Speedster - Sep 2022

[Peter Gariepy]

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September 2022 | Volume 165

Upcoming Events Visit the calendar on our website for a listing of AACA National events, local Region & Chapter events and much more!    AACA National Staff   CEO Steve Moskowitz   Membership & Merchandise Karen White   Accounting, IT & Website Pat Buckley   Advertising & Marketing Speedster Editor Stacy Zimmerman   Antique AutomobileMagazine Editor West Peterson   Office Administration Lori Shetter - membership/merchandise Susan Eitnier - regions & chapters, insurance Jon Curtis - awards   Library & Research Center Matthew Hocker Amoi Goldman   QUICK LINKS: AACA Website AACA Library AACA Forums AACA Merchandise AACA Judging Guidelines   NEW AACA National Headquarters address: 800 W. Hersheypark Dr. Hershey, PA 17033 Join Our Mailing List   Never in a Million Years By Stacy Zimmerman, Speedster Editor, szimmerman@aaca.org   Well, never in a million years did I think that I would be writing an article like this for Speedster. It’s the week before the Hershey show and I had planned to write all about Hershey – how great the show is, why you just have to come and see it for yourself, and why it is the absolute best week of the year for this hobby of ours. Yes, I could absolutely still write all that stuff and it would all still be true, but it would just feel like hollow words right now.    For those of you who do not know, AACA Library Director Chris Ritter passed away on Monday, September 26, 2022. This was completely unexpected – a freak accident – and we are all just devastated right now. I think we are all still in shock. I know for me personally I continue to fluctuate between crying and thinking it didn’t really happen. I feel like any minute he will come down the stairs to the kitchen to wash his coffee mug and then pass by my office doing his little head nod that he always did to say “hey/hi/what’s up?”. I will miss him as a co-worker, and I will miss him as a friend.   Again, I know that I should write about Hershey, but that’s not at all what I want to say to all of you. I want to tell you to seize the day and all of the opportunities that lay in front of you right now. I want to tell you not to waste one single moment. Live your life to the fullest and be the best person you can be. Fill your life with family and friends and everything you love. Make life count because tomorrow is never promised.   We look forward to Hershey week all year long – it’s our favorite time of the year. It has been said around the office many times this week that the show must go on and we need to just do what we need to do to make it all happen. I have no doubt that this AACA family will come together to make this Hershey one to remember.     Make life count because tomorrow is never promised.     See you all in Hershey  next week!

Sad News on the Passing of Library Director Chris Ritter By Matthew Hocker, AACA Librarian, Cataloger & Volunteer Coordinator, mhocker@aaca.org Tragedy has hit the AACA Library. This week, Library Director Chris Ritter was tragically killed in an accident while out golfing with his father. We are heartbroken and grieving the sudden loss of Chris and, as much pain as we are in right now, we cannot even begin to imagine what his wife Tam and little boys Pierce and Case are going through right now. They were Chris' life, and he was theirs; please keep them in your thoughts during this difficult time.   We are also incredibly sorry for all of you, as I am sure many of you were helped or touched in some way by Chris over the years. This is hard news to swallow all around, and we know many of you will be grieving with us. The condolences we have received so far have been overwhelming but greatly appreciated. As far as supporting Chris’ family right now, we do ask that you please respect the family's privacy during this time until they are ready to hear from you. We promise to keep you updated at the appropriate time.    The library isn't the same without Chris, and he will be greatly missed. It's going to be incredibly difficult without him during Hershey week, both for us and for you. He won't be here to warmly welcome you. He won't be able to banter with you about your latest restoration project. He won't be able to reminisce with you about past events, and he won't be able to share in your exciting discoveries on the fields or in the library's stacks.   Even though Chris will not be here physically, he will be here in spirit. We will do our best to push forward by remaining open next week, offering research services, and running the Tuesday Yard Sale. To say this is the way he would have wanted it is hard to say because it feels like it trivializes the situation. However, given Chris' character and how he tackled challenges over the years, I have no doubt that he would want us to do our best during Hershey week. Please bear with us in the coming weeks and months as we navigate this difficult time, and keep Chris' family, friends, and colleagues in your thoughts.   The November-December issue of Antique Automobile magazine will include a wonderful tribute to Chris. Please watch the AACA website and Facebook pages for updates on how you can support the family and details about the memorial service for Chris.

Hershey is Next Week!!!  Eastern Fall Nationals Hershey, PA TUESDAY, October 4 – FRIDAY, October 7 Click here for brochure & full schedule   The Hershey Region AACA invites you to make the pilgrimage to antique car Mecca this October. Come join the more than 250,000 visitors who come each year to experience Hershey. The Hershey show is considered the largest true antique car show in the world and includes a flea market with over 9,000 vendor spaces, a car corral with about 800 antique cars for sale and culminates in a great car show with 1,000+ vintage cars on display.   If you registered for the flea market or car corral, you should have received your packet with your windshield stickers and instructions by now. If you haven’t, please send an email immediately to fallmeet@hersheyaaca.org.    If you registered to show your car on FRIDAY, you will need to pick up your packet on the Chocolate Field at the FOLDER DISTRIBUTION tent located next to the Hershey Region main tent. The FOLDER DISTRIBUTION tent is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Packets will also be available for pick-up on Friday morning at the show vehicle entrance behind the Giant Center.   If you have questions, please email fallmeet@hersheyaaca.org. If you have questions regarding the car show, please send an email to hersheycarreg@gmail.com.    SAFE TRAVELS! WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE ALL OF YOU!!

Important 2022 Hershey Reminders   Show will run Tuesday, October 4 through Friday, October 7 Flea Market set-up will be Monday, October 3 Judging School will be Thursday, October 6, at 2 p.m. Judges Breakfast will be Friday, October 7, at 7 a.m. Car show will be Friday, October 7 Click here for the Hershey brochure with full event details

Come Visit AACA at the Hershey Show   AACA merchandise will be at these locations in the flea market: Chocolate Field in our blue trailer – C3H 5-7, C3I 5-7 (Tuesday - Friday) Green Field in front of the Giant Center in a large white tent (Tuesday - Thursday) Note: Official Hershey poster artist David Snyder will be at the blue trailer location  selling and autographing posters Tuesday - Thursday.   AACA merchandise will be adjacent to the show field in a large white tent on FRIDAY during the car show.   AACA membership will be at these locations in the flea market: Chocolate Field in front of our blue trailer – C3H 5-7, C3I 5-7 (Tuesday - Friday) Green Field in front of the Giant Center in a large white tent (Tuesday - Thursday) Chocolate Field C3G 5-9 (Tuesday - Thursday) Note: Wayne Carini will be at the C3G 5-9 location on Wednesday from 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.  He will be available for autographs, photos and selling copies of his magazine.   AACA membership will be adjacent to the show field on FRIDAY during the car show.   New memberships and membership renewals will be taken at these locations all week.   AACA Headquarters building, including the AACA Library, will be open to the public Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Don’t forget about the Library yard sale on  Tuesday from 4 - 7 p.m. behind AACA Headquarters! (Reminder: the Library will close early at 2 p.m. on Tuesday to prepare for the yard sale)

Car Corral Spaces, Race Car Conditioning Run, Ladies Luncheon & Juniors at Hershey   Car Corral Spaces WILL Be Available at Hershey There will be a LIMITED number of car corral spaces available onsite at the Hershey show. They will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you would like to enter a car into the car corral, you will need to show up at the show at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, October 4. You MUST be a current paid AACA member. The vehicle must be 25 years old or older, you must be able to drive the vehicle on to the car corral and the vehicle must be AACA compliant -- no hot rods allowed.     Vintage Race Car Conditioning Run & High-Wheeler Event  The event is part of the ritual that is the Hershey show and takes place on Thursday,October 6, at 10:30 a.m. inside Hershey Stadium. This year, there are 20 race cars registered for this unique event including oval track, sports cars, Indy cars and motorcycles. There is a 75+-year history of race cars driving around the Hershey Stadium, starting with the midget car races during the depression. Today, Hershey is one of the only places where spectators still get to see these cars in action!     Ladies Luncheon at Hershey The Ladies Luncheon will be held at the Hotel Hershey at 12 noon on Thursday, October 6. If you need transportation to the Hotel Hershey, please check with Mac or Marianna at the Hershey Region main tent on the Chocolate Field to make arrangements prior to 9 a.m. Thursday morning.     Juniors at Hershey Juniors at Hershey is a project of the Hershey Region Youth Committee and is for youth of all ages. The event will be held on Friday, October 7, from 12 to 2 p.m. in front of the Giant Center. This year’s Junior program will feature cars from the 1930s era. Three cars will be on display and discussed. Penn College will do a demonstration on model building. Juniors will see a demonstration and participate in electrical systems on cars. A special gift will be given to all participants. The Hershey Region Chuck Wagon will be on display.

World-Renowned Automotive Artist David Snyder  Creates the Official Hershey Fall Nationals’ Poster

Over the years, the official Hershey event poster has become a highly collectible and sought-after souvenir. Many of you have met and become friends with artist Ken Eberts who has produced the official Hershey event poster for the last 25 years. Ken has now retired from producing the poster. Ken and his wife Liz send their thanks for all of your continued support through the years and have really missed being able to travel to Hershey to see everyone during the last few years. (Don’t worry, Ken has agreed to continue to create the beautiful images for our Christmas cards!)

World-renowned automotive artist David Snyder received the honor of creating a unique work of art to grace the 2022 official Hershey poster. Here’s your sneak peek at the 2022 poster…   Where will you be able to get your poster? The posters will be on sale at Hershey Region souvenir tents and at the AACA National merchandise trailer and tent on North Chocolate at C3I 5-7. David will be at the tent on North Chocolate at C3I 5-7 Tuesday-Thursday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. to sign posters. On Friday, he will be signing posters in a tent on the show field near AACA National Headquarters during the car show. He will also have a display on Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 5-10 p.m. inside the Hershey Lodge during the RM Auction.

AACA Library Yard Sale is Back! By Amoi Goldman, AACA Reference Librarian & Outreach Coordinator, agoldman@aaca.org Exciting things are happening at the Chris & Kathleen Koch AACA Library & Research Center this fall. After a two-year hiatus our famous automotive literature yard sale is back. In conjunction with the Eastern Fall Nationals, the yard sale will be held Tuesday, October 4, from 4-7 p.m. in tents behind the AACA National Headquarters building at 800 W. Hersheypark Drive, Hershey, PA 17033.   Our staff and volunteers have been working diligently to prepare duplicate automotive sales literature, manuals, books and more for the return of the yard sale. Special this year is an amazing collection of duplicate materials from the Free Library of Philadelphia purchase. Please join us and show your support for the AACA Library. We look forward to seeing you!    (Reminder: the Library will close early at 2 p.m. on Tuesday to prepare for the yard sale)

Free Seminars During Hershey Week By Amoi Goldman, AACA Reference Librarian & Outreach Coordinator, agoldman@aaca.org   This year when you visit the Eastern Fall Nationals in Hershey be sure to attend a seminar at the AACA Library. You will not want to miss this opportunity to rest your body and activate your brain with these automotive topics:    October 5 at 10 a.m. Alexander Soultanis presents, “Resurrection of a WWII KdF-Wagen Beetle” In this seminar, Alexander Soultanis will share the remarkable restoration story of his 1944 KdF-Wagen Beetle type 82e. Soultanis has dedicated over twenty years to this ongoing project even though he has faced many significant challenges. This quest has taken him overseas to find answers, get parts and to meet others who share his passion for the KdF-Wagen Beetle. Through his experiences Soultanis has become a subject matter expert. This seminar will appeal to VW enthusiasts, those interested in antique automobiles and restoration, and anyone who enjoys a captivating personal journey. For more information, visit the KdF Registry website maintained by Soultanis.   October 5 at 2 p.m. Ronald Sieber presents, “What is a Speedster: A Discussion” Ronald Sieber is the author of Classic Speedsters and writes a blog about the topic on his website. The content of Sieber’s seminar covers material from his book, blog, as well as current events. The time span for the presentation topic is 1900-2020 (and beyond). Sieber will have copies of his book for sale at the presentation ($80). More information regarding the book can be found on his website. The AACA Library & Research Center has been an important resource for Sieber.   October 6 at 10 a.m. Pat Mescher presents, “How to Repair, Maintain and Calibrate Speedometers” As owner of Bill’s Speedometer Shop in Bellbrook, Ohio, Pat will demonstrate how he repairs, maintains and calibrates speedometers. To learn more, visit his website. Pat Mescher was also a presenter at the 2022 AACA Annual Convention in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.   All seminars will take place in the classroom adjacent to the library, on the second floor. Each seminar is free and will accommodate up to 45 participants. Questions? Call 717-534-2082 or send an email to agoldman@aaca.org.