newly announced paving schedule the Friends of Highland Recreation Area have rescheduled the annual Haven Hill Festival to Saturday, October 19. A Fall season theme will add new enjoyment to the day of vintage baseball, beautiful collector cars, outdoor activities, Haven Hill History, and more.
State Park visitors are reminded that 2019 is the 100th anniversary of the Michigan State Park system and that Highland State Recreation Area was a pillar in the newly formed state park system as the lands of Haven Hill were contributed by Eleanor Ford.
Water Flowing at Haven Hill Gatehouse Bottle Filling Station - Highland State Recreation Area
/The Friends of Highland Recreation Area are proud to announce that a newly-installed water fountain and bottle filling station has be activated at the Haven Hill Gatehouse after receiving passing test results from the Oakland County Health Department. Hikers, bikers, walkers, and visitors of all kinds can now enjoy fresh water on this section of the Cedar Creek Trail.
Water is coming out of the ground at a cool temperature ~ 50 degrees. The fountain was made possible by a grant from the Highland Equestrian Conservancy. The HEC, FOHRA, and the MDNR all cooperated to achieve the goal.
The fountain has three outlets including a faucet for a standing adult, the lower faucet is ADA compliant for someone in a wheelchair, and the main use is the bottle filling feature in the top center. To supply the fountain (and eventually the Haven Hill Gatehouse, under renovation) a 5-inch well was drilled 75 feet down to the water table by Mike LaLone Well Services in November of 2018.
Come enjoy a visit to Edsel and Eleanor Ford’s former Haven Hill Estate Gatehouse and a drink of fresh water too!
Haven Hill Gatehouse Bottle Filling Station, Bob Hoffman representing the HEC, and FOHRA President Dick Russell.
Centennial State Parks, Centennial Cars at Haven Hill in Highland State Recreation Area!
/Above: Members of the “Casual T’s” with a fine vintage automobile at Haven Hill in Highland State Recreation Area as part of the MDNR 100th year anniversary.
What does a Model T Ford automobile and a Michigan State Park have in common you might ask? Both were created 100 years ago and came together at Highland State Recreation Area on Saturday, May 18 in White Lake/Highland, Michigan of course!
The members of the “Casual T’s” driving club, members of the Model T Ford Club International (MTFCI), brought a huge collection of their beautiful automobiles to the Highland State Recreation Area to the Friends groups’ annual Redbud Reveal season-opening event at the Park. The Model T automobile was built by the Ford Motor Company from 1908 until 1927. Hosted by the Friends of Highland Recreation Area, their day at Haven Hill (former country Estate of Edsel and Eleanor Ford) was a fantastic celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Michigan State Parks!
The members of FOHRA wish to thank the Casual T’s for coming to Haven Hill at Highland State Recreation Area on the weekend of the Michigan State Parks’ 100th Anniversary! Fantastic!
Edsel Ford Barn New Rear Doors Revealed - 300 lbs Each!
/Weighing approximately 300 pounds each, the new rear doors for the Edsel Ford Barn in Highland State Recreation Area
The Friends of Highland Recreation Area volunteers are proud to reveal a first look at the giant newly-rebuilt rear doors for the Edsel Ford Barn. The doors as shown in the photos were completed to this level of construction at a recent FOHRA weekend volunteer work bee. Friends group volunteers support the Michigan Department of Natural Resources with park events, historic restoration projects such as this, and park amenities, among other things.
The historic Barn, which is located in the Haven Hill section of Highland State Recreation Area in Highland/White Lake, Michigan, was once a major structure in a collection of buildings that comprised Edsel and Eleanor Ford’s former Haven Hill estate. Prior to a severe storm in June of 2008 the Barn extended the entire length of the visible concrete pad from north to south. High winds destroyed the long southerly expanse of the Barn, and what now remains is the functional front-end. Therefore the existing rear doors as they now stand were actually inside the Barn, and are now exposed to the elements as exterior doors. These new doors will replace the old doors now visible to Park visitors.
Above: 2 GIANT new rear doors for the Edsel Ford Barn
Progress continues on the restoration of this beloved and historic structure. The installation of new doors is targeted to occur prior to the July 27 Haven Hill Festival.
Browse the FOHRA website and Facebook entries, make donations, and come to the Park and volunteer. Look for a list of upcoming events at Highland State Recreation Area at www.fohravolunteers.org.
Headquartered in Highland Township, Michigan, the Friends of Highland Recreation Area is a nonprofit 501c3 organization comprised of Michigan residents, private businesses, local user groups, and various resource organizations, working to combine the existing activities and amenities of Highland State Recreation Area, with the unique historical and cultural background of Edsel and Eleanor Ford's former Haven Hill estate.
Read the article on our website at
www.fohravolunteers.org/blog
Pick It Up - Litter at Haven Hill
/Jack and Jay Fitzgerald talk trash and pickup litter at Highland State Recreation Area. Friends of Highland Recreation Area volunteer members Jay and Jack talk about their spring litter cleanup hike film, and picking up litter in the Haven Hill section of Highland State Recreation Area.
