Celebrate Vernors' 150th Anniversary

By now you probably have heard that this week Vernors is turning 150 years old! The "deliciously different" beverage was created by Detroit pharmacist James Vernor in 1866. Originally sold on the soda fountain at Vernor's drugstore on Woodward and later bottled in a facility on Woodward, Vernors has quite the history and it all revolves around Detroit.

This weekend, you can learn more about Vernors' history and join in on celebrating its birthday at the Detroit Historical Museum. All week long the museum will have a special Vernors display up, but this Saturday is the main event! On Saturday, June 11 the museum will be hosting activities all day long from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The scheduled events include:

• A Vernors Themed Poker Run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• A screening of "Detroit Remember When: Made in the Motor City" at 11 a.m. A chat with filmmaker Bill Kubota will follow the film. 

• The Vernors Gnome live and in-person, signing autographs from Noon to 5 p.m. 

• A Vernors history presentation from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. 

• A book signing for Vernor’s Ginger Ale by author Keith Wunderlich at 2 p.m. 

• A presentation on James Vernor in MOLLUS (Civil War Legion) from 2:15 to 2:45 p.m. 

• A toast by James Vernor V and James Vernor VI (great-great-grandson and great-great-great grandson of James Vernor) at 4 p.m. 

• A world record attempt for the most Vernors drinkers at 4:30 p.m.

In addition to these events, there will also be free Vernors slurpee samples, free Domino's pizza starting at noon (while supplies last), complimentary Vernors samples for the toast, and Boston Coolers made with Sanders Vanilla Ice Cream available for $3, with proceeds going to a Vernors historical marker. It should be a super fun day full of lots of delicious treats and the best ginger ale around!

The museum will open at 10 a.m. on Saturday and as always, admission is free. The Detroit Historical Museum is a super cool museum and this is a great excuse to check it out if you haven't before or if you haven't been in a while! If you can't make it to the big party on Saturday, the Vernors exhibit is currently on display and will be through Sunday.

The Detroit Historical Museum is located at 5401 Woodward Ave. in Detroit. For more information on the museum and this event, click here.

~C