AACA Speedster Newsletter - May 2021

[Peter Gariepy]

May 2021 - Volume 149

In This Issue... REGISTER FOR AUBURN TODAY!! Important Hershey Information Parked in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood HVPR Members Provide Cheer and Memories Scranton Region Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary 2021 Great Race Donate Your Video Games to the Library Steve Rossi's Old Car Quiz Membership Corner: Let's Remember and Honor Our Forefathers 12th Annual Collector Car Appreciation Day 1973 Jeep Commando AACA Raffle Attention AACA Judges: New June Newsletter Available Now Come Experience "Minnesota Nice" For Yourself Get a Friend to Join AACA for Only $25 Be Social With Us Click Here for Trivia Answer Quick Links AACA Website AACA Library AACA Forum AACA Merchandise

Summertime Has Finally Arrived By Stacy Zimmerman, Speedster editor, szimmerman@aaca.org   I don't know about you, but I consider Memorial Day Weekend to be the start of the summer season. (I guess summer doesn't technically start until the Summer Solstice happens on June 20, but I'm sticking with my unofficial calendar.) With temperatures in the 80s and 90s this week in Hershey, it sure does feel like summer is knocking at the door. The flowers and trees here at the new AACA Headquarters are in full bloom and look beautiful.   This summer season will be especially sweet for so many of us for so many different reasons. At this time last year, the majority of the world was in a state of shutdown and uncertainty. Today, Pennsylvania announced that we are on pace to have 70% of adults in the state fully vaccinated by the end of June. I know some states are more open than others, but the overall trend in the U.S. points more and more toward a return to normalcy this summer. That means travel and vacations again. That means hosting your family and friends for a barbeque. And the thing that most of us are super happy about... that means lots and lots of car shows!   I'm finding that I am looking forward to both the small and large things we have planned for this summer. Even just the fact that I am putting events and activities on my calendar again is thrilling to me. I am especially excited that the rescheduled and revamped AACA Annual Convention coincides with the start of summer, too! This will be my first official AACA event of this year and I cannot wait to see all of your smiling faces.   So, I say it's time to put those tops down and get on the road to start this summer off right!

Memorial Day

Saratoga Springs Deadline Extended to TODAY!!

Eastern Spring Nationals Saratoga Springs, NY June 17-19, 2021 Registration Deadline  Extended: May 28 Click here for brochure Click here for online registration   The registration deadline has been extended until TODAY!! So, quick register online, print out your registration, write your check and mail everything TODAY!! Please also contact Marsha to let her know: 518-863-4987 or billmarsha8@gmail.com.   The Saratoga Region AACA is excited to host you for the Eastern Spring Nationals themed "Horses to Horsepower 2021." There is so much to see and do here. Cruise Lake George, tour the Jim Taylor collection, visit the Saratoga Auto Museum, experience history like never before, and so much more.   Please note that the $18 charge for the Friday night BBQ also includes FREE admission to the Saratoga Auto Museum.    Host Hotel: Gideon Putnam 24 Gideon Putnam Road Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 Reservations: 866-746-1077 Reservation Group Code: 9NE73Z Special AACA Rate: $169 per night Special room block and rate runs from June 15-20   Questions? Chairman: Tom Walsh, 585-474-2406, thomaswalsh393@gmail.com

Come Get Lost in the Woods With Us on the Vintage Tour Only 2 Days Left to Register!!

By Bob Giles, Vintage Tour Host, Johnstown, PA, divco100b@icloud.com   All proceeds to benefit the  AACA Building Fund Vintage Tour Lock Haven/Wellsboro, PA July 11-16, 2021 Registration DEADLINE: May 30 Click here for brochure Vehicles Accepted: 1931 and earlier Limited to 80 participants   One of the more important parts of any tour is bringing everyone together over good food. This is still a very challenging thing to do this year with all of the restrictions still placed on restaurants. Most hotels have even eliminated breakfast. Never fear though as we have found several locations where we can adhere to current social distancing guidelines. For example, one of the breakfasts will be in a fire hall with tables set up where the firetrucks usually park. Two of the lunches will be catered outside in park pavilions. Every day of the tour will have a coffee stop, lunch and supper planned. We also remembered to include a stop for watermelon and ice cream for those so inclined.   The total mileage for the tour will be around 325 miles, with the longest day being 100 miles. The only city traffic we will face will be when leaving the hotel. There will be some intimidating up and downs with some gravel roads thrown in. The worst hills can be by-passed if so desired.    Along with the beautiful back roads, there will be some history to be learned. Questions can be asked about the railroads or the logging industry during a couple coffee stops. One of the more unique stops will be at a limestone plant. We are currently working on getting a bus tour underground.   If you would like to receive the tour information and registration form, please send an email to Bob Giles, tour host, at divco100b@icloud.com. If you have any questions, feel free to call Bob at 814-266-2780.

Celebrating America in Auburn

DON'T MISS THIS EVENT! THE TIME TO REGISTER IS NOW!   Central Spring Nationals Auburn, IN July 1-3, 2021 Click here for brochure & hotel information   Registration Deadline: June 18 AACA Members: Click here for online registration Buick Owners: Click here for registration information   AACA is continuing the tradition of inviting other car clubs to join us at our national events and this year promises to be our biggest and best. The traditional show at Auburn Auction Park courtesy of RM Auctions will be held July 1-3 in Auburn, Indiana. Located on hundreds of acres with a LOT of asphalt and several large buildings, this property will allow us to do everything we need to do to host a safe event in a year still filled with some uncertainty due to the virus.   Auburn is the home of great car museums and wonderful countryside. The facility we use is directly off an exit on an interstate highway, so it is easy access on and off. There are plenty of hotel rooms in the vicinity as well.   Friday night we will have a cruise-in to downtown Auburn. Both the A-C-D Museum and the NATMUS Museum will stay open late for our car clubs. We expect to have a great flea market and car corral from Friday to Saturday as well and the cost for spaces is more than reasonable. Saturday's show will allow all of the car clubs to park separately, but anyone who is an AACA member will still be eligible to get their car judged even if it is parked with the marque club. Our world-class banquet by award-winning BBQ chef Tim Johnson and family will be held again, and anyone who has been at Auburn in the past can tell you it is amazing! Tim will also be serving breakfast and lunch on Saturday.   The Hudson-Essex-Terraplane fans have been invited and they will, as we have said, display their cars in a separate area. We have also been asked to invite Buick owners and provide a separate venue for the Buick fans to have a judged event. The awards are spectacular and unlike any you have ever experienced most likely! The Buick Heritage Alliance will be supporting the show by providing these very special awards. The traditional trophy awarded at national Buick meets by The NB Center for American Automotive Heritage in Allentown will also be awarded. Buick owners do not hesitate to register as we have room for more than 1,000 cars properly spaced and room to feed everyone. (In 2019, we fed 700 people in 25 minutes!) Again, you have a chance to be judged at both the Buick display and AACA on the same day! A late addition to our event is a group of AMC owners who will also display in a separate area and can register by calling 717-534-1910 and ask for Pat Buckley.   As a bonus to all non-AACA members, we have a special $20 half-year membership you can purchase as of June 1 which will allow you to be judged by AACA. We have more than 100 classes and special classes for unrestored cars, "driver" cars, motorcycles, trucks, etc. If you would like to review our Judging Guidelines, they can be found by clicking here.   Our goal for this event is to continue our mission of helping everyone in the hobby, not just our members. This is why our library is a free library and our website hosts other car club forums for free. This is also not the first time we have hosted other cars clubs as we have done this for many years. So, please consider joining us. Information will be available online at www.aaca.org/buickshow for the Buick folks and www.aaca.org for AACA members or by calling 717-534-1910.

Important Hershey Information

By "Mac" MacAdam, Flea Market/Car Corral Registration Chairman,  Hershey Region AACA, fallmeet@hersheyaaca.org Summer registration is almost upon us for the Hershey Flea Market, Car Corral and show vehicles. To acquire space(s), you must request a registration card from AACA National Headquarters by using the Activity Card enclosed in the plastic covering of the Antique Automobile magazine (May/June issue). All requested registration materials will be mailed to you by the AACA staff after July 1.   With a show as big as Hershey, there are a lot of moving parts for our region volunteers to coordinate. Please help us by reviewing this important information:   1. On the Show Car/Special Events registration card that you request from National Headquarters you can also choose to receive Awards Banquet tickets, Ladies' Luncheon tickets and antique car trailer parking.    2. SHOW CAR REGISTRATION ONLY: You may also register online at www.aaca.org after June 28. You must print the registration form and submit it along with your check to Hershey Region AACA, PO Box 305, Hershey, PA 17033.    3. NEW! Beginning this year, there will be a $10 parking fee for show car trailers parking on Boathouse Road. The fee covers the period of Wednesday, October 6 at 7 a.m. through Saturday, October 9 at 5 p.m. All vehicles must be removed by 5 p.m. Saturday or they will be towed per order of Derry Township Police.    4. You must return the completed registration card and check to Hershey Region. There will be a pre-addressed envelope enclosed in the packet that you request from National Headquarters. PLEASE read all of the information that accompanies your registration card(s).   5. Cards/Checks not signed will be returned for signatures and could jeopardize your request for space(s).   6. If you have a special location request, you should send a note along with your Flea Market or Car Corral registration card. Spaces are assigned by the postmark on the envelope. You can ask for your check to be returned in the event we cannot fulfill your request. If you will accept spaces anywhere, you need not send any note. (Please DO NOT write notes on the registration card.)   7. Please read ALL accompanying information that will be enclosed with the registration card(s) you receive from National Headquarters. Your signature on the card confirms you have read, understand and will obey AACA and Hershey Region rules and regulations.   8. Please pay close attention to the firm postmark deadline of August 15 on the registration card. We need ample time to make assignments, enter the data and send the information to our printer. There is a very short lead time to accomplish this task.   9. TO RESERVE & RENT A SCOOTER OR GOLF CART: ScooterBug has been contracted for the 2021 Hershey show to provide pre-reserved, single passenger ECVs and double passenger golf carts for those guests who have a valid, state-issued handicapped placard in the state in which you reside. Guests can pre-reserve this mobility equipment starting on June 1, 2021, at 9 a.m. EST. Book online at www.scooterbug.com/aaca or call 800-726-8284 directly to reserve. NOTE: Personal mobility vehicles are not registered by ScooterBug personnel. There are NO refunds under any circumstances once the payment is received and equipment is reserved.   10. YES, YOU CAN BRING YOUR OWN SCOOTER: Personal electric mobility vehicles are authorized, however they must be registered at one of the three registration areas. More information will be available in the literature you receive with your registration card.   11. Flea Market and Car Corral windshield stickers and other important information will be mailed at the end of August.    12. SALES TAX LICENSE: If you do not have a sales tax license, you can apply online here or call 717-783-1405. IMPORTANT: Do not wait for your tax license number to arrive. Send your flea market registration card and check to the Hershey Region and simply write "applied for" above the Tax ID spaces on the registration card.

Parked in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood:  What Fred Rogers Taught Us About Cars

By Joe Ligo, reprinted with permission from TheDrive.com   Despite growing up in a wealthy family and being taken to school by the family driver in a Cadillac, Fred McFeely Rogers -- known as Mister Rogers to most of us -- never appeared to have developed a taste for exotic or expensive things. As the nationally-known host of the PBS children's program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and perhaps one of the most universally adored public figures in the country, Fred's personal life was strikingly modest. He seemed the least likely person you'd expect to be interested in cars. And yet: take a wider view, and his program showed children that the automobile is a fixture in modern American life over the second half of the 20th century, introducing them to everything from seat belts to automated car washes to early EV efforts. Fred Rogers himself wasn't much of a gearhead, but he knew just as much as anyone how much emotion can be wrapped up in a car, quietly maintaining a 1928 Ford Model A Sport Coupe over the decades that had been given to him by his parents.   In reality, a survey of the 900+ episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood indicates that Fred understood there are lots of kids (and adults) who love anything with wheels. So with help from the invaluable NeighborhoodArchive.com and a few phone calls with Rogers' former producer Margy Whitmer and former co-star/company PR rep David Newell, let's dive into the automotive world of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.   Click here to continue reading this story.

HVPR Members Provide Cheer and Memories to the York Convalescent Center

By Al Crane, HVPR AACA Community Relations, Tabb, VA, cranejra@aol.com Historic Virginia Peninsula Region (HVPR) AACA members Al Crane, George Maculley and Larry Munk joined with members of the Classic Cruisers Car Club of Yorktown to bring some cheer and memories to the residents of the York Convalescent and Rehabilitation Center in Yorktown, VA, on a beautiful spring morning in May.

Scranton Region Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary

By Matthew Whitaker, South Abington Township, PA, jackofalltrades70@yahoo.com Feel free to join us this summer! On July 18, the Scranton region of the AACA will celebrate 50 years with our annual car show and flea market. It will be held on the grounds of Allied Services in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania.   The club started its journey October 1971 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by a group of nine members: William H. Smith, Jack Mueller, James Clay, William Krieg, Sydney Proper, Larry Werner, Frank McDonald, George Schumacher and Leo DeAngelo.   Through the years, the club has hosted many accomplished events including a National spring show in 1977, the first Grand National event in 1980, the 1993 Founders Tour and a divisional tour a few years later.   Our founding president William H. Smith went on to serve on the AACA Board of Directors and serve two years as AACA President, AACA Executive Director and was a leading force in the creation of the AACA Museum. Two other Scranton Region members have also served the AACA at the national level. John Walker was on the National Board of Directors and Ron Moskalczak on the museum committee.   The Scranton Region's community outreach to many different charities has been one of our driving factors while preparing for our show activities. Allied Services programs, Operation Troop Appreciation and Alex's Lemonade are several of the organizations we sponsor.   Currently, the club meets for workshops once weekly on Tuesdays. We are building a Model A speedster project. We plan on having this project at our show this year. Although it is still in project stage, with the frame/running gear completed, it is starting to take on the looks of a flat track speedster of the day. We also provide technical advice/repairs to our members, free of charge, to help them keep their vehicles in tiptop shape for touring. Members just need to purchase the parts required for the repair.

Member Submitted Story

2021 Great Race By Charlotte Dahlenburg, Deep South Region Editor, Mobile, AL, deepsouth.aaca@gmail.com   Big Red pulled out of one of the barns  at the Barnett home and getting ready to  make the trip south. Getting Big Red to Mobile, AL. The Great Race was the main topic of conversation every time the two got together. Stories were shared about their experiences -- all filled with fascination and laughter. The two friends from Alabama have spent several years sharing great conversations. Stories became dreams, what ifs and we cans that filled the barns and garages they hung out in.   Darrin Dahlenburg and Sam Barnett grew up with old cars. Both have enjoyed The Great Race in different ways. Darrin was part of a support crew for an X-Cup team for several years starting in 2016. Sam served on The Great Race team in 2013 driving the catch truck and helping crews work on their cars at night. Over the course of time, the two have explored many different parts of the country and enjoyed meeting people from all over.   Darrin and Sam began looking for the perfect car. While every car they came in contact with became part of the dream, they turned out for various reasons not to be right or were priced out of range. As such, they looked into the field of cars the two currently owned.   There were some great possibilities in the Barnett Collection and Darrin had a few that fit the bill. The 1974 Buick Apollo and the 1961 Cadillac convertible were the final two contenders.     "Big Red," the 1961 Series 62 Cadillac convertible, is no stranger to touring. Ron and Sally Barnett (Sam's parents) drove the Cadillac in several AACA National Tours. Big Red has a big history to go with her having been ridden in by President Lyndon B. Johnson when he was Vice President. She was also featured on the cover of the May/June 2001 issue of Antique Automobile.    The 1974 Buick Apollo has been in the Dahlenburg family for over 20 years. Darrin's daughter Bobby Sue drove the car for several years while at college. She and the car no doubt turned a few boys' heads. The Apollo is mostly a survivor and would now need a lot of work. Thus, the logical choice turned out to be Big Red.   Big Red made her way to Mobile, Alabama, in November of 2019. Darrin spent many hours going over the Cadillac listing what would make it roadworthy for the 2020 Great Race. Items to be repaired were listed on a whiteboard that hangs in the garage. These items have slowly been crossed off. Test runs around the city and county became the norm.    Finally, it became official! Team Alabama and Big Red were registered in the 2020 Great Race starting in San Antonio, TX, and ending in Greenville, SC. The event would be held June 20-28, 2020. Darrin Dahlenburg would drive, Sam Barnett would navigate, and Paul Dagenais and Charlotte Dahlenburg would be the support crew. The car was then given the number 25. Early on the list was long.  Now the list is almost done.  Big Red is almost ready. Big Red at a local car show posing with a District Judge candidate. Everybody is helping to make Big Red ready for the journey. Days in the garage are the best, especially if you have help.