Re-enactors ride penny-farthing bicycles down Main Street June 30 during the Salute to America Summer Stroll in Greenfield Village.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – Salute to American returned to Greenfield Village, after a season lost to COVID-19, with a Summer Stroll, and musicians performing throughout the venue, to avoid a crowd in Walnut Grove.
Members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra played in small ensembles, at the Town Hall and in the gazebo near the covered bridge, while members of DSO youth jazz band performed near the Liberty Craftworks.
Other musicians performed music from a wide range of eras, throughout Greenfield Village, including Ranka Mulkern of Dearborn, who played the magical music of the hammered dulcimer on the porch of the Eagle Tavern, and Taslimah Bey, who played rollicking ragtime on the piano in the shadow of the Thomas Edison statue. One can be assured that the Wizard of Menlo Park enjoyed it as much as his contemporary counterparts.
The Dodworth Saxhorn Band, a 19th century brass band performing on authentic instruments, played in front of an historic Ford Motor Co. building, providing guests with a musical welcome as they entered Main Street.
Picks and Sticks performed traditional string band music on the porch of the Chapman home, with Blues sung by the Rev. Robert Jones on the Mattox home front porch, and Gospel music performed by the North Star Chorale on the front porch of the Susquehanna Plantation.
The Henry Ford set the stage with entertaining historical touches, from re-enactors riding the penny-farthing bicycles, to historical outdoor vignettes scattered throughout the village.
Key buildings, including the Ford Home, Wright Cycle Shop, the Wright Home, the Logan County Court House, the Menlo Park Complex, the Susquehanna Plantation and the Firestone Farm were staffed. The pottery and glass shops offered live demonstrations as well.
In addition to addressing guests’ musical appetites, one may enjoy delicious American comfort foods at A Taste of History, frozen custard near Washington and Main streets, or simply sip a cold brew at the Beer Garden.
The evening ends with a fireworks finale, best viewed from the village green, but a sight to behold from anywhere in the village.
The Henry Ford has welcomed guests back to its holiday traditions with smaller crowds and scaled back events, but the celebration of America’s independence is a welcoming way to ease back into a world transitioning from pandemic precautions.
For more information about The Henry Ford and other upcoming events click here.
The Dodworth Saxhorn Band, a 19th century brass band performing with authentic instruments, plays in front of an historic Ford Motor Co. building June 30 during the Salute to America Summer Stroll in Greenfield Village.