Tradition is often the bloodline of a close-knit family. For the communities of Oakland County, the Holiday Walk at Meadow Brook Hall is a tradition that many families look forward to all year.

Inside the walls of the mansion, a Christmas wonderland is born each November. The focus of the Meadow Brook Hall staff is to include all of its guests, from youngsters to those who have attended the walk since 1971, when the event was first held.

Each year, the staff elects a different theme for the event.

The goal of the themes is to interest the community, as well as to attract them to the event, Shannon O’Berski, marketing and communications manager, said.

This year’s theme was “The Games People Played,” which incorporated the board games that were popular during the childhoods of the Dodge family. On display were games such as Chess, Backgammon and Chinese Checkers, as well as many other games that are still popular today.

The mansion itself is completely self-supporting, meaning, the survival of the mansion relies solely on fundraising. This includes events such as weddings, parties and the Holiday Walk. The Holiday Walk is important because it yields more profit than any other event held at the mansion.

For this year’s walk, O’Berski was aiming for a four percent increase in attendance, and she feels that this goal was met.

She said that this rise in participation was the result of the publicity and activities she planned for the Walk. Activities such as coloring, meetings with Santa and small holiday music ensemble were only a few of the surprises for those who came to the walk.

“This is a pretty good year, I think,” Eugene Diggs, a volunteer, said.

Diggs has been working and volunteering at Meadow Brook for 35 years and believes that the walk becomes more popular each year.

He said the mansion is busy with guests from when the walk opens at 11 a.m. until it closes in the evening.

O’Berski is extremely dedicated to keeping the story of the Dodge family and Matilda Dodge’s love for Oakland University alive.

As an OU alum, O’Berski hopes to involve the student body and their families in the events held by the mansion.

“Not many students know that (the mansion) is here,” she said.

When the Holiday Walk first began in 1971, the event only lasted for a few days. This year, the walk was open for four weeks.

This year the mansion’s decorations were very different from when the walk was first held.

“When (the Holiday Walk) first began, florists would decorate a room with fresh flowers and holiday décor,” O’Berski said.  “Now we have a team of decorators who work closely with the MBH staff to achieve the look and theme.”

Next year’s theme will be announced in February.

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