Tickets Are On Sale Now for MotorCities' 25th Anniversary Gala

Celebrate our silver anniversary at Ford House's beautiful Visitors Center (pictured at right)! Tickets are now on sale for MotorCities' 25th Anniversary Gala here.

The evening starts at 5:30 p.m. with a social hour and silent auction, followed by dinner.

Our program will feature a retrospective of MotorCities' 25 years of achievement, a keynote speaker, our Milestone Award winner and the awarding of our Awards of Excellence (for nomination information, see below). Watch for more details on the event over the next couple weeks.

Proceeds will help MotorCities continue to fulfill its mission of preserving and promoting Michigan auto and labor heritage.

Story of the Week
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Robert Tate Exhibit Opens This Weekend at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn

EDITOR'S NOTE -- In honor of the Robert Tate Exhibit opening this weekend at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, we are presenting an encore presentation of the Story of the Week from February of this year featuring an interview with Tate conducted by our Deputy Director, Brian Yopp.

Details on the event are in the graphic at right. You get more details on the exhibit and RSVP for the event by clicking here.

To learn more about Tate and watch the full interview, click below.

This Week's Story

LAST CALL - Nominations for Annual Awards of Excellence Deadline is September 30

The annual MotorCities Awards of Excellence recognize organizations and individuals who have delivered outstanding projects in the following areas:

 - Auto or labor heritage tourism;
 - Education/interpretation;
 - and revitalization.
 
For our 25th year, we are encouraging nominations from all projects from 1998 to the present, and past receipients are eligible to receive this special anniversary edition of the awards. The deadline for nominations is 11:59 PM EDT on September 30, 2023.

By October 20, finalists will be announced in each of the three categories. The awards will be presented on Wednesday, November 8 as part of MotorCities' 25th Anniversary Gala at Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores.

You can start your nomination form here.

Celebrating 25 Years with Great MotorCities Programs

As part of the celebration of our 25th Anniversary, today we are continuing a series highlighting 25 MotorCities Programs introduced over the last 25 years.

The 15th is the MotorCities Kidz/Stephen Yokich Education Program.

The story of the automotive industry has touched many generations. It has built communities and allowed families to flourish. The appreciation for the accomplishments of auto and labor must be passed along so as not to be forgotten. That was the exact intent in 2002 when the UAW began their support of MotorCities' educational programming. The educational outreach was aptly titled the Stephen Yokich Education Program, in honor of the former UAW President who had recently passed away. The goal was to bring these stories of ideas, innovation, social change, triumph and tragedy to schools across the region. After the first wave of schools engaged, the program expanded to a web-based curriculum called MotorCities KidZ, which served to inspire a new generation of auto enthusiasts.

The 16th is the Cherry Hill Village Center in Canton.

Every preservation project begins at a different point and may launch with different motivations. Some are emergency intercessions that literally make the difference between saving a building and letting it crumble. Others are an opportunity to reclaim a piece of history that may have lost its luster. In the case of the Cherry Hill Village Center in Canton, the motivation was to restore an original Henry Ford Village Industry site to its former prominence. In 2012, the Partnership for the Arts & Humanities acquired the Cherry Hill factory, one of Ford's famed factories, where he didn't just develop the production facility, but the entire surrounding area. There would often be schools and homes built near these factories to accommodate children and families. In the case of Cherry Hill, Ford purchased the dormitory for disabled veterans working at the factory, which supplied parts to the larger Willow Run Plant. We are proud to have supported multiple grants over the years from master planning to window replacements. The Partnership has restored the factory and dormitory building with the purpose of providing services and programming for veterans again.

Watch for two more programs in this space next week! Catch all the previous entries by clicking here.

This Week in Auto Heritage

On September 29, 1987, Henry Ford II died of pneumonia at the hospital bearing his grandfather's name in Detroit. He was 70.

Dubbed "Hank the Deuce," he replaced his grandfather as president of Ford Motor Company in 1945. He recruited Ernest Breech from General Motors and later assembled a team of “Whiz Kids” to reorganize the company and introduce the statistical control methods that were instrumental in the company’s turnaround. He served as President of the company from 1945 until 1960, when he became Chairman and CEO. Under his tenure, Ford introduced iconic cars like the Thunderbird in the 1950s and the Mustang in the 1960s.

The 1970s were a little more difficult, with an oil embargo that shifted American tastes to smaller, more fuel efficient cars. The Ford Pinto, one of the company's first small cars, was plagued with problems. Controversy even followed into the executive suite, as Ford fired Lee Iacocca as president in 1978.

Ford retired as Chairman in 1980 and the rest of his positions at the company in 1982, but still wielded behind-the-scenes power until his death.

Hey Kids!  Become a MotorCities Junior Ranger! Click here for details!

Events Coming to the MotorCities

Thursday - Sunday: American Speed Festival at M1 Concourse in Pontiac

The 3rd annual American Speed Festival at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac is a multi-day celebration of motorsports.

The program includes two days at the speed ring and a one-day exposition. Exhibitors will compete in eight different classes at the M1 Speed Ring. The 1.5-mile M1 Concourse Champion Motor Speedway will showcase 60+ cars where fans can compare and experience just about every kind of race car there is. This year the Concourse is honoring three significant automotive anniversaries: 100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 70 years of Corvette, and 50 years of the IROC Series.

For more information, click here.

Saturday: The Young Modelers Club Returns to the Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society in Eastpointe

This Saturday and continuing through April 2024, the Young Modelers Club program kicks off again at the Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society in Eastpointe from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Designed for kids ages 8 to 16, parents are also welcome to join in. For those who have never built a model, we give you a free snap-together kit to build and take home! All supplies such as tools, paint, glue, etc will be provided for those who bring their own model to build. Members of IPMS Warren model club will be there to help and teach modeling techniques.

For more info, contact Jim Ashford, 248.399.2386, or [email protected]  or [email protected].

Sunday: Model T Birthday Celebration at the Ford Piquette Plant Museum in Detroit

This Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., join the Ford Piquette Plant Museum in celebrating the day on which the first Model T was built.

The celebration will feature free Model T rides, vintage vehicles on display, music, food, and beverages for sale. There will be unique vendors and fun and games for the kids. There will be no cost for the events in the parking lot, but regular museum admission prices apply.

More information is available here.