The Brooksie Way Half Marathon sponsored by Health Plus is now in its fifth year, a landmark year in the world of road racing. Initially conceived by Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson as a quality of life effort to get people active and raise awareness for wellness and fitness in the county, the Brooksie Way took on a whole new depth of meaning following the tragic death of Patterson’s son.

To Patrick McKay, history is a living thing. As the supervisor of the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm, Pat (as he likes to be called) manages one of Oakland County's most accurate and engaging historical landmarks. The museum is located in Stoney Creek Village (listed in the National Register of Historic Places) on a 16-acre complex that originally belonged to the Taylor and Van Hoosen families. Buildings from the 1840s until today are presented on the grounds, including a restored 1927 dairy barn, the original Stoney Creek Schoolhouse (which dates back to 1848) and the 1850 Red House.We caught up with McKay to find out what it's like to run a 16-acre museum complex, that historical baseball team he helped organize (the Rochester Grangers, who play the gentleman's game in the manner, custom and uniforms of 1860's ball clubs) and why he works to preserve a truly original, still breathing piece of Oakland County's history.