“Cars, Trees & Traditions” spotlights eight decades of holiday style through 23 nostalgically- and thematically-decked evergreen trees, paired with vehicles from the museum’s collection. Each vignette is wrapped with text, images and advertisements reminiscent of holidays past.

Following the exhibition’s narrative from one vignette to the next, guests see how vehicle progression—from horseless carriages to enclosed, more comfortable and better engineered models—helped change the ways in which Americans celebrated the season’s festivities.

New for 2009

Thirty vintage pedal cars dating back to the 1920s, including many Chrysler-inspired models and specialty vehicles, will lend an additional nostalgic touch to this year’s exhibition. The miniature cars and trucks are from the private collections of Greg Gladki of Westland, Mich., and Earl Ickes of Clinton Township, Mich.

Among the pedal cars on display:

1925 Hudson
1937 Airflow Sedan
Airflow Fire Truck
1938 Dodge Sedan
1939 Chrysler Airflow Fire Truck
1939 Dodge
1941 Dodge Fire Chief
1941 Chrysler
1941 Chrysler Sedan
1968 Plymouth Sport Fury
1968 Dodge Charger
Jeep

Family Fun Day

Cars, Trees & Traditions opens with Family Fun Day, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21. 

Festivities include:

• informal exhibition tours
• visits with Santa in a vintage Dodge truck – bring your camera
•  a host of holiday crafts
• air brush body art (11 a.m.-1 p.m.)
• Christmas Traditions Unwrapped, presented by Lisa Gleeson of Lisa’s Gift Wrappers in Royal Oak (11:30 a.m.). Gleeson will share origins of holiday traditions, including:
- The Christmas tree’s German “roots” and popularization by the British
- Holiday cards dating back to 1870
- The evolution of St. Nicholas into Santa Claus
- The introduction of exchanging gifts
- Gift wrapping, starting with brown paper packages tied up with strings
- balloon art
- holiday music
- sweet treats

The museum’s gift shop also will feature discounts on a number of collectibles, providing an opportunity for guests to get a jump on their holiday shopping.

Special Family Fun Day admission is $7.50 per person for ages 2 and older, and $28 for a family of four. (Member admission is $6.25 per person and $24 per family of four.)

Holiday Ornament Workshops

For crafty guests, the museum is hosting Holiday Ornament Workshops, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. or 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8, including a bulb-making session, refreshments and an exhibition tour.

Participants will create a keepsake memento from a favorite photo scanned prior to the workshop and slipped into a glass bulb. Participants will adorn the ornaments with a variety of silk flowers, leaves, beads and baubles—all with the help of a pro, Kathy Burm of Bulbs by Blondie.

Registration is $21/person, including Museum admission ($19 for members). Visit Featured Events at www.wpchryslermuseum.org or e-mail events@wpchryslermuseum.org for registration and details for submitting photos via e-mail or mail.

Saturday Crafts

Everyone in the family can test their creativity with holiday crafts du jour, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every Saturday from Thanksgiving through year’s end. Two to three child-friendly crafts will be offered each Saturday with regular museum admission.

“Cars, Trees & Traditions” will be open for self-guided tours from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. The museum is closed every Monday, as well as Nov. 25 and 26, and Dec. 24 and 25.

General museum admission, which includes “Cars, Trees & Traditions,” is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors (62 and older) and $4 for juniors (6 – 12). Children 5 years old and younger are free. Admission is $4 per person for groups of 15 or more with advance registration.

For more information—and two-for-one admission coupons—visit www.wpchryslermuseum.org or call (248) 944-0001. To schedule a group visit, e-mail grouptours@wpchryslermuseum.org or call (248) 944-0450. Two-for-one admission coupons are not valid for Family Fun Day or the Holiday Ornament Workshops.

The ceremony, which will last about an hour and begin at 11 a.m., will honor current and veteran members of the United States and Canadian armed forces. The event, presented by UAW Local 412’s Veterans Committee, is open to all employees and contractors.

Veterans Committee Chairman Wayne Smith will emcee the event that will include a presentation of colors by the Air National Guard Color Guard from Selfridge Air National Guard Base and the national anthems of the United States and Canada by the Avondale (Auburn Hills) High School Choir.

This year, U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Keith Edwards, Command Chief of the 127th Wing from Selfridge, will discuss his unit’s mission in the Middle East theater of operations. Scott Garberding, Head of Manufacturing/World Class Manufacturing Ad Interim, also will speak.

The Veterans Committee also has teamed up with the Warren (Mich.) Goodfellows to collect toys for needy children this Christmas. A collection box will be at this event and later placed near employee entrances for donations of new, unwrapped toys.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Customer Satisfaction Team open house will review a number of quality issues and solutions for employees.

“I would like to encourage you, to set aside some time, to attend the open house so that everyone can understand where we are at and where we are going on the road to quality recovery,” Doug Betts, Senior Vice President—Quality, said in a note to employees. “We would also like to have the benefit of your ideas and experiences, as well as to ask for your help in finding or solving the problems which remain.”

This month’s open house will look at base engine and adaptation; check engine light and exhaust systems; paint and exterior systems; body electronics/active and passive safety systems and wiring, charging, battery, cranking and starting. This month’s special topic is “Perceived Quality and Dimensional Control: Use of Perceptron.”

“It will be the quality of our products that create the value to gain profitability in the future,” Betts wrote. “We need your engagement in this effort.”

Employees at the Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills recently participated in a toy/book drive for children being treated for serious illness at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit.  The toy drive was conducted at Chrysler’s headquarters facility from Aug. 31-Sept. 11.

Chrysler employees demonstrated their compassion to children in need of comfort by donating nearly 500 toys and books during the course of the two-week drive.  The overwhelming response of generous employees allowed the Civic and Community Relations department to also provide toy donations to patients at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital located in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The patients and families at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan and the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital thank all who donated.

The event will be held at the Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills. Festivities will begin with an ceremony in the Education Auditorium at 8:30 a.m. Exhibitor booths will be located in the Education and Tech Plaza nodes and will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

The Matchmaker event serves as an excellent venue for Chrysler employees and suppliers to acquire new business contacts that can assist Chrysler in meeting its business needs. 

Suppliers can register as a visitor for the event at: supplierdiversity.chrysler.com.  Log-on then click “Matchmaker/Visitors Register Here.”  The visitor registration cut-off date is Sept. 25.

The 2009 Acorn Tour gets underway at the three-story Museum, in Auburn Hills, with continental breakfast and informal tours of more than 70 antique, custom and concept vehicles that span a century, as well as interactive displays and historical exhibits.

From the Museum, the Acorn Tour winds through tree-lined roads in Oakland County to:
-  Downtown Holly for a step back in time.  Guests will relax over brunch at the historic Holly Hotel, visit the members-only Detroit Model Railroad Club for a rare look at dozens of miniature operating locomotives, tour the 125-year-old Victorian home that features the Hadley House Museum and stroll through the village’s charming shops.
-  Downtown Rochester for informal tours and a closing reception at the Paint Creek Center for the Arts.  Guests can explore two of the center’s temporary special exhibitions including Boing (featuring sculptures by Sara Joseph, abstract paintings by Brian Iler and images and constructions by Ryan Standfest that highlights offbeat and unconventional humorous works) and Pedestrian Traffic (a drawing series that is the focus of a solo show by Mitch Cope showcasing elements of urban landscape)

Convenient parking is available at all Acorn Tour stops and a suggested route of paved roads will be provided. The Walter P. Chrysler Museum is located at the corner of Featherstone and Squirrel Roads on Chrysler Group LLC’s headquarters complex in Auburn Hills. From I-75 take exit 78 (Chrysler Drive) and follow the signs.

The Acorn Tour is $60 per person ($54 for Museum members), with a two-fer rate of $110 ($99 for members), payable by Tuesday, Sept. 30. Pay by American Express, Discover, MasterCard or VISA when registering by:
Phone:      248-944-0450
E-Mail:      events@wpchryslermuseum.org
Mail:          Acorn Tour, c/o Walter P. Chrysler Museum
                    One Chrysler Dr., CIMS 488-00-00
                    Auburn Hills, MI 48326
(Checks and money orders, payable to the Walter P. Chrysler Museum Foundation, accepted via mail)

Acorn Tour participants are asked to provide the following information at registration: driver’s name and address, telephone number, e-mail address
make, model and year of driver’s vehicle , names of additional guests in the party, (if paying by credit card: account owner name, account number and expiration date)

The Acorn Tour is a rain or shine event and registration fees are non-refundable.  Participants will be required to sign a liability waiver prior to the event.

For photo highlights of past Acorn Tours or additional information about the Walter P. Chrysler Museum, including membership options, those with Internet access can visit the Museum’s new Web site at: www.wpchryslermuseum.org.

The event will run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the CTC Auditorium.

From concept through design, testing and production, Shape Corp. has the resources to offer full service solutions. Shape not only partners with you in the design process, they also innovate new products to meet future needs, providing state-of-the-art components while reducing mass and cost.  The company’s highlighted main areas of interest are:

• Cost Advantages
• Weight /CAFÉ Requirements
• Global Capabilities
• Safety Initiatives
• Sustainable Solutions

If you’re looking for new ways to advance in the changing automotive industry, take advantage of our brief seminars. Each presentation is designed by experts and tailored to relieve some of your challenges—putting you ahead of the curve! Seminars located in the CTC Auditorium.

Thursday, Sept. 10
10 a.m.  Take advantage of rollforming: Revolutionary advancements make it easy to benefit.
11 a.m.  Get more and pay less with system level solutions.
1 p.m.  ”Are you ready for change?” Using global regulations and trends to road map product development.
2 p.m. Freedom of choice: More ways to optimize your energy management system

The Chrysler Group LLC and its employees have a long tradition of providing help to those in need in local communities. Help bring a smile to a child with a serious health challenge by donating new toys or books to Children’s Hospital of Michigan. The facility is one of the leading children’s hospitals in the nation and helps young people from all over Michigan overcome major illnesses.

Developmentally appropriate toys and games are essential to providing children with opportunities for play in the hospital. They serve an important therapeutic function by bringing a sense of joy and normalcy to the life of a sick child.

Please place a new toy or book in the receptacles located at any of the employee entrances to the Auburn Hills Complex between Monday Aug. 31 and Sept. 11.

The following guidelines are recommended when donating items:

Infant-toddler (newborn to 2 years): Play telephones, Fisher-Price brand toys, mobiles and activity centers.

Preschool (3 to 5 years):Blocks, Fisher-Price brand play sets, View-Masters, Play-Doh, musical toys, and lights and sounds toys.

School-age (6 to 10 years): Hand-held video games, puzzles, Lego sets, and action figures and dolls.

Teenage (11 to 16 years): Bead/jewelry kits, sketch pads, games (e.g. Monopoly), teen magazines, word/crossword puzzles, scrapbook supplies, nail/Hair care items and model/science kits.

All ages: Disposable cameras, crayons, personal CD’s (edited), Nerf Balls, stickers, school supplies, craft kits, bubbles, character Band Aids, and DVD’s (rated G, PG or PG-13).

No used items, candy, food or religious items can be accepted. Arts and craft materials must have the nontoxic seal.

Please contact Daphne Harris in Civic and Community Relations at (248) 512-3356 with questions.