Greenfield Village visitors immerse in history, nostalgia on opening day

With spring in full bloom, nature lovers of all ages flocked to Greenfield Village on Saturday for a glimpse into Michigan's past.

Dearborn museum The Henry Ford opened its doors to the historical park and petting zoo for the first day of the season at 9:30 a.m. Crowds of visitors were already streaming into the park by noon, some drawn by their appreciation for history and the outdoors, others more for the sake of nostalgia.

Twelve-year-old Jasper Franks said he was inspired by the intricate details to Greenfield Village buildings, including original artisans shops and Ford Model T cars.

"It's really interesting to look at the historical things that happened," said Franks, of Troy.

Franks asked his family to bring him to the park again on Saturday after visiting for the first time on a school trip years before, he said. The vibrant crowds brought back memories to Ryan Franks, 39, who had once visited the park at Jasper's age, he said.

Other young history buffs were also eager to soak in the sunshine.

Kaylee Mortimer donned a custom-made apron her mother made for her along with a traditional bonnet to show her appreciation for the times, the 10-year-old Grand Blanc resident told The News.

"We love the village and we've been waiting for it to reopen since winter," Laura Mortimer, 38, said. "We had an opening and we had to come."

Laura Mortimer brought her whole family, including her five children, to make sure no one missed the park's opening day, she said.

Passing down old memories and making new ones in intergenerational families is part of what makes Greenfield Village special, said Jim Johnson, director for Greenfield Village and curator of historic structures and landscapes with The Henry Ford.

"We bring aspects of day-to-day life alive," he said. "It's not static things behind velvet ropes or glass cases."

Opening day can feel like the start of a new season and entirely new year at Greenfield Village, Johnson said. Staff worked down to the wire ahead of a members-only preview on Friday to make sure the space had every ounce of its celebrated charm, he said.

Greenfield Village also instituted extra measures to protect its flock of sheep, a staple attraction since the 1930s, after a wild coyote killed one sheep overnight into Wednesday, Johnson said.

The park has coexisted with local predators since first opening its gates in 1933, Johnson said. The rare coyote attack was another reminder of surrounding wildlife presence, he said.

Tim and Ann Symons came to Greenfield Village on Saturday seeking out that kind of reminder, the pair from Troy said. Tim Symons chose to revisit the park in honor of his birthday and many childhood memories there, he said.

"It keeps you grounded, especially with how technology is today," Tim Symons said. "It reminds us to get off our phones and look around us."

Laura and Doug Read also came to Greenfield Village in search of adventure, the Tahoe City, California couple told The News.

Visiting the park was a lifelong dream for Doug Read, he said. After traveling to Indianapolis to view the solar eclipse on Monday, Greenfield Village felt like the next best place to explore, he said.

Chris Fuller of Belleville decided he had to see the park for himself after hearing his grandson had plans to visit on a school trip Tuesday next week, he said.

The 56-year-old bought a summer membership on the spot to get his money's worth of the park, where he planned to spend Saturday afternoon exploring with his partner, he said.

"I grew up in an Amish community in Shipshewana, Indiana," Fuller said. "It feels like my hometown."

Each part of the Village tells a story, from the historic buildings to the trains, cars and busses that visitors can ride between sites, Johnson said.

The Henry Ford also has plans to open an environmentally conscious restaurant called Stand 44 on May 1, he said.

The restaurant is named in honor of a local vendor, Mary Judge, who once sold goods in the Detroit Central Market on a stand numbered 44, he said. Designed with wide windows to flood the space with natural light, the chef-driven menu will be entirely seasonal and inspired by sustainability practices, Johnson said.

With everything cooked from scratch, future patrons can get a fresh taste of local foods with utensils designed to be entirely recyclable or compostable, he said. Greenfield Village recently installed a compost facility in a renewed push to minimize waste, Johnson said.

Visitors can look forward to the new restaurant, along with an updated Greenfield Village gift store as two new features in the season, Johnson said. The park will also soon break ground for an incoming building from Selma, Alabama, that was once frequented by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., he said.

That building will be Greenfield Village's first added structure since 1999, he said.

Whether families are coming in on opening day or plan to stop by later in the season, Greenfield Village will always be a special place to learn from and about American history, Johnson said.

"Intergenerational families are fun to watch, and watching older grandparents talk to grandkids," he said. "I'm a grandparent now too. What was a really close past in the 1960s is now as far away from us now as World War I was. It's kind of a freaky thing."