The Rentschler Farm in Saline will open for the season on May 7 and Saline Area Historical Society members are planning a unique opening day project.

“It’s a work day for all of us to spruce things up,” said David Rhoads, the past president of the historical society. “Anyone is welcome to come visit … and help us.”

Saline Girl Scout Troop 1694 will be painting the fence on the east side of the property, said Wayne Clements, another historical society member who works on buildings and grounds projects.

The 1906 farmhouse and its 4-acre parcel were purchased at auction in 1998 for $50,000 per acre by the City of Saline. Today, there are 12 buildings on the property, and the historical society maintains and leases the property for $1 per year from the city.

In addition, there are antique windmills and farm equipment and a salvage barn with "architectural items and odd and ends from old structures available for sale," Clements said.

“The city pays the heat, light and water bills,” said Clements. “The DPW mows and plows and assists with maintenance. It’s a great arrangement.”

In fact, the Rentschler Farm’s last original owners, Warren and Marilyn Rentschler, still help the historical society with projects, Rhoads said.

Also in May, the farm will become the home of sheep, lambs, pigs, ducks, geese and chickens, all on loan from local farmers.

“There are fewer and fewer opportunities for parents and children to visit a farm anymore,” said Bob Harrison, another historical society member. “It’s a great experience for them.”

“For those who haven’t been on a farm, the animals are a big draw,” he said.

Taylor Jacobson and Bob Cook, local farmers, tend to the animals while they are on loan to the farm. But there are times when Harrison and Clements step in for farm chores, such as feeding and watering the animals.

Plus, depending on the season, there are a number of hands-on activities for children, such as shelling corn.

There’s also a 200-by-200-foot garden that produced about 1,000 pounds of food for Food Gatherers, Dikeman said.

Last year, the historical society opened an expanded gift shop in a rehabilitated barn on the property.

“The gift shop is now visible and accessible to everyone,” Dikeman said. Formerly, it was housed in the basement of the farm house, and some people found it difficult to navigate the stairs.

The historical society raised about $10,000 to rehabilitate the barn that was moved from the corner of State and Textile, from the Cody Farm in Pittsfield Township, Harrison said.

“The barn goes back to the late 19th century,” said Clements.

Last year, more than 3,000 people visit the Saline Area Historical Society’s two museums — The Rentschler Farm and The Saline Depot Museum — and volunteers logged about 7,500 hours.

The farm was open 33 Saturdays last year, plus about 30 additional days for special events and school field trips.

The Rentschler Farm and gift shop are located at 1265 E. Michigan Ave., while The Depot Museum is at 402 N. Ann Arbor St. Both are open on Saturdays beginning May 7 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and close the first weekend in October.

The group also plans a number of special events during the year that include an annual yard sale in August that’s part of state’s yard sale along US-12, as well as harvest time on the farm in October and Christmas on the Farm in December.

Lisa Allmendinger is a reporter with AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com. For more Saline stories, visit our Saline page.