Cars, Trees & Traditions Brings Holiday Style to the Walter P. Chrysler Museum

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Nov. 1 -- The Walter P. Chrysler Museum, in Auburn Hills, will don its holiday finest for Cars, Trees & Traditions, a special exhibition featuring authentically decorated vintage trees, nostalgic ads, seasonal photos of Detroit over the decades and written narrative highlighting American holiday customs, Nov. 17 - Dec. 30, 2007.

The exhibition kicks off with seasonal family fun Saturday, Nov. 17 during a free admission grand opening from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The third annual Cars, Trees & Traditions offers a look back at holiday celebrations from the early 1900s through the 1980s. The exhibition features 20 vignettes highlighting evergreen trees accurately decorated in holiday fashion, paired with Chrysler vehicles of the same eras. The graphics and images accompanying each tree, including a variety of historic holiday-season photos of Detroit from the archives of Wayne State University's Walter P. Reuther Library, illustrate styles, events and products of seasons past. The exhibition also features timelines of beloved toys and popular gifts as well as a collection of holiday greetings from the Chrysler Historical Archives.

Cars, Trees & Traditions opens to the public at no charge on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Along with informal tours of the exhibition, visitors can also enjoy:

  -- Visiting with Santa in a vintage Dodge truck - cameras are welcome
  -- Creating keepsakes with Michael's, The Arts and Crafts Store
  -- Discovering wrapping traditions and tips for beautiful packages with
     Lisa Gleeson of Lisa's Gift Wrappers (10:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.)
  -- Perfecting yo-yo tricks with Zeemo, The Yo-Yo Man (11:30 a.m. and 1
     p.m.)
  -- Accessorizing with airbrush face painting
  -- Indulging in holiday treats
  -- Shopping for 10 percent discounts, with free gift wrapping, in the
     Museum Store

The celebration also features a toy drive for Toys for Tots. Visitors are invited to arrive with new, unused, unwrapped toys to fill a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country Minivan.

Among the holiday vignettes featured throughout the Cars, Trees & Traditions exhibition:

  -- 1924 - Tree of Good Times, lavishly decorated with spun glass and Czech
     beaded ornaments, foil reflectors, waxed angels and double-sided
     lithographs. This tree is paired with the Museum's 1924 Chrysler Six, a
     prototype (one of five in existence) of the company's first production
     automobile.
  -- 1943 - World War II Tree, decked with unsilvered, striped clear glass
     ornaments, some with cardboard and paper caps, along with paper
     ornaments and chains, paired with a 1941 Dodge Staff Car and Chrysler
     Aircraft Engine.
  -- 1953 - Tree of the New Generation, featuring West German ornaments,
     lights with reflectors and Japanese glass bead garland and paired with
     the ultra-modern 1953 Chrysler Special concept car.
  -- 1986 - Hallmark Tree, featuring the company's "instantly collectible"
     ornaments that reflect the trends and crazes of the day, paired with a
     1986 Dodge Omni.

Cars, Trees & Traditions is open for self-guided tours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday and noon - 6 p.m. Sunday. The Walter P. Chrysler Museum is closed every Monday, and Nov. 21 and 22 and Dec. 25.

Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for juniors (6 - 12) and seniors (62 and older). Children 5 years old and younger are free. Admission is $3 per person for groups of 15 or more with advance registration.

The Walter P. Chrysler Museum is located at the corner of Featherstone and Squirrel Rds. on the Chrysler headquarters complex in Auburn Hills. From I-75, take exit 78 (Chrysler Dr.) and follow the Museum signs.

For more information, visit www.chryslerheritage.com or call 888-456-1924.

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