Chrysler Museum Chronicles Evolution of Holiday Trees with Cars, Trees & Traditions

* Special grand opening celebration slated for 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006; visitors invited to fill a 2007 Dodge Ram for Toys for Tots to benefit children of local servicepeople

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Nov. 3 -- 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, is sprucing up the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills Nov. 18 - Dec. 30, 2006.

The exhibition kicks off Saturday, Nov. 18 with a free admission grand opening from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Cars, Trees & Traditions offers a look back at holiday celebrations from the early 1900s through the 1980s. The exhibition features seventeen vignettes highlighting evergreen trees accurately decorated in year-end holiday fashion, paired with Chrysler vehicles of similar eras. The graphics and images accompanying each tree, including a variety of 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 historical text presented with each vignette spotlights the evolution of American holiday traditions, seasonal pop culture and the automobile's role in advancing the celebratory spirit and sense of goodwill associated with this time of year.

Cars, Trees & Traditions opens to the public on Saturday, Nov. 18 with seasonal festivities from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Visitors can informally tour the exhibition at no charge while enjoying:

  *  an antique holiday decor bazaar by the Golden Glow Club
  *  do-it-yourself ornaments by Michael's, The Arts and Crafts Store
  *  hot cider and cookies by The Baker's Loaf
  *  live entertainment

The celebration also features a toy drive for Toys for Tots to benefit the children of local servicepeople. Visitors are invited to arrive with new, unused, unwrapped toys to fill a 2007 Dodge Ram.

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, the company's first production automobile.

* 1943 - World War II Tree, decked with unsilvered, striped Shiny-Bright 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 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 through Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The Walter P. Chrysler Museum is closed every Monday, and Nov. 23 and 24 and Dec. 24 and 25.

Museum admission, which includes Cars, Trees & Traditions, 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 DaimlerChrysler complex in Auburn Hills. From I-75, take exit 78 (Chrysler Dr.) and follow the Museum signs.

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