More than 225,000 Devotees Flock to Blue Oval Mecca
The tents are down and crowds have departed from Ford Motor Company's 152 acre world headquarters complex, but still the memories remain of the automaker's centennial celebration that lasted from June 12 through 16.
Ford estimated that more than 225,000 people came to the five-day affair, called "The Road is Ours."
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| Ford was expecting around 100,000 guests for its five-day centennial celebration, but was pleasantly surprised when numbers topped 225,000. (Photo: Ford Motor Company) |
"Attendance at the event was far beyond our expectations, said Gary Nielsen, executive director, Centennial Operations, Ford Motor Company. "We anticipated about 100,000 guests over the five days and we are thrilled by the huge turnout. Including today's visitors, our total numbers topped 225,000."
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| One of the many ancillary events of the centennial celebration included the Model A Restorers Club meeting in Dearborn, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the successor to the Model T. (Photo: Joseph Cabadas, Canadian Auto Press) |
There are still several ancillary events related to Ford's 100th anniversary that will be occurring -- the Model A Restorers Club (MARC) met in Dearborn June 30 through July 4 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the famed successor to the Model T. About 1,000 families from across North America, with some 800, came to take part in the event, which included a grand tour from Dearborn to the nearby Yankee Air Museum -- housed in a hanger that was part of Ford's World War II Willow Run B-24 bomber plant. One of the first national freeways -- the Edsel Ford Freeway, also known now as a part of Interstate 94, was built to link Ford's Rouge River complex with the former war plant.