The French and Italians at Hershey…
Story and Photos by Brandes Elitch
For many years, I have attended the Antique Automobile Club of America’s (AACA) Annual Fall Meet, also known as “Hershey,” its actual location. By some happy coincidence, my birthday usually falls during the Hershey swap meet. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate it than walking through the flea market that has attracted car collectors worldwide since 1955.
Recently I was remarried, and my new wife was upset that I would choose to spend my birthday there, instead of home with her! This is a Big Thing with her, and it got me thinking about why this event has been so compelling for me. For those of you who haven’t been there, here is an explanation or, “Ten Things You Should Know About Hershey.”
What is an Antique Car? The AACA (see www.aaca.org) definition is simple and dynamic: it is any vehicle over 25 years old – any car, truck, or motorcycle. There is a new group of cars every year. In 1965, a 25 year old car looked, well, old, but today, they don’t, which brings us to the next question.
What is Carlisle? Because of the 25 year rule, people with cars newer than that cannot officially show their cars at Hershey. This led a couple of enterprising entrepreneurs to start another meet, which occurs the week before, in nearby Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Some hardy individuals attend both meets. Carlisle has been so successful that it actually hosts monthly meets for much of the year – see www.carlisleevents.com
Is there a museum? The AACA is a large club, one of the largest car clubs in the world. In the 1990s, they purchased land close to the event, and built an excellent museum there. The display changes every few months. It is worth visiting, and is only 5 minutes from the show field.
What about the weather? Weather plays a defining role at Hershey. It can rain like a monsoon one day and be hot and humid the next, or freezing cold. Old timers talk about the notorious “Hershey Mud,” which was so strong that it would pull the boots right off your feet! But now the entire meet is on paved surface, except for the actual judged car show on Saturday morning, which was moved to a grassy field in back of the original venue.
What about the town? Milton Hershey was a visionary and a philanthropist. Even today, the profits from the Hershey Company (which owns all the land where the meet is held) are used to care for about a thousand orphans. Hershey had a Utopian vision, and built a company town for his workers that is also a nice place to visit. Over the years, the company has built an amusement park on the site of the original swap meet. See “Hershey, Milton S. Hershey’s Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams,” by Michael D’Antonio, 2006, Simon and Shuster, NY, NY.
What kind of cars are there? Hershey is about American cars. You won’t see too many French or Italian cars. You will see a wide variety of different marques and models, including many cars you have never seen before, anywhere. What you will really see is the history of the automobile, and this is what is so compelling.
Where do you stay? Getting a place to stay at Hershey is kind of like joining a fraternal organization. For many years, it was almost impossible to find a room in the immediate area, as all the hotels and motels would book up a year in advance. Some would even require a 3 or 5 night minimum. People tend to stay in the same place for years at a time. For about a dozen years, I stayed with a local family, about ten minutes from the meet. Life doesn’t get too much better than this!
How do you get there? Locals say that the closest airport is Baltimore, but the traffic around Baltimore airport is dreadful. I find that it is easier to fly into Philadelphia and just take the Pennsylvania turnpike to Harrisburg, which is about a 3 hour drive. And if you fly into Philly, you can visit the new Simeone Foundation, which is right next to the airport, and a definite must-see if you are interested in historic race cars.
Who goes there? People (well, okay, men; you don’t see too many women at Hershey) tend to go with the same group of guys, for long periods of time. It would not be unusual to find a group who has gone together for 20 years. Most of these guys are over fifty – you don’t see too many young people walking around.
What else is there? There is usually a display of artwork for sale in the Hershey Hotel, which is one of the most beautiful hotels in the US. There is also a large rose garden adjacent to the hotel which is worth seeing. Every major car club has a tent or a meeting during the meet. The Society of Automotive Historians has an annual dinner and awards ceremony at the Hershey Country Club. There is the obligatory auction and display. Until the recent consolidation, the meet was held on a 300 acre space, with about 1700 cars judged on Saturday morning by over 600 judges. The Car Corral (cars for sale section) alone covered 15 acres. There were 10,000 flea market spaces, covering over 130 acres.
This year, I noticed that, like many things in life, the meet has changed. It seemed to me that the swap meet is much smaller than it used to be. I don’t know whether this is because of the Internet, eBay, Craigslist, or what, but many of the old-time vendors have stopped coming. There are many vacant spaces between vendors. The huge tents are gone, because it is difficult to put up a tent on asphalt. You can even get a room at a local motel. It’s changed, but it’s still something that every car collector should see at least once.
Here is a tiny glimpse of what you’ll see:
This is classic Hershey, or the way it used to be. A Mercer Raceabout sits waiting restoration.
We were afraid you’d ask..
Cunningham by Vignale. Superb.
License by Elvis.
One never thought of the Thunderbird as a small car.
All American woody station wagon, at the peak of its fame.
Now an antique, but this Dodge lacks the charm of the earlier wagons.
1934 or so Graham.
Hotel Hershey. Better to stay with a friend. Cheaper, too.
Can’t tell if the sign says $11,900, 12,900 or 13,900 for this 1949 Plymouth. strong>
Say, wasn’t this the same Lancia Lambda that appeared at Beaulieu a few weeks before?
An another Italian at Hershey, this Bianchina.
And the rare Brit, in this case a Lagonda Rapier. Still, looking for foriegn cars at Hershey is akin to finding an F1 car at Barrett Jackson.
1939 Imperial parade phaeton, which was built specifically for the visit of the King of England to Canada in 1939.
Nash Metropolitan getting ready for sale.
Rare Studebaker convertible.
American power, the classic Chrysler Hemi in the 300 series.
The night has a thousand eyes.
Again, classic Hershey, where you still might find an unrestored Cord.
A generation and an era, passing.
Wow thanks for the memories.
I grew up In York PA and very fondly remember spring Carlisle and fall Hershey with my dad every year.
Both of these events have allowed me to see weird and rare cars from both sides of the pond in a variety of conditions. Many dreams were forged here.
I remember the “Hershey mud” too. 4 wheel drive was sometimes recommended for the spectator parking.
Carlisle was either too dusty or the same slippery mud – never in between. Lovely!
Another great year at Hershey. My favorite thing about Hershey is that the cars must be driven onto the show field. So for me, that means getting up very early and standing at the field entrance and watching them all drive in. I really liked the 1936 Ford Stainless Steel car this year. Worth a google image search. Looks like chrome. True, us foreign car guys have to look extra hard, but the old timers make up for it.
I was there, the weather great but sure missed seeing the European greats. Maybe next year. John (Lancaster County & Kaiserslautern, Germany) If you have a chance – have a look: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/siataspringinfoclub/
A tip for people just going for the day,park at the Hershey Hotel,have breakfast,then wait in the lobby for the Hotel shuttle bus to take you down to the site,return same way have dinner,I used to do this for years,and always found parking,I live in England now,so have’t been over in a while,
I am probably number 7429 on the list of people whose shoes have been sucked off their feet by the mud at Hershey. I was able to escape the parking lot in my rental car only with mud-driving skills I had learned in northern Wisconsin. Then I went to the annual meeting of the Society of Automotive Historians. It was at the Hershey Country Club. As I came in covered with grime I looked like a homeless person and was lucky I was not thrown out before I changed into my suit.