I just returned from the annual pilgrimage to Hershey, Pennsylvania to attend the annual AACA Fall Meet.  With 9,000 spaces, this is the biggest vintage automobile flea market in North America; I don’t know of one any bigger.  The weather—which is a major factor for an outdoor event like this—was reasonably good this year.  High winds on Wednesday uprooted a few tents, but it was milder on Thursday.  There were intermittent showers on Friday and it poured on Friday evening and early Saturday, but the car show scheduled for Saturday took place.  Approximately 1,300 cars were registered.  (Remember, all vehicles 25 years and older now qualify for AACA membership, so that means a 1984 Dodge van can be displayed.)  For the first time there were rooms available at the Hershey Lodge and other hotels.  There were many open spaces in the flea market.  AACA stated all spaces were paid for so these were expensive “no shows.”  It was good to be there again, but the number of pre-war parts and literature (which interest me) is dwindling and there’s too much non-automotive junk for sale. Truth be told, most people probably go just to be around other car people, see old friends and tell car stories.   If they find some needed parts, so much the better.  There were many international visitors; I visited with people from England, Mexico, Netherlands, France, Spain and Germany.  A number of cars were sold to foreign collectors.

If you were even remotely interested in anything automotive, the Glennmoor Gathering of Significant Automobiles was the place to be this past weekend. Collectors and enthusiasts from around the country converged upon the manicured grounds of Glenmoor Country Club in Jackson Township to celebrate their passion and revel in history.

Perfect weather made for the largest crowds ever. Organizers are estimating that nearly 25% more spectators attended the concours on Sunday than last year. Unlike other major automotive events that I have attended this year, a large part of the crowd was made up of families. Features such as Chef Brendan Meeker's cooking demonstrations, the scale model display and kids' "build and take" corner and the Summit Racing sponsored Glenmoor Garage were filled with active participants both young and old, male and female all day long.

Despite all of this activity, the focus on displaying the world's greatest cars was not lost. The collection of 1934 Ford hotrods curated by legendary author and automotive expert Ken Gross was absolutely stunning in its depth and history. The "French Front" class of elegant turn-of-the-century was a once in a lifetime sight. Three of the world's most important original, unrestored cars; the 1911 Olds Limited, Edsel Ford's Brunn Bodied 1922 Hispano Suiza and an historic 1964 Porsche 904 were all together in one place for the very first time. For enthusiasts of modern engineering, the World Class Performance Cars provided a great sampling of Lamborghinis and Ferraris while Jeff's Motor Cars special display included Spykers, Vectors and Alfa Romeo 8C and the ultimate exotic, a Bugatti Veyron.

I could go on, but I think you get the picture; it was an event not to be missed. Next year's Gathering is slated for September 17-19. Features already announce are Cleveland built automobiles and beautiful Bizzarinis. What other cars would you like to see featured?

A few months ago I listed great automotive museums that are within the driving range of anyone in northeast Ohio.  We are truly blessed to have so many world class automotive museums so close.  One of my favorites is the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners,  Michigan-just north of Kalamazoo.  What makes this museum so special is not just its car collections but where the cars are displayed-in restored barns.  Don't laugh.  The beautifully  restored barns contains more than 175 vehicles, ranging from early brass era automobiles to Classic Era cars to muscle cars.  And, if you're hungy you can visit a genuine old-time diner-complete with waitresses in vintage outfits!  The museum's latest display is a look at the history of drag racing as in NHRA-complete with sound effects that will have you holding your ears!   A room full of legendary dragsters are on display.  Don't miss it.

The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum just keeps coming up with unique events for northeast Ohio car enthusiasts.  The latest is "Dancing with the Cars," which will be held at the museum on Friday, April 3, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.  This will be an evening of music, food, drinks, dance and a special program as the museum celebrates the special collection of automobiles that have been on display during the winter in the "Best of the Best" Cleveland Car Club Showcase.  There'll be a brief awards ceremony for the car owners plus a "Stump the Experts" panel featuring collector auto experts from northeast Ohio.  The museum is located at 10825 East Boulevard, on University Circle in Cleveland.  Tickets are $35 per person ($25 for museum members) which includes two drinks and light appetizers.  For more information visit the museum's web site www.wrhs.org and click on Crawford Auto Aviation Museum.  You can also email the museum at crawfordfriends@wrhs.org or call the museum offices at (216) 721.5722, etc. 260.

If you're a fan of automotive museums they don't come much better-or closer-than Cleveland's own Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum.  The annual meeting of the Friends of the Crawford will be held on Thursday, March 19^th and it's open to the public.  The event, which includes dinner, starts at 6 p.m.   It will be held in the museum, which is located on University Circle, 10825 East Boulevard (east side of Cleveland).  The evening's agenda includes a special presentation "An Intimate Look at Cleveland's Auto Manufacturing Past" by Frank Wrenick.  Attendees will also be able to check out the vehicles in the museum's extensive collection.  Cost for dinner and drinks is $30 per person.  Contact the Crawford Museum by March 16 via email at Crawfordfriends@wrhs.org  or call (216) 721.5722, extension 260.

Many of us take our remaining vacation days during the holidays.  This is a good time to visit an automobile museum.  The weather can often be nasty and unless you're into winter sports there isn't a whole lot to do. We're lucky to have several motoring museums within easy driving distance.  Nearby there's the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum in Cleveland, the Canton Classic Car Museum in Canton and the National Packard Museum in Warren.  If you're willing to drive a bit further there's the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn, IN, the National Studebaker Museum in South Bend, IN and the Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI.  Also located in metropolitan Detroit is the National Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn and the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, MI.  Also located in metro Detroit is the last Hudson dealership-Miller Motors Hudson and the Automotive Heritage Museum in Ypsilanti, MI.  If you're into motorcycles the Motorcyle Museum and Hall of Fame is located in Pickerington, OH.  For racing aficionados there's the Indianapolis 500 Hall of Fame and Museum in Indianapolis.  If you go to Indianapolis check out the restored Stutz automobile factory, which now houses several businesses.  One of the newest museums is dedicated solely to the Hudson automobile; the Eldon Hostetler Collection and it's located in Shipshewana, IN.  Now, did I miss any of your favorites?

A new display of vintage automobiles has opened at the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum.  However, these are not cars from the museum's collection but, rather, cars owned by collectors throughout Northeast Ohio.  The new display is called "The Best of the Best."   The museum asked area car clubs to display one car to represents their club.  Among the clubs that were asked to participate are major clubs such as the Antique Automobile Club of America and the Classic Car Club of America; marque clubs such as the Mercedes-Benz Club, Alfa Romeo Owners Club, North Coast Pontiac, Mustang Club, North Studebaker Club, Packard Club and Lincoln Owners Club, as well as smaller, specialized clubs such as the Rollers, Custom Crankshaft Cruisers, Cool Cat Cruisers. Cars on display range from a 1915 Winton to a modern (1979) drag racer   In addition to the 32 cars that are part of the "Best of the Best" display, the museum's car collection is on display.  The museum is located on University Circle, 10285 East Boulevard.  Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and 12 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.  If you haven't been there lately it's definitely worth a visit!  And-they have a great gift shop.

1930 Jordan Z Speedway Ace

Just learned that the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland will open a new exhibition opening on October 15 that should be of interest to area gear heads.  The exhibition is called "The Best of the Best: Cleveland Car Club Showcase"  and will feature approximately 30 cars from area car clubs.  The cars will be on display through April 2009.  The display was coordinated with the support of the Friends of the Crawford, a group of volunteers who devote their time to the restoration and preservation of cars in the museum's collection.  After receiving submissions from area car clubs, the Friends and the director of the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum, Al Unrein, reviewed the entries and made their choices.  According to the museum, the display will include antiques, hot rods, classics, sports cars and exotics.  Sounds like a great idea. The Crawford Auto Aviation Museum is one of the best places I know to spend an afternoon-or an entire day!  For more info on the exhibit contact Unrein at (216) 721.5722 ext. 258 or email him at allan@wrhs.org

It was truly great news for the entire Northeast Ohio community when state and local officials, Goodyear executives and a progressive developer were able to agree on a plan to build Goodyear's new headquarters in Akron. Not only does this keep a lot of great, tax-generating jobs in town, it also maintains the prestige of having a Fortune 500 company based in our community.

One minor victim of this positive action may be the World of Rubber Museum, now based in Goodyear Hall, across the street from the current headquarters building. It's a bit dated and a little kitschy but, for car nuts, it's a hidden gem. Where else can you find a re-creation of Charles Goodyear's lab, an Indy car and moon vehilce tire all in the same spot?

I've made several calls to the museum over the past couple weeks asking about its fate. Although no one has definitively said that it will be eliminated, the general consensus of the people I've spoken with at Goodyear is that it will be closed when the move is made to the new headquarters. I know that heritage and institutional memory are things that are not highly prized in today's corporate world, but it would be a real shame to lose an interesting landmark such as this. Can anyone at Goodyear intervene? Can anyone else step in to save it?

If you're a car guy* in Northeast Ohio, you live for summer weekends. Just about every Saturday and Sunday are packed with shows, swaps, cruise-ins, etc. We've really been blessed with terrific summer weather this year but, as the fringe effects of Gustav are predicted to hit our area tonight and tomorrow, you start thinking about the indoor options we have to get our car fix. Fortunately, we have some terrific options.

1908 Elmore Touring Car from the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum

One of the world's great automotive museums, the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum, is conveniently located in the University Circle area of Cleveland. Part of the Western Reserve Historical Society, the Museum was established in the 1930's by the legendary automotive and aerospace pioneer, Frederick C. Crawford of TRW. The museum on East Blvd. has a rotating display of nearly 200 special vehicles from pre-1900 pioneer automobiles to modern day concept cars. It is open seven days a week and more information (including a complete inventory of their cars) is available at www.wrhs.org.

Though smaller and less well-known, the Canton Classic Car Museum (www.cantonclassiccar.org) is a gem. You will find an amazing array of great American Classic cars from the ‘20's and ‘30's as well as excellent examples of muscle cars and micros. The fifty car display is housed in an historic Model T facility with a variety of period artifacts sprinkled about.

Once you've seen these great cars and have the dt's to add something new to your collection, saunter over to Motorcar Portfolio (www.motorcarportfolio.com), in the bottom level of the McKinley Grand Hotel in downtown Canton. There's no admission charge to visit the inventory of this interesting antique car dealer and, with an ever-changing inventory, you never know what you may find. They have established a reputation as THE source for Bliss Surreys, which were the last automobiles manufactured in Canton.

If the weather people happen to be wrong about this weekend's weather (that never happens, right?), save these suggestions for the long winter months ahead. Maybe I'll see you there!

* The term "car guy", as used in this blog, is not gender specific.