Rochester Hills Museum to Offer Free Admission to Military Personnel, Families

Museum to participate in Blue Star Museums.

The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm will offer free admission to military personnel and their families this summer with the launch of Blue Star Museums, according to Pat McKay, a spokesperson for the museum. Blue Star Museums is a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and more than 1,800 museums nationwide, which offers free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2013. The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAD), a DD Form 1173 ID card, or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card which includes active duty U.S. military – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast …

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David Gifford

8:55 am on Friday, May 24, 2013

To me the bigger stories at the museum are the new roof on the calf barn and that they will allow alcohol to be served on the premises now which is huge for weddings.   more ›

Rochester Schools, Rochester Hills Have Joint Meeting Tonight

Rochester Community Schools Board of Education to meet jointly with Rochester Hills City Council at 6 p.m. today at Rochester Hills Museum.

The Rochester Community Schools Board of Education will meet jointly tonight with the Rochester Hills City Council. The government bodies will meet at 6 p.m. today at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm, 1005 Van Hoosen Road in Rochester Hills. The agenda is as follows: 

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North Hill Student Takes the Festival Stage with His Book, "If I Had 100 Pockets"

North Hill Fifth Grader, Danny Glazier will read his self-published book "If I Had 100 Pockets" at 12:15 p.m. Saturday during the Stonewall Pumpkin Festival. Here's his story.

In Video: Wet and Wild Wednesday Makes a Splash at the Rochester Hills Museum

The season of Wet and Wild Wednesdays kicked off July 11.

If you made the trip over to the Rochester Hills Museum Wednesday, you were surrounded by laughter (and of course, water too) as hundreds of kids came out for Wet and Wild Wednesday. With the Zippity2dads playing a stream of upbeat tunes, young ones got the chance to put on their bathing suits and splash around in the water. A fire truck spray, giant slip-and-slide and not to mention, wading in the creek itself, made the hot summer day feel like a breeze.  The fun will continue every Wednesday until August 8, from noon until 2 p.m. Admission is free for Museum Members and $3 for non-members ages 2 and up, including adults. No advanced registration is necessary. The Rochester Hills Museum is located at 1005 Van Hoosen Road, one mile east of…

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It's Wet, Wild — and Back for an Encore, Rochester Patch Readers

You're invited to a special slip-and-slide day at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm. This one is free — but for a cause.

When you look back at this summer in Rochester, chances are one of the highlights involved a long, slippery slide and a creek full of crayfish. Wet and Wild Wednesdays at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm attract more than 1,000 people any given Wednesday in July. The event headliners are two giant, hillside slip-and-slides, which museum staff patiently spray with water as children take turns sliding down. It's wet. It's wild. It's easy. It's old-fashioned fun. But it's only in July ... ... or is it? Last week, Rochester Patch mentioned on our Facebook page the possibility of a slip-and-slide event for Patch readers; within minutes, we had more than 20 "likes." "Yes PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" wrote reader Emily Sommer. We hear you, …

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Plans for a Road Well-Traveled Raise Residents' Concerns About History, Traffic and More

Citizens, community leaders and historic preservationists debate road commission's plan to pave and widen Washington Road.

It's a narrow but high-traffic gravel road that dissects two cities and winds through a historic district. And it's the center of attention for a community dialogue about traffic, aesthetics and historic preservation. A $2.4 million proposal to pave Washington Road as early as next spring has raised concerns from those who live in the Tienken and Dequindre area and also from historic preservationists. The street lies within the City of Rochester Hills' Winkler Mill Historic District. Dozens of concerned residents from both Rochester and Rochester Hills attended a meeting this week at Stoney Creek High School to discuss the Road Commission of Oakland County's paving plan. The proposal The road commission's plan calls for Washington Road …

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A Patch of History

Downtown's Old Post Office Building Finds New Life as Restaurant

A long-forgotten time capsule lies sealed behind the wall at the new Penny Black.

I've walked passed it dozens of times--maybe you have, too--never knowing what was there, buried behind the wall. It may be one of the best-kept secrets in town. More than 70 years ago, a time capsule was placed behind the cornerstone of the old post office building at Fourth and Walnut streets. It seems the copper box containing all sorts of historical treasures has been untouched for seven decades. There are no records suggesting it was ever removed or opened. Today, Penny Black, a new restaurant, is open for business in the old post office. In keeping with the history of the site, the restaurant was named for the world's first adhesive postage stamp, issued by Great Britain in 1840. A postmark design is used for the restaurant's logo …

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Kristin Bull

8:25 am on Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Yes, a great event — maybe Patch could help host?   more ›

Snakes and Turtles Will Find New Homes When Environmental Center Closes at End of Year

Budget cuts force Environmental Education Center to move to Rochester Hills Museum by end of this year; officials say educational programs will continue.

Whether it's tasting real maple syrup, learning to plant a deer-proof garden or exploring the great outdoors, the Environmental Education Center in Rochester Hills is a favorite locale for nature enthusiasts.   Open since 1994, the EEC is operated by the City of Rochester Hills from inside a little brick house within the 102.5-acre Avon Nature Area at Avon and Livernois roads. With its informative displays, interactive exhibits and year-round nature programs, the EEC teaches visitors about the area's rich ecological history.  The surrounding park's natural resources show what the community looked like before paved streets, neighborhoods and shopping malls. But like many municipalities across the country, the City of Rochester Hills is …

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Heather Mir

9:16 am on Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Years ago, when my boys were very small we found a giant snapping turtle heading across Avon Road from the pond behind the nature center. I pulled over and asked for help inside. Together one of the naturalist and I managed to get the turtle in a large box and drag it down to the pond to be released. We have had birthday parties and learned about making maple syrup at the center....it will be …   more ›

Harris Fountain Near Rochester Police Station Has a Tale to Tell

Remembering Rochester's Civil War soldier and POW Samuel Harris on Veteran's Day

Did you ever quench your thirst at the large, four-columned, stone drinking fountain near the Rochester Police Department?  Maybe you thought it was a pretty fountain or wondered why such a simple device had a monument built around it. This structure is called the Harris Fountain and it was built in 1917 at the request of Samuel Harris, a Civil War lieutenant and prisoner of war who narrowly escaped execution at the hands of the Confederate Army in 1864. Life in Rochester Harris was a year old when he traveled with his family from Vermont to Michigan in 1837. Weak and frequently ill as a child, Harris didn’t regularly attend school. Instead he enjoyed building machines and working with tools. At 16, he convinced his father to let him …

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Tiffany Dziurman Stozicki

3:45 pm on Friday, November 12, 2010

Thought I would mention that Sarah Harris, Samuel's wife, is buried in Mount Avon Cemetery. Daughter, Fannie (1860-62), and son, Edward (1870-71), are buried beside their mother.   more ›