52° and Sunny
More than 200 people visited the Rentschler Farm Museum Saturday to celebrate the contributions of Henry Ford on the anniversary of his 150th Birthday.
People watched performer Russell Dore impersonate Henry Ford in the big barn on a farm where Ford is said to have once bought his produce. They inspected and snapped pictures of antique Ford Motor Company vehicles. In one of the barns, local historian Wayne Clements talked about the impact Ford made on Saline with his soybean processing plant where Weller’s is now. In another barn, people watched Jim Roth’s video about Ford’s contributions to Saline, including the big Ford factory that fueled the city’s economy since the Rentschler family sold the property to Ford Motor Company in the 1960s.
Dean Greb is president of the Saline Area Historical Society, which co-sponsored the event with Briarwood Ford. He said Saturday’s festivities made for a great day on the farm.
“We had a nice turnout. The weather cooperated. We saw older people reminiscing about the old days and we saw parents teaching their kids about the kinds of cars their great-grandparents made and about Saline’s history,” Greb said.
Greb and others were impressed by the performance of Dore, the Ford impersonator. Dore began impersonating Ford years ago at the Botsford Inn, which wanted to create an interactive exhibit in honor of famed former owner, Ford, and former guests, Harvey Firestone and Thomas Edison.
“Henry owned the Botsford and Edison had a room there. So we put together an interactive tour and groups would come from around the country. When the inn closed, we just kept doing our act,” Dore said.
Dore’s presentation focused on many of the more positive aspects of Ford’s life – the inventions, the family, the way he revolutionized the automobile industry and helped bring about the American middle class. At a presentation for the historical society in October, Dore will also explore some of the controversial side of Ford, including his anti-semitism.
Controversy was far from the agenda Saturday, though. Retired Ford engineer Robert Van Oel proudly shared stories about his 1947 Ford 798T truck with a wooden bed. Van Oel loves his truck. But he doesn’t baby it.
“I use it around the farm and to make deliveries. It runs great,” said Van Oel.
He thought about restoring the truck and giving it a fresh coat of paint.
“But when I take this to the shows, you know what they say my truck has?” Van Oel asks, as he runs to the front of his truck and runs his hand over the tarnished metal. “Patina! They say it has patina.”
It wasn’t all history lessons and antiques. Local musicians played delightfully songs in the gazebo by the old wind mill under the summer sun. The Saline Lions Club served bowls of ice cream and root beer floats. The Saline Kiwanis Club served hot dogs and other snacks.
Families visited with the farm’s animals and strolled the blooming gardens, maintained so well by John and Kathy Bauman.
For more on the anniversary of Henry Ford’s birthday, click here. For more on the Saline Area Historical Society, click here.
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