Programs and Events

Schedule of Events

Temporary Exhibits

Balthazar Korab: Images of Michigan
February 2, 2008 through June 7, 2008

Architectural photographer Balthazar Korab creates images that encompass the modernistic to the historic. Working with renowned architects such as Eero Saarinen in Bloomfield Hills and Le Corbusier in Paris, Korab has shaped the way we look at buildings. This photo exhibit will be a collection of the images taken by Korab throughout Michigan.

Coming Soon...

The Golden Age of Cartooning
June 28 – November 8, 2008

American political cartooning came of age after the Civil War.  The first great American political cartoonist Thomas Nast used his stark, unrelenting attack style to destroy the corrupt Tammany Hall regime and to reelect President Ulysses Grant.  Nast's work for Harper's Weekly proved that pictures could be more powerful than words in shaping public opinion.  His chiding, hard-driven style gave way to the wittier, satiric, and colorful works of Joseph Keppler and his colleagues and imitators at Puck and Judge magazines.  The cartoonists hoped to serve as a moral compass to keep America on the path to becoming a world power in the new industrial age.  Many scholars consider the political cartoons created between the Civil War and 1900 to be the finest in American history.  It was truly the golden age of American political cartooning.  This exhibit is on loan from the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Museum and Library in Fremont, Ohio.
  
Looking at Lincoln: Political Cartoons from the Civil War Era
July 9 – August 16, 2008

This exhibit, sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, presents political cartoons illustrating how people responded to Abraham Lincoln and his policy of Emancipation.  Looking at Lincoln offers insights into how racism was ingrained into 19th Century American life.  These cartoons provide historical context for discussing issues we continue to debate today.

Special Events

Presidential Lecture Series
May 15, 2008 7:00pm
President Richard Nixon & Watergate
Dr. David Guard, Central Michigan University

June 12, 2008 7:00pm
President Gerald Ford Lecture
Dr. Gleaves Whitney, Director of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies, Grand Valley State University

Admission for all of these lectures is free to Museum members and $5 for non-members.
To register, please call 248-656-4663.

Come Grow in our Garden
This summer our children's garden is alive with events that will blossom into special memories.  Enjoy the whimsical adventures of Peter Rabbit, learn how Americans fell in love with the Teddy Bear and discover the mythical world of Faeries with your child. Get ready, get set, grow with our hands-on activities.  These programs run from 1:00 - 3:00 PM. Admission for Museum Members is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for students 2 years old and older. Non-Member admission is $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for children.  To register, call the Museum at 248.656.4663.

Peter Rabbit Tea - June 7
Teddy Bear Picnic - July 19
Garden Faeries - August 9

Garden Tour 
Thursday, June 19th  11:00-7:00PM
 
This year's Garden Tour is co-hosted by the Rochester Hills Museum and the Rochester Branch of the Woman's National Farm and Garden Association and features spectacular gardens from the greater Rochester area that will inspire and delight you.  Master gardeners will be available at each garden to answer your questions.  Get inspired by visiting these beautiful gardens.  There will also be an Open Aire Garden Market on the Museum grounds from 11:00 – 4:00PM.
 
Tickets are $8 in advance for Museum Members and $10 for Non-Members.  Admission on the day of the event is $12 – rain or shine.  A catered lunch is available for $14 and must be purchased in advance. You may purchase tickets at the Museum, Wednesdays through Saturdays from 1:00-4:00 pm or by phone at 248.656.4663 – Visa, MasterCard, American Express accepted.

Wonderful Wednesdays
Join our own Master Gardener in the Children's Garden for tasty treats and inspiration.  Each Wednesday from 1:00 - 2:30 PM enjoy a story, craft, and garden treat.  Call the museum to register.

Sensational Soil & Wonderful Worms - July 23
Powerful Plants - July 30
Tops & Bottoms Vegetables - August 6
Fabulous Flowers - August 13
What's Bugging Us? - August 20

Summer Camps

Summer is a time for fresh adventures. Come out and dig into our gardens, history, and the world of words. Call the museum to register.

Junior Master Gardener Camp -- Ages 9-12
June 23 - 26, Mon. - Thurs. 9:00 - 12:00 PM
Cost: $50 Museum Members; $65 Non-Members

Our Children's Garden is a unique place for children to experience nature with our Junior Master Gardener Program.  With hands-on activities, garden fresh snacks, and plenty of fresh air, children will learn how to grow food and flowers, what makes good soil, how plants and animals all depend on each other, how to attract birds and butterflies, and how to identify and control garden pests.  Our garden allows children to "travel back" to a time when people lived off the land.  This camp is modeled after the very popular Master Gardener program and students who participate become volunteers who have the responsibility of helping others learn about plants and gardening.  Class size is limited, so hurry to register for this great, green opportunity.

Pioneer Life Camp -- Ages 9-12
July 28 - August 1, Mon. - Fri. 9:00 - 4:00 PM
Cost: $135 Museum Members; $150 Non-Members

Travel back in time.  Our unique historic setting is a perfect place to experience village life in the mid-1800's.  Activities include attending the one-room schoolhouse, learning traditional crafts, homemade ice cream, a vintage baseball game, Creek wading, laughing, and much, much, more!

Young Writer's Workshop -- Ages 10-14
August 5 - 8, Tues. - Fri. 9:00 - 12:00 PM
Cost: $50 Museum Members; $65 Non-Members

Do you have an aspiring young writer in your midst? Our unique setting provides surprises and stories that will inspire creative thinking and writing.  Each student creates a personal journal for writing narratives, essays, poems, dialogue and memories.  They will contribute to a published anthology that they will take home with them at the end of the week.  Students must submit a writing sample to the Museum by August 1 in order to attend the camp.

Fun Fridays

Escape the summer heat for exceptional family fun at the museum from 12:00 - 2:00 PM.  Bring a picnic and enjoy the entertainment program from 12-1 then ride our giant water slides, wade in the creek, and enjoy the museum. Admission is free for Museum members and $2 per person ages 2 and up.

Musical Entertainer Kevin Devine - July 11
Juggler Joel Tacey - July 18
Magician & Funnyman - Chris Linn - July 25
Zippity2dads - August 1

Rochester Grangers Vintage Base Ball

Support the Grangers at their home matches! Enjoy base ball the way it was meant to be played.
Matches begin at 1:00 PM, unless otherwise noted.
Games are played at the Rochester Hills Museum, unless otherwise noted.

Sun, May 18  vs. Port Huron Welkins
Sat, May 24  vs. Saginaw Old Golds at Halbach Field
Sat, June 14  vs. Bay City Independents
Sun, July 13  at 2pm  vs. St. Paul's United Methodist Church
Sat, July 26  vs. Royal Oak Wahoos
Sat, Aug 23 vs. Mount Clemens Regulars

Quilting Bees and Sit & Stitch

Quilting Bee
The Rochester Hills Museum will host monthly quilting bees the second Wednesday of the month, year-round, between 1-4 p.m.  Host for this new project will be the Museum's 2005 Artist-in-Residence Chantal Anderson, owner of Living Quilts and a Rochester Hills resident.  For those interested in learning to quilt, this is a perfect opportunity to learn as you go.

Sit & Stitch
Bring your stitching project to the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm on the third Fridays of the month, year-round, between 1-4:00pm.

Both programs are an informal get together of those interested in quilting to share quilting experiences and for social interaction. Participants are not required to have previous experience and are welcome to bring their own quilting project or to work on a group project.

Youth, Scout, and Group Programs

Please call the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm at 248-656-4663, so we may customize our programs for your needs and time.

Minimum of 10 participants per activity.

Adult chaperones are required for all youth and scout programs. 
Program rates, unless otherwise noted: $3.00 for students (K-12)

Tours & Youth Programs

1840 Van Hoosen Farmhouse, 1850 Red House, and
1927 Van Hoosen Dairy Barn Farm

Tour these historic and fascinating homes located in Stony Creek Village and understand the workings of a world-class dairy operation by visiting the six buildings and sixteen acres of the Van Hoosen Farm.  Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours

Downtown Rochester Walk

Explore the history of Downtown Rochester through the architecture and events that make up this Lively Town' established in 1817.  Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Stoney Creek Cemetery Tour

Tour the Stoney Creek Cemetery and learn about the soldiers, scholars, and pioneers of Stony Creek Village.  Participants can end their tour by making a tombstone rubbing.  Time: 1 hour

Vintage Base Ball

Have a jolly good time learning and playing the All-American pastime of Base Ball as it was played in the 1860's by the Rochester Grangers.   Time: 1 Hour

Kite Making

Learn the fascinating history of kites and decorate, build, and fly your own fabulous "Frustrationless Flyer" kite. Time: 1 Hour
 
Admission:  $5.00 Adult (No Kite)
 $6.00 Student (With Kite)
 $4.00 per extra kite 

Manners Class

Children gain confidence by learning appropriate manners. Proper introductions, greetings, telephone etiquette as well as table manners are included in this program held in the 1840 Van Hoosen Farmhouse. Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes

Admission:  $5.00 Adult
 $3.00 Senior Citizen
 $12.00 Student 

Widgets, Gizmos, and Gadgets

History detectives study objects from the past and try to guess their uses. Fun for all ages!    Time: 1 Hour

Old Time Radio Drama

Revisit the bygone days of radio dramas.  Children produce their own radio play, complete with dramatic sound effects and roles for each child. Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes

Admission:  $5.00 Adult
 $3.00 Senior Citizen
 $6.00 Student 

Multi-Media Presentations

The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm offers a wide variety of entertaining and educational presentations customized to youth and adult groups.  Lectures are offered both at the Museum and at off-site locations.  Rates are $75 per lecture.

Spectacular Rochester!

The people, places, and events that shaped our community's history are introduced through historic photographs, maps, documents, and fascinating stories.

Mills of Avon Township

This presentation discusses the history of the mills and waterways in the Greater Rochester Area, focusing on their function and importance to early settler families and economic growth in the community.

Lost Rochester

Memories of Rochester area's lost architectural treasures include the Parke-Davis Barns, the Albert Kahn Home, Joshua Van Hoosen's Big Barn', Rochester's various hotels, local mills, schools, and more.

Rochester in the World Scene

Discover how important world, national, and state events helped shape our community and how local events have affected the world.

Mothers, Daughters, and Leaders of Oakland County

Learn the inspiring stories of 17 outstanding women from throughout Oakland County. This program was developed in coordination with the traveling exhibit of the same name.

Veterans of the Rochester Area

Hear the incredible stories of the local men and women who bravely fought for the freedom of our country.

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