Barn Stormers to Play Greenfield Village Lah-De-Dahs at 2012 Haven Hill Festival

The following was submitted to White Lake Patch for publication by Jay Fitzgerald with the Friends of Highland Recreation Area.

The Friends of Highland Recreation Area are proud to announce that the Greenfield Village Lah-De-Dahs historic baseball team will be coming from Dearborn to play the hometown Haven Hill Barn Stormers at this year’s Haven Hill Festival in August at the Highland State Recreation Area. Historic baseball reenacts some of the earliest periods of the game, when players had no gloves on their hands, wore more formal clothing as uniforms, and enjoyed the sport as a gentlemanly exercise.

The first game at Haven Hill in 2010 was inspired by the Rochester Grangers, a vintage base ball team from the Rochester Museum at the Van Hoosen Farm. They sparked what is now becoming a Haven Hill Festival tradition. The 2011 Festival interested enough players and fans to form two teams, allowing the Barn Stormers to play against the park’s 2nd team the “Gate House Gang.” Both teams are named after historic buildings at Haven Hill that are under renovation by the Friends group.  

This year’s Haven Hill festival, a celebration of the Highland State Recreation Area and the historic Edsel and Eleanor Ford estate, will be held on Saturday, Aug. 25 and will run from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Activities will include historic exhibits, summer food and beverages, music, children’s activities, Model A Ford cars on display, and the historic baseball game at 1 p.m. Come on out and enjoy Haven Hill! People interested in supporting this year’s event, or playing in the base ball game, should call (248) 787-1750.