News from Antique Automobile Club of America!

February 2010

Volume 17

Welcome to SPEEDSTER!

Despite many having to brave the blizzard weather and adjust travel plans to make it to the Annual Meeting - it was great to see so many of you there!

Check out the complete 2009 National Award Winners list!

At the Annual Meeting you also may have heard the announcement of a very special AACA 75th Annivesary Commemorative Book! This book will be like no other!

The innovative publishing concept of the "artifact inclusion" is based on time line research which finds and reproduces rare historical artifacts and items such as programs, tickets, telegrams, newspaper articles or letters. These items facilitate an involvement of the reader with the memory joggers and placeholders in history that reveal a time evolution of both the AACA organization and the icon of the automobile itself. It is an entertaining and informative way of paying tribute to the significant milestones and personalities that shaped the growth and dynamics of the club today. As you browse the pages of this unusual presentation you will have the opportunity to literally hold history in your hands. It is both a compelling and unforgettable experience.

The book will feature large colorful and information packed pages with over 50 historical artifact inclusions, packaged in a protective slipcase included!

Please click here for special limited PRE-ORDER information for the AACA 75th Anniversary Commemorative Book!

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If you didn't get a chance to stop by our merchandise table at the Annual Meeting you can still order from our website.

We have lots of new items for our special Anniversary year, including our NEW 75th Anniversary Limited Edition Collectors Basket! Order forms available here. Also just in is a brand NEW Classic Chevrolet OK Used Car Tin Sign. The sign is Embossed, Die Cut and full color! Measuring 28" $39.95 plus $9.95 shipping. To order call headquarters 717-534-1910.

Attention Members!

We want to hear from you! ... really!

This issue's challenge...

We want to read your stories about your very first car! Send us a short story (250-500 words) and photo(s) of your first! Where was the first place you took it for a spin? Any interesting road trips or stories to go along with it? Do you still have it today?

Impress us! Send them to SPEEDSTER !

Email us at speedster@aaca.org

Member Contribution

Silver Annie

By Member Eric T. Osgood

I was born in 1929 as Model 58 Buick. That is all a very distant memory, one I have very little recollection of. My real story begins in 1968. I had been left abandoned for many a years in a New York field; I was rusting away, soon only to be a long gone memory.

In 1968 something happened, I was being pulled onto a trailer, not knowing what was going to happen to me or where I was going. The gentleman who was taking me seemed very nice, with a gentle touch, running his hand over my tired body with a sense for who I was and not who I had become. What a site, hardly one that would compare to the first purchase of me, when I was shiny, new, and very proud. This man who I came to know through the years as Clifford French, was taking me down the highway, we were traveling at great speeds, for many hours. Sure did feel nice to have the wind blowing through my under body even if it was not of my own power. When we ended our journey we were in Bennington Vermont, a nice place.

Cliff started to work on me almost immediately, taking me all apart, every nut and bolt down to my frame. He worked on me as he was able, doing a little, but continuously progressing. Weeks turned into months, and months into years. With a Skeleton of a body, I was again being prepared to move.

The year was 1976, Cliff had recently retired from St. Johnsbury Trucking, and as I found out we were moving to Bradford, where he had most of his family. Cliff had worked very hard, however now my completion was to start progressing quicker. Finally in 1978, I have been completely restored. The firewall forward, drive train, chassis are all original. Cliff built a new wooden body for me, open top.

He has taken to calling me Silver Annie, as 1929 was the Silver Anniversary car for Buick. He also has me down as a Model 54CF (Clifford French).

I am born again, however I will not have much rest. I soon find out our first trip will take us to Pocono Pennsylvania, to participate in the Glidden Tour of Antique Cars, for a total of about 1400 miles. Some highlights of the tour were visits to the Mack Truck Factory in Allentown Pennsylvania, the old castle of Gifford Pinchot, and a visit to the Pocono International Raceway.

In the year of 2004 something was happening. Cliff was slowing down, not able to take me out much or keep me in tip top shape. Then a man started coming around and working on me, of course under the watchful eye of Cliff. Cliff seemed to have trust in this fellow, calming any fears I might have as he took to getting behind my wheel. It does seem good to be back on the road again.

Finish reading Silver Annie's story here -->

Contributed by the Saratoga Auto Museum

The kids are building at SAM's Garage

A few weeks ago at the Saratoga Automobile Museum in Saratoga Springs, Florida was the beginning of a 5 month project that brings together teenagers from the Capital Region Community and members of the Adirondack A's Car Club to build a 1930/31 Model A Huckster at the Saratoga Automobile Museum. This is the first frame up restoration project that is to be completed at the Museum with the help of the Adirondack A's, bringing three generations of car lovers together for this project.

A dozen students aged 12-16 from a thirteen county area have made a commitment to learn about what it takes to rebuild a vehicle from the frame up. "The young people were asked to write a 100 word essay and draw a picture of their favorite Classic Car from the 1930's or 1940's," according to Alan Edstrom, Director of Programs and Events at the museum, "It's a pretty hefty task. We even interviewed the teenagers and their parents to give them an idea of the scope of the project."

Hank Ashton, Youth Coordinator for the Adirondack A's gave an overview of the work accomplished for the first session, "This past weekend's project was for the team to strip down the chassis, wire brush, clean and painted black. They also got some of the wood pieces fitted together and the motor ready for rebuild. We were delighted to see the young people jump in and actually complete the goals of the weekend ahead of schedule."

After building sessions in March, April, and May, the finished Huckster will be unveiled at the Museum's first big event of the year on May 15 and 16, 2010 at the Spring Auto Show.

Check out the video from SAM's Garage!

Library & Research

Recap from the Annual Meeting

Last week the AACA Library & Research Center took part in the AACA's 74th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA. Mother Nature forced us to have a slow start but volunteers and staff still manned the library's trade show booth and talked about library services during the seminar presentation.

At this year's trade show booth we used a flat panel TV and laptop computer to show visitors the resources listed in our online catalog. Visitors had fun browsing our listings for sales literature, maintenance manuals, and more.

At our seminar, Library Committee member Sally Barnett "stole the show" as she played the role of Alice Ramsey and described what it was like to be the first woman to cross the continent in an automobile in 1909.

Several longtime committee members finished their formal commitments to the library including Don Barlup, Sally Barnett, Virginia Gauld, Peter Heizmann, Marilyn Hunkins, Rick Marsh, Fran Shore, and Margaret Vitale. New members to the committee include Jim Aberts, Kim Gardner, Bill Hallman, and Neil Sugermayer.

Our Friends group got a strong start during Annual Meeting and we now have several dozen "friends". The library will depend on friends to become ambassadors that spread the word about the services we can provide. Friends will receive a quarterly email newsletter similar to Speedster, a membership pin, and special offers throughout the year. If you don't already have a Friends membership, sign up today!

Friends of the AACA Library & Research Center

WHAT is a Friend of the AACA Library?

A friend of the AACA Library is someone who serves as an ambassador and volunteer for the library. Some of the tasks a Friend might take part in include:

· Manning the Fall Meet & Annual Meeting information booth.

· Staff informational booths at car shows and events throughout the year.

· Help raise funds by selling raffle tickets, encourage Endowment Fund support, and various sales throughout the year.

· Spreads the word about the benefits members can receive from the library and how the library can help them.

WHY do we need a Friends group?

As the library continues to grow and expand its mission an ever expanding list of duties and tasks are created. The library committee and staff can not do everything on their own. The Friends group allows club members the opportunity to take an active part in the growth and future of the library.

HOW can you become a Friend?

Simply contact any member of the Library Committee or staff. They will be happy to get you the appropriate application form and guide you through the process. There is a fifteen dollar a year donation fee ($15.00) which gives you a Friends of the Library pin and special communication during the year.

AACA Museum

Honoring the Negro League Baseball Teams

The Museum of Bus Transportation which displays 12 vintage buses on the lower level concourse of the AACA Museum, will be honoring the Negro League Baseball Teams during Black History Month in February with a special display of memorabilia.

Decades before Jackie Robinson crossed the infamous color barrier in Major League Baseball, black baseball players were making names for themselves on the diamond in another way. African Americans had been playing the game of baseball since the mid to late 1800's, forming teams after the Civil War days and traveling on their own around the country to play anybody that would challenge them.

This special display during February will include posters about the Negro Leagues along with memorabilia of the individual teams and similar vintage buses that the teams rode in during that time. Mr. Willie Fordham, formerly of the Harrisburg Giants of the Negro Leagues Baseball Team, will be on hand at the museum with a table of his memorabilia Mondays - Fridays during February. He will also sell some shirts and books that tell the story of the Negro League Baseball teams with a portion of the proceeds being donated back to the Museum of Bus Transportation. This is a fantastic opportunity for the public to meet one of the actual players who was part of history.