Each summer, two major cars shows are held on the streets, lawns and town square of Greenfield Village, the quintessential Americana small town that Henry Ford assembled in Dearborn, Michigan, by collecting and transplanting historic buildings from around the country.
You want history? Well, the Wright Brothers home is next door to their cycle shop, though no longer in Dayton, Ohio, just around the corner from Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park laboratory, which originally was located in New Jersey. And just a few steps away is the Logan County Courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law before moving from Springfield, Illinois, to the White House, a structure that somehow escaped Mr. Ford’s moving vans.
Greenfield Village is a wonderful place to experience American life as lived a century or two ago. On a daily basis, you can take a ride in one of Mr. Ford’s Model Ts, and on June 14-15, you can see a variety of automobiles produced from 1933 through the 1977 model years.
This event is the annual Motor Muster. The Old Car Festival for pre-1933 vehicles takes place September 6-7.
As yet another part of the 50th anniversary celebration for the Ford Mustang, the Motor Muster will bring together for the only time this year very special Mustangs — Mustang Serial Number 1, the Ford Mustang concept car and the 1963 Mustang II concept. Serial No. 1 and the original Mustang concept come from The Henry Ford museum; the Mustang II concept is part of the Detroit Historical Society collection.
That Mustang trio will be showcased among some 850 classic cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles and a large array of historic military vehicles.
As a special feature this year, Record Hop USA! will take place at 7 p.m. June 14 with visitors invited to join a 1950s-style dance show and try their skills as the Mashed Potato, Watusi, Mambo and Twist with live music on the Showmobile Main Stage.
For more information, visit the The Henry Ford website.
