Rochester-Avon Historical Society presents “Four Fabulous Foremothers” for Women’s History Month

Join the Rochester-Avon Historical Society (RAHS) on Tuesday, March 5 at noon at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm for a lunchtime program titled, “Four Fabulous Foremothers” with Ginger Ketelsen and Michele Dunham. Spend an afternoon listening to stories brought to life by Ketelsen and Dunham as they present Abigail Adams, Sojourner Truth, Mother Jones, and Lucretia Mott from the foremothers collection of the late Dr. Gladys McKinney, a Rochester Community Schools educator for many … [Read more...]

Our Good News Story, by Mayor Barnett

“People still love a good story, and I don't think that will change.” Those are the words of Robert Iger, Executive Chairman of Disney, who retires at the end of 2021. Everyone who knows me knows my love for Disney and my admiration for Mr. Iger as a leader. He’s had a great run.  We share a love for good stories: Telling them, hearing them and experiencing them.  And now, as another year closes, we have an opportunity to add to our own story – to reflect on our immediate … [Read more...]

Old-Fashioned Christmas

Saturday, December 18, 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm. $8 Museum Members-Advance; $10 Non-Members-Advance; $15 Day of. Guests can visit all Museum exhibits, including the All Aboard! Model Railroad display that fills the Calf Barn during the holiday season. Farm wagons transport guests to all Museum buildings for musical entertainment, crafts, snacks, theatre groups, live music, and even chestnuts roasting over an open fire. Register at … [Read more...]

Drop-in for the Holidays at the Rochester Hills Museum

The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm is open for drop-in hours on select dates this winter from 12 noon - 3:00 p.m., with a Guided Tour of the Van Hoosen Farmhouse at 1:00 p.m. They’ll have the 1840 Van Hoosen Farmhouse beautifully decorated with boughs of holly, old Christmas cards, family gifts, community cookbooks, and a 10-foot Christmas tree in the library. Visitors will find seasonal interactive All Aboard: Model Railroad Exhibit! on display in the Calf Barn. Remaining … [Read more...]

Dial OLive for Rochester History: When the Telephone Came to Town

The Pew Research Center estimates that 97 percent of U.S. adults now own a cell phone, and the number of cell phones in this country will soon surpass 300 million. But in late nineteenth century Rochester, it was easy to count the precise number of telephones in use. There was exactly one. The Michigan Bell telephone exchange office on Walnut Street, ca. 1940 (Courtesy of Ray Russell Postcard Collection, Rochester Hills Public Library) Alexander Graham Bell patented his telephone … [Read more...]

Rochester-Avon Historical Society presents ‘Visiting Michigan Cider Mills’

The Rochester-Avon Historical Society will present “Michigan Cider Mills” as part of its popular lunchtime Brown Bag program series on Tuesday, September 7, at 12 noon at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm. Did you know Michigan is home to more than a hundred cider mills? Spread across the state, these independently owned, local businesses celebrate the best the fall harvest provides. Farm fresh produce, honey, baked goods, and old-fashioned candies are just some of the local … [Read more...]

Rochester Junior Women’s Club is Seeking Area Non-Profit Organizations to Benefit

The Rochester Junior Women’s Club is looking for non-profit organizations that need assistance and can benefit from our fundraising. Each spring the club Donations Committee reviews requests submitted by local organizations requesting assistance. Based on the committee’s recommendations, annual recipients are selected for the major fundraisers as well as recipients for miscellaneous donations. The Rochester Junior Women’s Club (RJWC) has been serving the community since 1956. RJWC is a … [Read more...]

Dear Crabby, What Do You Think of Haunted Houses?

  Dear Crabby, Now that there’s sort of a fall feeling in the air, I wanted to do something fun like a corn maze, hayride, or maybe even a haunted house. Would you ever consider going to one? Thanks! Stan Scary Dear Stan Scary, If I’m reading your question right you’re asking if I’d ever visit a haunted house. Well, the short version of my answer would be… ummm, no. Go to a haunted house – are you kidding me? I find daily life scary enough as it is. Between politics and … [Read more...]

The Community Foundation of Greater Rochester Celebrates 35 Years as the Areas Center for Philanthropy

The Greater Rochester area is known for its giving spirit. Residents, organizations and businesses alike come together to give, in big and small ways, on a daily basis. Many of this giving is done behind the scenes. Unsung heroes help to make this community a premier place to live. Celebrating 35 years as the greater Rochester area’s center for philanthropy and endowed funds, the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester is possibly one of the community’s most valuable unsung heroes. The … [Read more...]

Gail Kemler Celebrates a Century

Rochester is marking the 200th anniversary of its founding this year, and local resident Gail Kemler has witnessed almost half of the town’s two centuries of history. Kemler, of Rochester Hills, is planning to celebrate her 100th birthday at the end of this month, in the company of scores of family and friends. Gail Johnson Kemler was born October 28, 1917 in Brookfield, Illinois, where her father worked on a railroad line. When Kemler was four years old, her mother became seriously ill and … [Read more...]