Manchester to Participate in Cranes, Colors & Cabernet Festival
Sandhill Crane. Photo courtesy of Ken Thomas.
The Big 400, an organization promoting tourism in a 20 mile by 20 mile region which includes Manchester, will celebrate autumn and the greater sandhill crane with their Cranes, Colors & Cabernet Festival (and Cider too!) on Saturday, October 17, 2015.
This fun, family-friendly festival is centered around one of the largest Crane sanctuaries in Michigan, the Haehnle Bird Sanctuary, also located within The Big 400. In the fall, Sandhill Cranes gather in staging areas like the Haehnle Sanctuary to begin the migration process. During the height of the staging period, thousands of cranes can be seen at the sanctuary.
Manchester is participating with two events. In conjunction with the festival, Manchester’s DDA and the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce are sponsoring the Manchester Agri-Tour bus tour. Read this week’s article on the tour HERE for more information. Additionally, a Cranes, Colors, & Cabernet Walk is being held from 1 to 3 pm in the Sharon Hills Preserve located on Sharon Hollow Road (between Walker and Washburn Roads). Learn a bit about how and why trees change color in the fall. Each new bend or hilly alcove in the trail may feature a Sandhill Crane vineyard wine or show of anthocyanin color! A similar walk is being held at the same time in the Beckwith Preserve in Stockbridge To register for either walk, email stewardship@legacylandconservancy.org or call 734.302.5263.
Other highlights of the festival include events at the Haehnle Bird Sanctuary located on Seymour Road in Jackson. The Jackson Audubon Society and the Michigan Audubon Society are teaming up together to offer a day filled with activities including nature walk tours, driving car tour to see cranes feeding in fields, watching cranes returning to roosting area at dark through scopes, and a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Haehnle Sanctuary, all FREE. For more information on the Sanctuary visit their website.
Sandhill Crane Vineyards, located at 4724 Walz Road, Jackson, will release their new vintage of Cabernet Franc in honor of the Cranes, Colors & Cabernet Festival. The winery is open until 7 pm for late Crane watchers to stop by and warm up after their visit to the Haehnle Sanctuary. They will offer tastes of mulled Staccato wine (a Cabernet Franc blend) all day to help warm any cold bird watchers. The winery’s new café will be open all day with several specials dishes prepared using Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Cabernet Franc. For more information call 517 -764 -0679. Free admission. Wine tasting: $5 per person
Later in October, the Gerald Eddy Discovery Center located at 17030 Bush Rd, in Chelsea will be offering another opportunity to see the cranes. On October 25th, at 2 pm, local expert Bill Wells will show a film about Sandhill Cranes and then lead a driving tour to view them around the Waterloo Recreation Area. Visitors can expect to see large flocks of these magnificent birds at close range. Bring binoculars and cameras. Call (734)475-3170 for more information.
For more information on the festival and complete schedules of events visit the festival’s webpage.
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