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Exhibits
Current Exhibit
Thursday, November 8, 2007 - Saturday, January 12, 2008
"A Coca Cola Christmas"
Coca Cola collectors from Topeka and Leon (KS) have loaned a wide variety of items from their personal collections to create "A Coca Cola Christmas" in the Fink Exhibit Gallery at the Great Overland Station. You'll see all kinds of Santas, ornaments, bells, the well-known Santa artwork of Haddon Sundblom, snow globes, bottles, old-fashioned Coca Cola machines - and yes, a train!
Coca Cola and Santa have a long history. For roughly 16 centuries, there existed no single, unified image of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children and good deeds. His physical look varied - often drastically - within regions and cultures.
In 1931, the Coca-Cola Company commissioned renowned illustrator Haddon Sundblom to create a new image of Santa. The advertising was supposed to connect Coca-Cola with the winter months, because many people thought of Coca-Cola as a drink just for warm weather.
Sundblom's artistic portrayal of Santa as warm, friendly and human captivated people in America and around the world and has been accepted as a heartwarming symbol of the holidays for more than 75 years.
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola has continued to put its brand on everything from coolers and bottles to rugs and key chains, and every year items are specially marked and decorated for Christmas. So this holiday season, soak up some nostalgia and fill your spirit with holiday good will at the Great Overland Station's "Coca Cola Christmas"!
Permanent Exhibits
Santa Fe Artifacts and Photographs
Union Pacific Artifacts and Photographs
Display of Kansas trains dating back to 1932
History of Topeka from 1800 to present
Display of Harvey Houses and Harvey Girls
Photographs of Topeka Churches
Photographs of Education Buildings
Model G Gauge Train Layout
Photographs Flood of 1951 and 1966 Tornado
Simulator and Baggage Cart | 