July 3, 2007

A new event at Walker Tavern Historic Site will showcase antique tractors and life on the farm, with hands-on activities, food and fun for the entire family.  "Tractors at the Tavern" will take place July 14 and 15, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and admission is free.  Co-sponsored by the Tri-County Two Cylinder Club and the Michigan Historical Museum, the event is open to the public and to all makes of tractors.

"Tractors at the Tavern is a celebration of our rural, agricultural heritage," said Walker Tavern Site Historian Cheryl Valentine.  "Walker Tavern was a working farm from the stagecoach era, when Sylvester and Lucy Walker grew much of the food for their wayside inn, until the farm was purchased by the state of Michigan as an historic park."

Among the things to see and do at the two-day event are a tractor parade; demonstrations of growing, harvesting and preparing food; historic tours; a scavenger hunt; and a collection of toy tractors.  There will be a tractor pull for children on Saturday and a farmers' market on Sunday.  The Golden Nugget will be serving grilled chicken dinners and hot dogs as well as cold drinks.

Walker Tavern is an old stagecoach stop located south of Brooklyn, next to the Michigan International Speedway in the Irish Hills region.  Situated at the historic crossroads of M-50 and the U.S. 12 Heritage Trail, Walker Tavern is just 35 miles west of Ann Arbor. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, from May 25 through Sept. 2.  The historic site is partially accessible.

Walker Tavern is one of 11 museums and historic sites that make up the Michigan Historical Museum System, a division of the Michigan Historical Center.  The Michigan Historical Center is an agency of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL), whose mission is to enrich quality of life and strengthen the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity.  The department also includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Michigan Film Office.  For more information about HAL, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).