Sept. 17-18 home tour, classic car show, chocolate tasting and more
celebrate the Village’s unique quality of life
Downtown Milford is packed with weekend activity this time of year, and Saturday, Sept. 17 and Sunday, Sept. 18 are especially busy, thanks to a collection of events area business owners and volunteers have organized to welcome the fall season with gusto.
“Whether this will be your first visit or your 500th visit to Milford, that weekend in particular is a perfect opportunity to experience everything our community has to offer, from fabulous and affordable shops to award-winning restaurants, gorgeous historical architecture, community gatherings, celebrations of art, culture and more,” said Ann Barnette, who is executive director of the Village of Milford Downtown Development Authority, or DDA.
Sept. 17 activities:
The Mini Masters
Coinciding with the Milford debut of the Detroit Institute of Arts’ community outreach program Inside|Out: Milford Meets the Masters, this event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. promises a family-friendly day in downtown Milford, with options to shop, dine and experience artistic activities that range from jewelry-making to cupcake-decorating, puzzle-solving to kids’ coloring stations. The event is organized by the Milford Business Association.
Chocolate Tasting at Acorn Farm
- Patricia, of Patricia’s Chocolate in Grand Haven, Michigan, will be offering guests a sample of her artisanal chocolates – dubbed “Art that Melts,” from 1 to 4 p.m. at Acorn Farm, a home goods and kitchenware store located at 367 N. Main Street.
Flavors include Blackberry Honey Crisp, Habanero and Chipotle, Apple Cinnamon Caramel and more. She’ll also showcase the Fortunato No. 4, a rare cacao thought to be extinct for over 100 years, recently rediscovered in the Peruvian Andes.
Village of Milford Home Tour
- Five private homes and two public structures make up this home and building tour, which highlights the area’s most stunning Italianate, prairie-style bungalow, colonial, gothic revival, and ‘inside-out’ architecture. The earliest construction dates back to 1858.
The Village’s Milford Historical Museum and Power House are also featured on the tour. The Power House – officially the Pettibone Creek Hydroelectric Station – is one of only a few buildings in southeast Michigan that remains from auto pioneer Henry Ford’s “Village Industries” experiment.
All structures are open for touring from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $13 for seniors.
As part of the home tour, The Huron Valley Council for the Arts and Village Fine Arts Association will also provide docent-guided and self-guided walking tours of the DIA reproductions installed throughout town. Tours begin at The Mill Pond, on N. Milford Road.
This event is organized by the Milford Historical Society and sponsored by several local businesses and organizations, including the Milford DDA.
Sept. 18 activities
Day 2 of Village of Milford Home Tour
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (See above for additional details.)
Milford Car Show
- It’s all about people, cars and community, organizers of this annual event say. This year marks the 27th Anniversary of the Milford Car Show, located along Main Street, downtown. Car enthusiasts and passers-by can expect up to 400 different registered vehicles in 24 popular vehicle categories.
The Tractor Show
If regular ol’ classic cars are too mainstream for you, how about a tractor show? From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., check out these stellar farm machines in the Huron State Bank parking lot, at the corner of S. Milford Road and General Motors Drive.
About the Milford Downtown Development Authority
Established by ordinance in 1982, the Milford Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is a commercial district revitalization organization dedicated to building an attractive environment in which people can shop, live and play. To learn more about downtown Milford, visit www.meetmeinmilford.com.
