Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village; Black Friday shopping in Metro Detroit lures Canadians
One-Tank Trip for
Nov. 16/13
(c) By Jim Fox
DEARBORN, Mich. – An
image that stands out in the annals of history is a stately dark blue U.S. presidential limousine travelling
through the streets of Dallas, Texas 50 years ago.
It was a perfect
top-down day on Nov. 22, 1963 when shots rang out, leaving President John F. Kennedy
mortally wounded.
Whatever happened
to that 1961 Lincoln Continental convertible? Was it destroyed after the day
that changed history forever?
It turns out the
limousine was repaired, security enhancements added and then put back into
service for future presidents for another 14 years.
 |
| The 1961 Lincoln
Continental convertible that carried President John F. Kennedy when he was
assassinated is on display at The Henry Ford museum. (Jim Fox photo) |
Retirement home
Today, people from
around the world travel to The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Mich. to see the
vehicle up close, take a photo and read about its history and that fateful day.
“The Kennedy limo
is one of the most photographed artifacts in our collection,” said Melissa
Foster, media and film relations manager.
“It is one of the
busiest areas of the museum during peak hours,” she added.
To mark the
anniversary of Kennedy’s death, the museum is open with no admission charge
next Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., courtesy of Target stores.
Visitors can see
the limo, sign a guest book and “see a special teletype display with wire
transcripts from that day in 1963,” Foster said.
There will also be
four honour guards stationed near each end of the vehicle.
 |
| Henry Ford museum details (Jim Fox) |
The X-100
As eerie as it
might seem, the limo – code-named the X-100 by the Secret Service – was put
back into service after the police investigation.
And, it doesn’t
look today like it did back then, said Matt Anderson, curator of transportation
at the museum.
Many people
believed it was destroyed or put away privately but it continued to serve
presidents Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter until
1977.
They used the car
“occasionally” although other presidential parade cars were built in 1968 and
1972.
The most notable change is the addition of a permanent
“greenhouse” roof instead of its convertible top, along with re-armoring the
rear passenger compartment and bullet-proof glass throughout, Anderson said.
President Johnson
was “particularly uneasy” about using the car and had it painted black so it
wouldn’t be as easily associated with Kennedy’s car.
 |
| Kennedy limo at The Henry Ford (Jim Fox photo) |
It’s the most
prominent of the museum’s presidential limousine collection.
There is also the Theodore
Roosevelt horse-drawn Brougham; Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Sunshine Special;”
Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Bubble Top;” and the Ronald Reagan limousine.
Driving America is
the ongoing “automotive experience” at the museum with a focus on the “enormous
influence the automobile has had on American culture.”
There is a
collection of 130 historically significant vehicles, 60 cases of artifacts,
digital media and interactive screens, and personal accounts.
thehenryford.org; 1-800-835-5237
Holiday Nights in the village
Greenfield Village,
located at The Henry Ford, holds Holiday Nights, a “Christmas card from the
past” next month.
This “80-acre time
machine” transports visitors back to America’s past with 83 authentic, historic
structures, artifacts and re-enactors.
Costumed presenters
recall Charles Dickens with a round of singing carols in top hats, cravats and
petticoats and there are candlelighted paths and holiday shops.
 |
| A costumed ice
skater taking part in Holiday Nights in
Greenfield Village. (Photo by Michelle Andonian) |
Take a horse-drawn
carriage ride or a trip in a Ford Model T along with ice skating, Santa and live
reindeer and fireworks.
There’s a dinner
package with a “feast” in the Eagle Tavern, a former 1850s’ stagecoach stop,
and “Supper with Santa,” a buffet turkey dinner at A Taste of History
Restaurant.
Attention shoppers
Canadians making
the foray into Michigan in search of “Black Friday” deals and low six-per-cent
sales taxes on Nov. 29, can plan to arrive earlier.
Many malls and
stores across Metro Detroit are planning to open as early as 6 p.m. the night
before on Thanksgiving Day.
There is also the
return of the Canadian Shopping Campaign with the chance to win a $1,000 Visa
gift card, said Deanna Majchrzak of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors
Bureau.
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