AACA Speedster - Feb 2023

[Peter Gariepy]

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February 2023 | Volume 170

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   AACA Library & Research Center Staff   Director Jen Wolfe   Cataloger & Volunteer Coordinator Matthew Hocker   Reference Librarian  & Outreach Coordinator 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 Email List   Annual Convention Magic By Stacy Zimmerman, Speedster Editor, szimmerman@aaca.org   This year’s Annual Convention was pure magic, and I’m not referring to the magician that performed on Friday evening at the event. I’m talking about the event as a whole. I can’t tell you how many people came up to me, the other AACA staff at the event and Board members to let us know how much they were truly enjoying themselves during the event. Several long-time convention attendees sought us out to tell us that this was the best convention they had ever been to. Numerous convention newcomers stopped us in the hallways to share their thoughts on how great the event was and that they were already planning to attend next year’s convention. All of these comments brought smiles to our faces just knowing that the months of hard work and planning had really paid off. The number one goal of the Annual Convention Committee is to put on a fun, educational and memorable event for all of you.   When the planning for this year’s convention began, the committee discussed the old adage “that’s the way we’ve always done it” and basically threw it out the window. We decided it was time to change things up. Because of the different pandemic restrictions and scenarios created over the last two years with regards to the convention, we already had some experience thinking outside of the box about the event. For 2023, we would be in a great location with historical importance, plenty of space to host all of the activities we wanted to, and enough time to methodically plan the event.    We knew that several parts of the event were a must – the seminars, trade show, National Judging Schools, General Membership Meeting and the National Awards Banquet. We tweaked these activities in little ways here and there, but for the most part they were as members expected them to be.    One of the first items we did decide to change was the meal hosted by AACA’s First Lady. Traditionally, the First Lady hosts a breakfast on Friday morning while seminars are going on. Because the hotel gave everyone free breakfast with their room, we didn’t want to compete with that and again, we were looking to change things up a bit. We settled on a Friday lunch open to everyone with no competing seminars. The luncheon turned out to be the hottest ticket in town with 168 pre-sold tickets and a waiting list at the registration desk should anyone cancel. We also decided to make the Friday night Regions & Chapters dinner a little less formal and open it up to all convention attendees. Again, this was another hit as 246 folks attended.    We’ve got the educational part of the convention done with an offering of 30 seminars, plus all of the different judging schools… check. We’ve changed up a few of the regular activities to make things a little different… check. Now, we needed to add in some fun…    AACA members like touring – what if we add some tours the day before convention starts? Do you think people will come early to go on a tour or two? The answer we found out was a resounding yes – 212 of you went on tours to four different historic places. The committee discussed that we don’t really have an activity that opens the convention; the event just kind of starts on Friday morning with seminars, trade show, etc. That’s where the idea for the Pizza Party Welcome Reception hosted by the Board of Directors was born. All of the directors stood at the entrance to the pizza party and welcomed everyone as they entered. The reception offered a casual way for the directors and more than 200 attendees to meet and mingle before the main event started. The final bit of fun added to the schedule was the Friday night entertainment – a comedic magician and illusionist. Which brings us full circle to my opening comments and the title of my article…    The Annual Convention was magical because all of the pieces just seemed to fit perfectly to create a wonderful and successful event for everyone who attended. Thank you to everyone who came, congratulations to all of the award winners and we can’t wait to see you next year!

Congratulations to Our 2022 National Award Winners!   Congratulations to our 2022 National Award Winners! Click the above link to view the winners.   Thank you to all of the volunteers, AACA staff and Board, hotel staff, presenters, and especially our attendees and award winners for making the 2023 Annual Convention a success!   Your new 2023 AACA National Board of Directors was also inducted during the Annual Convention. These Board members are here to serve you and this organization, so please do not hesitate to contact them at any time.   Enjoy this sneak peak of photos from the event and make sure to check out the full wrap-up article, award-winner profiles, and photos in the next issue of Antique Automobile magazine.

AACA Library Annual Convention Wrap-up By Jen Wolfe, AACA Library Director, jwolfe@aaca.org   This year’s convention was an exciting one for library staff that began with a tour of Colonial Williamsburg and a visit to the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library, which houses a specialized collection supporting the research regarding life in the thirteen colonies and the new republic and serves the CW staff, faculty at William & Mary College, and the general public. We had pre-arranged our visit, so the staff was able to pull several items they thought would be of interest to us including information about transportation during the colonial days.   The library’s booth at the trade show was the place to be for used books, and we ended up selling almost everything we brought this year – thank you to everyone who gave our used books a new home and helped support the library through those funds! We’re thrilled to have made just under $1,000 this year through the book sale, and even acquired a few new donations as well. Prior to convention, we worked with AACA Past President Tom Cox to research and supply illustrations for a unique seminar he was presenting on the history of Virginia-built vehicles. If you are thinking about presenting a seminar at a future convention, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the library for any assistance you made need – we’re always here to help! As your new library director (just a month or so on the job), I finally got the chance to meet club members and directors face to face, while librarians Amoi Goldman and Spencer Paterick caught up with familiar faces and old friends during the trade show, seminars, pizza party, Regions & Chapters dinner, and the Awards Banquet.   We can’t wait to see everyone  again next year!     (L to R) New Library Director Jen Wolfe,  librarian Amoi Goldman and former Library Director  Kim Gardner enjoying the Thursday night pizza party.

Mini Car Show Held at Annual Convention By Al Crane, Historic Virginia Peninsula Region AACA, cranejra@aol.com   Members of the Historic Virginia Peninsula and Tidewater Regions AACA, Classic Cruisers Car Club – Yorktown, and the Colonial Virginia Model A Ford Club displayed several of their vehicles in a mini car show held in conjunction with the 2023 AACA Annual Convention at the Doubletree Hotel in Williamsburg, VA, on Saturday, February 11. The oldest car on display was Tony Miller's 1923 Ford Model T (100 years old and driven from Portsmouth, VA!). Many thanks to Bob Stein for coordinating the display.

We Want to Hear Your Feedback on the 2023 Annual Convention The Annual Convention Committee is always looking to improve your experience at convention. For those of you who attended the Annual Convention in Williamsburg this year, we are looking for your feedback to help us continue to develop and elevate this event.   What did you like? What didn't you like? Which seminar was your favorite? What would you like to see at future conventions? The Annual Convention Survey is where you can voice your opinions about the event and know that it will be reviewed by the committee.   Attention All Attendees: Please click here to take a quick 10-minute survey online.    Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete this survey. Your valuable feedback will help us continue to improve this event. The survey will close on April 15, 2023.

Winter Nationals Results   THANK YOU to all of the volunteers, judges, staff, property staff, AACA Board and all of our wonderful members who participated in the show in Miami, FL!    And a very special THANK YOU to the South Florida Region for hosting a great event!   Congratulations to all of our winners!! Click the above link to view the winners list.   Thank you to former AACA National Board Director Kelly Adams for sharing a few of her photos from the event. Make sure to read the official recap article and photos in the March/April issue of Antique Automobile magazine.

ATTENTION: Region & Chapter Reporting Forms Are PAST DUE!

If you have not yet sent your Region/Chapter Officer Reporting Forms and Roster Reporting Forms to AACA National Headquarters, they are PAST DUE. These forms were mailed to your President back in the fall. If you need another copy of the forms, you can click here to download them fro