From Tyrone Hills, Thanksgiving Weekend Runs Through Four Towns

From Tyrone Hills Golf Club, Thanksgiving morning starts in Fenton or Holly, Friday night ends in Holly, and Saturday belongs to Hartland, with Pinckney as a daytime option. Most of these events are run by volunteers, and the ones that name a cause send the money back into something local: a pathway, a family's Christmas, or a wreath on a veteran's headstone.

Tyrone Township's own part of the season comes two weeks earlier, and it starts with a covered dish.

A Monday Potluck on Runyan Lake Road

The Tyrone Township Historical Society holds its regular meeting on Monday, November 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 8420 Runyan Lake Road. This one is the society's Thanksgiving dinner. The event listing says all are welcome, asks guests to bring a dish to pass, and notes that sign-up details for who brings what will come later.

After dinner, Karen Piacentini will present the story of Fenton's Open Book. It's an independent, full-service bookstore that carries local authors and Michigan-made gifts, takes special orders, and hosts author signings and community events. A township history group spending its holiday dinner on a downtown Fenton bookstore fits the rest of the month, which keeps pointing beyond the township line. The society's next meeting after this one is January 18.

Who Runs the Long Weekend, and Where the Money Goes

Ten days after the potluck, the calendar fills up quickly. Here is the full holiday stretch with the groups behind each event.

HollyDazzle is the only commercial production in that table. Most of the rest are run by volunteer groups in neighboring communities, and a Tyrone Township address puts you within driving distance of all of them.

Thursday Morning: Pick a Pathway

The Fenton Turkey Trot starts at 8:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day and follows the LAFF Pathway along Silver Lake, beginning at 15010 Silver Parkway. Entry is $25, and registration stays open until the 8:00 a.m. start. Organizers describe a course for every pace, from people chasing a personal record to families pushing strollers. All proceeds go toward future Fenton pathway projects, which means safer, connected routes for walking, running, and biking.

If you'd like a longer run, Holly's Gobbler Gallop offers both a 5K run/walk and a 10K run on Thanksgiving Day. The 10K makes it the better pick for anyone who wants to earn a second helping. Check the race page for start times before you set an alarm.

Friday: The Course, Then the Lights

Tyrone Hills Golf Club says it is open any time there's no snow on the ground. Its posted November calendar has no named events. So whether the day after Thanksgiving includes a round depends on the weather, not a schedule.

The evening plan is easier to count on. HollyDazzle opens for the season on Friday, November 27, at 12600 Dixie Highway in Holly. Hours that weekend are 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Sunday. The three-quarter-mile outdoor trail passes more than a dozen Christmas scenes. Along the way you'll find Santa, the HollyDazzle train, a Polar Pub Crawl, and HollyGrove Village with carols, stories, and warm-up spots. The event runs rain, snow, or shine. Parking is free, everyone gets a free gift bag, dogs included, and kids 4 and under get in free.

If Thanksgiving weekend is too crowded for your family, HollyDazzle also runs December 4–6, 11–13, 18–24, 26–27, and 31. The Silver Lake LAFF Pathway is the only stop this weekend that won't happen again before New Year's.

Saturday, November 28: Hartland Holds the Day

Saturday is when the volunteer effort behind the weekend becomes easiest to see, and almost all of it comes from one group. The Hartland Area Community Council was founded in 1935 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that coordinates community projects. It runs both of Saturday's Hartland events.

230 Wreaths, Four Cemeteries

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the council places wreaths on veterans' headstones at the Hartland, Hodge, Parshallville, and Smith cemeteries. It is raising funds for 230 wreaths again in 2026. The tradition is now called Barbara's Wreaths of Gratitude, in honor of longtime council member Barbara Krueger. The council's homepage says the same 230 wreaths went out across all four cemeteries last season, so the 2026 goal matches what it has already done.

You can help in three ways:

1. Sponsor a wreath online through the council's Givebutter page.
2. Drop off a donation at Hartland Township Hall, care of Larry Ciofu.
3. Mail a donation ahead of time to Hartland Area Community Council, P.O. Box 113, Hartland, MI 48353.

The council hasn't posted a 2026 meeting time or location for placing the wreaths. If you'd like to help in person, email the council at [email protected].

Evening: Vintage Christmas in the Village

Vintage Christmas in the Village of Hartland runs Saturday, November 28, from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. So far, that date and time are all the council has confirmed for 2026. Its events page still shows last year's description and labels it "not updated for 2026 yet."

Last year's program gives you an idea of the evening. It featured Christmas music in the Music Hall, train rides, a holiday market, a strolling Santa, hot cocoa stations, and walking history tours around the village, with the Music Hall lighting at about 5:30 p.m.

The newest piece in 2025 was the King of the Wing competition. For $10, guests sampled wings or tenders from local restaurants and voted for a favorite inside Hartland United Methodist Church from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Six restaurants took part: Big Chicken, Buffalo Wild Wings Hartland, Jet's Pizza, Mackle's, Tony Sacco's, and Wings Etc. Mackle's Table & Taps won the first title. The contest raised more than $1,800 for the Hartland Optimist Club Adopt-A-Family program.

That money is the clearest example of how this weekend works. Restaurants donate the food, neighbors pay for samples, and the proceeds go to families who need help at the holidays. The council hasn't yet said whether the contest returns in 2026, only that more information is coming later in the year.

A Daytime Alternative Southwest

If Saturday afternoon is open before Hartland, Pinckney's Light Up the Park falls on the same day. Its Kringle Market runs from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and that evening Santa arrives to light the park at 5:30 p.m., according to WHMI. Since the lighting overlaps with Hartland's evening, choose one town for Saturday night.

A Weekend Plan From the Township

Put together, the stretch from Tyrone Hills looks like this:

• Mon., Nov. 16: Bring a dish to the historical society potluck on Runyan Lake Road.
• Thu., Nov. 26: Run or walk the 8:00 a.m. Fenton Turkey Trot or Holly's Gobbler Gallop.
• Fri., Nov. 27: Play a round if there's no snow, then head to HollyDazzle's opening night.
• Sat., Nov. 28: Help place wreaths once the council posts a time, visit Pinckney's Kringle Market midday if you'd like, then spend the evening at Vintage Christmas in Hartland.
• Sun., Nov. 29: HollyDazzle again, with an earlier 9:00 p.m. close.

Before you go, check two pages that may still change. The Hartland Area Community Council homepage is where 2026 Vintage Christmas details and the wreath-placement meeting point will show up. The historical society's event page is where the potluck sign-up will be posted.

At Christine Champlin, we love seeing our neighbors from around Tyrone Township at events like these, whether it's wreath day in Hartland or the Turkey Trot along Silver Lake. If you're starting to plan your own next chapter and want to know what your home is worth before the new year, I'd be glad to put together a free home valuation or talk through your plans over coffee.