AACA Museum - Keep Up To Speed

May 1, 2015    

First Thursday of May is for Motorbikes!

The AACA Museum will be
open until 9 PM the first Thursday of each month!

Mark your calendar for 
May 7th @ 7 PM for a presentation on "Motorbikes for the Masses"
with guest curator Rob Kain!   Learn more about these fascinating vehicles.

The AACA Museum will be open until 9 PM the first Thursday of each month all year long!
We look forward to serving our visitors who are not able to join us during the normal daytime hours and to providing special speakers or programs during these dates.
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 April Showers, Bring May Flowers for Mother's Day at the AACA Museum 
Sunday, May 10, 2015


Moms are the best and this is their special day here at the AACA Museum! 
All Moms receive FREE Admission on Mother's Day - Sunday, May 10th.  
The first 100 Moms also receive a complimentary rose from
Hammaker's Flower Shop of Lemoyne.

While you're here, be sure to check out our special highlighted gift items for mom  
in the Retail Store like these great Harvey's Seatbelt Purses. 
 
Harvey's Black and White Collection  


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If you're looking for Mother's Day Gifts online be sure to shop smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate to the AACA Museum!  

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We have two new and exciting exhibits opening May 23rd with a special preview reception on May 22nd!



>>More on this exhibit

 

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Dick Vermeil "Black Beauty" 1926 Open Wheel Sprint Car

Dick Vermeil, the former Eagles coach who won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams, is justly famous for his football skills. What few people know is that he's also a journeyman auto mechanic. He was trained by the best - his father, Louis Vermeil, who operated a backyard garage in the Napa Valley town of Calistoga, where Dick Vermeil grew up. There, the younger Vermeil began working in the garage in his early teens, dismantling things and cleaning parts. He graduated to tune-ups and brake jobs, then rebuilding engines and transmissions. When he was a high school football coach, he was a mechanic during the summer. In graduate school, he worked nights and weekends at a service station. Louis Vermeil owned several race cars, but his first serious one, and favorite, was old No. 7, a.k.a. "Black Beauty," a non-wing, open-cockpit sprint race car built in 1926.

Louis Vermeil acquired the car in 1937 and began racing it in earnest after World War II. Too burly to fit into the cockpit, he delegated the driving to Jack Pacheteau. In 2007, Dick began the restoration of his father's car, doing much of the work himself. Black Beauty is now a show car and trailer queen. In March 2009, No. 7 won first place in its class at the prestigious Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. Vermeil also has shown the car at the Louie Vermeil Classic, a sprint-car racing extravaganza at the Calistoga Speedway. See it here at the AACA Museum through June 11th.

 

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Opening Reception - May 22nd
Celebrate the opening of our Spring & Summer Exhibits!
6:00 - 9:00 PM

 


Join us as we unveil our new summer exhibits
A Family Affair: Station Wagons and Automotive Jewelry by Michael Furman along with the recently opened Motorbikes for the Masses.    This is a great opportunity to mix and mingle with other enthusiasts and vehicle owners for these exhibits!   

Tickets are $10 per person and will include beverages and light snacks.
Tickets can be purchased at the AACA Museum Ticket Counter or by calling
717-566-7100 ext. 100  - Daily 9AM - 4:30 PM.

Tickets purchased online are subject to a ticket processing fee.

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1962 Stageway Chevrolet Station Wagon
begins its Second Life back in Hershey!
Help us restore this vehicle! 


The AACA Museum is excited to share this vehicle and its unique story as part of the upcoming "Family Affair:  Station Wagons" exhibit.   The wagon will require extensive restoration to return to its original condition and burgundy color, but will be on display in its current condition during the Family Affair:  Station Wagons exhibit.
   The AACA Museum will work with Pennsylvania College of Technology
to complete this restoration as a student project. 

For those who share our vision of giving this regional piece of history new life, you can make your gift now.  To learn more about the project and see the status of our efforts to raise funds for the restoration so far, the Museum has set up a web page.

 
>>Link to full press release

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 In the Rearview Mirror . . .  


The end of April brought a fond farewell to the Lotus:  The Art of Lightness Exhibit.  
We received lots of fabulous comments from our visitors and want to again thank our
guest curator Kyle Kaulback for making this exhibit a reality.

This 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport was recently restored by the Pennsylvania College of Technology students for the AACA Museum and won a First Senior Award - the first for the college - during the club-sponsored Charlotte AutoFair in North Carolina.  Congratulations for a job well done! 


  Saturday, April 25th The
Castaway Critters Exotic Car Show was a huge success!  The Superbird pictured below won best of show.   Visit our Facebook page to view lots of additional photos
  

Our 1966 Plymouth Fury II police car stopped by
Sledfest at Old Sled Works Saturday, April 25th to 'keep the peace'!
Seeing as it was a fun, friendly crowd our job was easy!! 
 
MotorWeek was here on April 27th filming for an upcoming episode to air in late May  
we'll keep you posted when we have an air date for the show! 
 

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Mark Your Calendar!

 
Keno Brothers named Grand Marshals of this year's Event


The one and only 1964 James Bond 007 Aston Martin DB5 used in the movie Goldfinger will be exhibited during the June 14th event.

   

 

 

The Weird, Wacky and Just Plain Tacky will invade Hershey with
the "Concorso Bizarro" on June 13th from 10-3


This tongue-in-cheek car show brings together those mechanical misfits, those automotive aberrations and the just plain tacky.  We've all seen them.  They are the forgotten and forlorn, never the centerpiece of a dedicated gathering, but each has a story to tell.  For one day in June, they will be the stars of the show!

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New items have arrived in the Retail Store & Online! 











A Family Affair:  Station Wagons Merchandise
 
Just in time for your summer road trips! 
These items are available onsite in our retail store or online following the link above.


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Have you gotten your ticket yet?

 
This stunning 2015 Corvette is the annual raffle car to benefit the AACA, AACA Library & Research Center and the AACA Museum.

1st Prize:  2015 Chevrolet Corvette or $35,000
2nd Prize:  $3,000
3rd Prize:  $1,000

Tickets are $50 each and only 2,000 tickets will be sold!

Special Raffle Permit#101-1 License #101
Not valid in Alabama, Hawaii, Kansas, South Carolina, Utah

Klick-Lewis

 

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AACA Logo  

Experience Auburn 

at the Special AACA National Meet

Auburn Auction Park - Auburn, Indiana

May 7 - 9, 2015

  

  

One of the most unique meets if not THE most unique meet in AACA is around the corner.  Are you coming?  We have been promoting our AACA Special Meet in Auburn, Indiana for quite some time. It will be in Auburn, Indiana May 7-9. However, it bears repeating the incredible opportunities for an automotive adventure that you will not want to miss.  We desperately need to show the rest of the country that the Midwest is alive and well and that our members support us there.  Please bring a vehicle to the show and get your friends involved as well.  Don't delay, this will be a great meet.

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This is your one chance of the year to go behind the scenes!  Visit the Museum of Bus Transportation storage facility and see all the collection vehicles.    

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We're ready for spring and all the great car shows!    Join the fun with our 20th annual Museum CARnival Car show on June 20th.    Registration is now available!

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Carlisle Events Logo

 

Carlisle Events is getting ready for another exciting season of car shows and events!

These events are held at the Fairgrounds in Carlisle, PA:

Import & Kit Nationals - May 15-17
Ford Nationals - June 5-7
GM Nationals - June 26-28
Chrysler Nationals - July 10-12
Performance & Style - July 17-19
Truck Nationals - August 7-9
Corvettes at Carlisle - August 28-30
Sports & Outdoor Show - September 11-13
Fall Carlisle - September 30 - October 4

These events are managed by Carlisle Events but take place at locations outside of Carlisle, PA:

Bloomsburg Nationals - August 14-16
Bloomsbrug PA Fairgrounds

Fall AutoFest - November 12-15
Festival Park, Zephyrhills, FL

 

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Now Open!
Inexpensive, reliable, easy to maneuver and park transportation for a crowded urban area is where motorbikes, scooters, and mopeds really shine compared to 'traditional' motorcycles. The AACA Museum honors these often under-appreciated and sometimes ridiculed machines with its new exhibit.



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A Smithsonian Affiliate 

The AACA Museum is dedicated to the preservation and presentation of motor vehicle history in a manner that provides for the education and entertainment of our guests.

Our goal is to deliver a world class automotive experience through innovative and interactive exhibits that appeal to all ages and illustrate the historical evolution and potential future impacts of one of the most culturally defining innovations of modern times.