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NORTHVILLE VICTORIAN CELEBRATION DAY
SEPTEMBER 16, 2005
Nothing could be further from these children's exuberant shouts at the Senior Center, than the hushed silence of another group of students, gathered round at the Public Library, who are held in the oratory grip of master storytellers Barbara Ibach and Kurt Kinde. No need for a bedtime story, in a fire-lit room, late unto evening, with only the accompanying sounds of chirping crickets and hooting owls outside, to mesmerize these young charges; Victorian children knew full well the power of the mind to fill in the details of a well-spoken tale. Fascinated Northville students felt that power today at the library. 
Sleight of hand and magical trickery fascinated Victorian audiences, who were eager for diversion. Of course, a magic show performed outside today, at the local band shell, would have projected a certain festive charm, if you will. But master magician Eugene Clark's act didn't suffer in the least from the more traditional theatrical atmosphere of the First Presbyterian Church's stage. Students, held in rapt enchantment, were dazzled by Master Clark's legerdemain, and screamed for more. 
No one was screaming in front of the decorous homes featured in the Historic District walking tour; today those houses stood silent, and alone, in the rain. But at the City Hall, high school students provided lively vignettes and dramatic interpretations of historic happenings from Northville's past, as well as demonstrating for the young audience how children played during the Victorian period -- including rugged renditions of Red Rover and Leap Frog. A cracking good time was had by all!
And finally, that forgotten Victorian pastime, the sweetest way to end a day – the serenade – was on display at Genitti's Little Theatre. It wasn't hard for anyone sitting in the dark, quaint theatre, to summon up from their memories a moonlit night and a blossoming, fragrant tree, as the tender songs of the Victorian age echoed out onto the street. High school singing groups Treblemakers and Backbeat provided the harmonious, soothing vocals.
If you drove down by Mill Race Village today, right around noontime, you didn't see throngs of children, gathered with their parents and teachers, chatting together while enjoying a quiet Victorian repast. It was raining, and the children were lunching indoors. But it was still a picnic for them. For in their minds, they were on a picnic, and the power of a child's imagination is an awesome tool. Mill Race was quiet today, as were many of the streets of Northville, but the children were there, just the same, and they were laughing. You won't hear it if you listen for it now. It must come to you when you don't seek it, like a dream remembered. The laughter, wafting along on a forgotten, rainy, cold wind. The laughter of children, pretending, and at play.
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