A $1,500 cash award to any AACA member, child or grandchild of an AACA member in good standing for at least 5 years, who has been accepted to an institution of higher learning or is now enrolled in such institution. This award is granted by the family of John and Janet Ricketts in recognition of their love for AACA and their belief in service to the club.  It is also in recognition of our first female National President, Janet Ricketts in 1999.  Region or chapter membership is encouraged but not required.

Eligibility:

This award is open to any member, child or grandchild of an active AACA member of at least 5 years good standing who:

1. is entering any institution or higher learning leading to a diploma.
2. is now enrolled in such institution at any level.
3. shall have demonstrated active interest in AACA through participation in its programs OR shown active interest in the hobby of antique vehicles through restoration, preservation, or ownership of such vehicles.
4. shall have demonstrated a clear history of leadership in scholastic or extra-curricular activities.
5. May be awarded only once to any individual.

Application:

Application forms may be obtained from AACA National Headquarters, P.O. Box 417, Hershey, PA 17033 (717-534-1910) or from the Chairman of the AACA Young Peoples Award Earl Mowrey, 423 N Montour St, Montoursville, PA 17754 (jagspeed120@comcast.net). Click here to download the application from the AACA website. Two letters of recommendation from active AACA members must accompany applications.

Selection:

Selection will be made by the AACA Young Peoples Award Committee and a representative of the Ricketts/Lesher family. If more than one qualified individual applies, the award shall be made at random from the pool of qualified applicants.

Announcement of Award:

This award shall be presented in conjunction with the AACA National Awards as part of the AACA Annual Meeting. Deadline for applications shall be December 1st of the year preceding the AACA Annual Meeting in February.

By Chris Ritter

The Antique Automobile Club of America's (AACA) Library & Research Center is rapidly becoming the world's repository for special collections of antique automotive literature and research materials. To date, 11 non-profit automotive associations and clubs have opted to house their irreplaceable archives and collections within the AACA Library & Research Center, alongside the Antique Automobile Club of America's own inventory of historic automotive reference materials.

Non-profits, clubs and other associations are drawn to the AACA Library & Research Center as a result of its well-established collections infrastructure and professionally trained Library management staff, which is led by Chris Ritter, MLS. It relies upon the most modern archival storage methods for each and every artifact within the Library, and the staff is well on its way in digitizing its numerous collections with a full array of flatbed and camera-mounted scanning technologies. The Library is protected by a clean agent fire suppression system and state-of-the-art security.

The special collections that are currently housed within the AACA Library & Research Center include:

• The Buick Heritage Alliance...for all things Buick, including an extensive online electronic Research Archive.
• The Dodge Brothers Club Collection...dedicated to Dodge and Graham Brothers materials that pertain to the period from 1914 to 1938.
• The Gerrard Classic Auto Literature Collection...also housed in Hershey, and focuses on the 1950s and 1960s period of automotive history.
• The Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Historical Society was incorporated in 1990 to further the appreciation and understanding of the H.E.T. heritage. They, too, selected the AACA Library as the center to maintain and manage their collection of historic materials.
• The Lincoln Motor Car Foundation has had its archives with AACA since 2005, which includes an extensive array of manuals, sales literature and dealer items.
• The mission of the Museum of Bus Transportation is to celebrate the contribution of the bus to American mobility and progress. To help do so, they protect and preserve their archives and photo collection at the AACA Library.    
• The National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) was founded in 1974 to guide owners and restorers with utmost accuracy as they preserve America's star-spangled sports car. There's forty-one years of NCRS archival accumulation and counting within the walls of the Hershey facility, with a focus from 1953 to 1996.
• The National Woodie Club is dedicated to the history and preservation of all wooden clad and bodied automobiles, and they've housed their historic collection of materials with AACA since 2011.
• For any-and-all things related to Pierce-Arrow..."America's Finest Car"...Library-goers can turn to the Pierce-Arrow Society (PAS) collection, which includes an expansive accumulation of knowledge and information, which began with the club's inception in 1957. There are materials that pertain to the full spectrum of Pierce-Arrow car, truck, bicycle and motorcycle production in the long-established archive.
• SPAAMFAA is the acronym for the Society for the Preservation & Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America, and this group has the distinction of being the first to place its trust and confidence in the AACA Library & Research Center. Their archive arrived in 1985.
• Finally, the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America also selected the AACA Library as the center and source for its abundant collection of historic literature and research materials.  

Western Divisional Tour

August 25-27, 2015

Northern California

Click here for brochure 

Get ready to enjoy three days of touring, taking you through lush vineyards, valleys, quaint villages, beautiful tree-lined streets with Victorian homes, the rolling hills of our west county, Redwood trees that touch the sky, the world renowned Sonoma County coast line, and our delicious Sonoma County cuisine! Views and vistas abound. This is going to be your "PICTURE PERFECT POSTCARD TOUR!"

The world's longest-running motoring event, the Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run in Great Britain, will be taking place on Sunday, November 1, 2015. The Run commemorates the Emancipation Run of 1896 when 30 motorists set off to drive the 60 miles from London to Brighton to celebrate the lifting of the 1865 Locomotion Act, which required a motor car to travel at no more than 4 mph and to be preceded by a man on foot with a red flag. This formed motoring as we know it today and, in keeping with tradition, around 450 pre-1905 veteran cars from all over the world take part in the annual pilgrimage enjoying the iconic sights of London before heading down to the South Coast to the finish in Brighton.

In recognition of the large number of American veteran cars regularly taking part in the annual Run as well as the significant number of U.S. entrants, this year's event has a distinctly stars-and-stripes theme. The Run already has a great representation of U.S. entries, but for those thinking about taking part who haven't entered yet, there is still time to get organized with entries accepted until Friday, September 25 (although entries are encouraged by Thursday, August 27, to ensure the entry is included within the official program, as well as to ensure allocation in the appropriate start sector).

Organizers are on standby to provide entry support, as well as advice and guidance on other aspects of taking part. They've also put together some really useful advice for "First Timers" who may be thinking about taking part covering everything from ensuring a vehicle is eligible for the event to applying to enter the Run itself. It also covers how to get a veteran car to the start-line, insurance considerations and, for those who don't already own a veteran car, it even helps with tips from Bonhams on buying a veteran car at auction. The Guide is now available for download from the event website and makes the entire process of planning, entering and taking part as easy as possible - worth a read for anyone thinking about getting involved.

More information on the event can be found at www.veterancarrun.com or contact the team via email at VCRadmin@goose.co.uk or phone at +44 (0) 1483 524 433.

A major milestone is on the horizon for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC). Considered America's First Superhighway, the PTC will celebrate its 75th anniversary October 1, 2015 -- the day the Turnpike first opened to travelers. The PTC is offering interviews, photos and video to all media outlets in an effort to tell the story of its 75 years of transportation innovation.

In the late 1930s, controversy surrounded the building of the Pa. Turnpike. Business owners along the route feared customers would bypass their shops by traveling the Turnpike. Many restaurant owners actually posted signs reading "No Turnpike Workers Allowed" because they resented the possible loss of business they felt the Turnpike would create. However, just the opposite happened and the opening of the Pa. Turnpike actually created economic development across the state.

Designed to move people and goods from east to west, the PTC established the national standard for limited access highways for the entire country. In the first fifteen days of operation, 150,000 motorists - or 10,000 per day - paid to use this new innovative highway system. That figure was double what the Turnpike's own traffic planners expected. Now 75 years later, the PTC is still forging ahead with transportation tradition and technology.

Throughout 2015, the PTC has several activities planned to celebrate this milestone. Beginning with a website countdown to October 1, 2015, the PTC will also be offering an updated and lively history video, a coffee table book rich with a variety of Pa. Turnpike images and an antique car show, all of which leads up to a PTC main event being planned at the Pennsylvania State Museum in Harrisburg, Pa. This event will showcase a new transportation display featuring an original Pa. Turnpike toll booth from the Irwin Interchange circa 1940 and other Pa. Turnpike artifacts.

There is a planned car show on August 8th at the Sideling Hill Interchange. The show will be from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM (field open at 8:00).

• Goodie Bags
• People's Choice Trophy
• Music
• Food vendors
• Rain or shine
• They are working at no toll charges and easy access to interchange on return trip

Turnpike staff are inviting AACA members to attend this event to help 

celebrate this major milestone in Pennsylvania automotive history.

Eastern Fall Meet

October 7-10, 2015

Hershey, PA

Registration Deadline: August 15!

Click here for brochure

The Hershey Region AACA invites you to make the pilgrimage to antique car Mecca this October. Come join the over 250,000 visitors who come each year to experience Hershey. Meet Week in Hershey has become the largest true antique car show in the world and includes a flea market with over 9,000 vendor spaces, a car corral with about 1,000 antique cars for sale and culminates in a great car show with 1,200 vintage cars on display.

Registration forms for the car corral, car show, flea market and events for the 2015 Hershey Fall Meet can be attained by submitting the activity card included with your July/August issue of Antique Automobile magazine or by calling AACA Headquarters at 717-534-1910. Registration for the Fall Meet has a FIRM registration deadline of August 15, 2015. No exceptions will be made, so be sure to be prompt!

Vehicle registration, trailer parking reservations, the ladies luncheon and the awards banquet can also be done online by clicking here and logging in with your member number and pin. Click on Meet Pre-registration and then pick the Hershey Meet. Once you have registered for everything you want to register for, then you should see the complete list of your selected events at the bottom of the screen. Click Print Cards to print your completed registration form and mail it along with your check to the Hershey Region AACA, P.O. Box 305, Hershey, PA 17033.

Judges' registration for the Hershey Meet is open online here. The judges' registration deadline is September 18.

If you have questions, please call the Hershey Region at 717-566-7720 Monday and Wednesday from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. only, or email fallmeet@hersheyaaca.org. If you have questions regarding the car show, please send an email to hersheycarreg@gmail.com. 

You are in luck!!! Thanks to a tremendously successful literature yard sale in 2014, we are bringing back the event this year. If you collect automotive sales literature, then you must plan on attending this year's event. It will take place on Tuesday, October 6^th, starting promptly at 4pm and only lasting for three hours. Don't be late!!! If you aren't here on time, you will miss out on all of the best literature including Pierce-Arrow, Packard, Rolls-Royce, Delahaye and much more! In addition to the salesliterature, we will also be selling books, collectibles and maybe even some car parts, too. You never know what you will find, so mark it on your calendar and adjust your reservations right now!
 

Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Time: 4-7 p.m.

Location: AACA Library & Research Center, 501 West Governor Road, Hershey, PA  17033

Central Fall Meet

Come "pass a good time" with the Lagniappe Chapter of the Louisiana Region. We welcome you to the AACA Central Division Fall Meet. Lagniappe ("lahn yop") is a Cajun term for "a little something extra." It serves our traditional value that, in business and friendship, we go out of our way to make people feel comfortable and satisfied that they've been well cared for-that's exactly what you can expect attending this meet. 

In addition to great cars, you'll enjoy mild fall weather (our driest and most comfortable months), world renowned Cajun cuisine and music, historic plantation homes, unique culture and shopping. Acadiana is right next door and New Orleans offers its own style of entertainment, history, cooking schools, the French Quarter, aquarium and the WWII Museum. The host hotel, Courtyard Marriot, is conveniently located adjacent to the Civic Center where the event is being held.

For more information, visit www.aaca-centralfallmeet15.org.

Click here to watch a promotional video!

If you are interested in keeping your kids busy during those long car rides, the latest issue of Wheels is sure to delight. Wheels is a quarterly magazine for our Junior Membership Program, open to all children up to age 12. It is chock full of fun and unique articles, puzzles and activities!    

If you know a child who loves cars, why not sign them up for the AACA Junior Membership Program? Children enrolled in the program receive a year-long subscription to Wheels, a special membership card and badge. To learn more about this program, click here.

We are also interested in publishing content from our Junior Members and encourage them to send us their own stories, poems, pictures, fan art, etc. We also welcome content from adults in the hobby, as well. If you think you have a fun or interesting story to share with our Junior Members, we would love to hear your idea. For further information, please contact Matthew Hocker at mhocker@aaca.org or 717-534-2082.

Our July eBay auction is also in full swing! You will find more than 50 different lots of automotive collectibles, from 1970s foreign literature to the hard-to-find final issue of Automobile Quarterly. 

ONLY 2,000 TOTAL TICKETS WILL BE SOLD!!

For only $50, you can purchase a raffle ticket to win this dream car or the cash equivalent. The drawing will be held October 10th at the AACA Eastern Division Fall Meet in Hershey, PA. (Winner need not be present.) Proceeds from the raffle benefit the AACA, AACA Library & Research Center and AACA Museum. 

HURRY!! We are running out of tickets fast!

Click here for a ticket order form.

Thank you for supporting the AACA Family and GOOD LUCK!!

Not legal in Alabama, Hawaii, Kansas, South Carolina and Utah.

May not be legal in additional states, including Michigan.

The entire AACA Family is on Facebook. Make sure to like all of our pages to stay up-to-date on everything going on with the Club, Library and Museum. Did you know that AACA also has a Facebook Group you can join to discuss cars and hobby hot topics? Request to join the group by clicking here.

Click the logos below to go to our Facebook pages.

Over the years, most of you have probably spoken with Pat Frantz either on the phone or while visiting AACA Headquarters. Pat had been that friendly voice or smiling face that greeted you for over 30 years! Pat's loyalty, dedication and welcoming demeanor will be missed here at AACA, but we wish her all the happiness in the world as she starts her new "job" of retirement.

One of the many things Pat handled here at AACA were the multitude of insurance requests from the Chapters and Regions. To make things easier, we have now put the insurance request form on the AACA website - just click here to download it. Then you can either email your request to aaca1@aaca.org or fax it to 717-534-9101.

Have you ever wondered who to contact for what when you call or email AACA Headquarters? Here is a list of the current staff and their responsibilities. By clicking on someone's name below, you can email them directly.

Naturally, many of the staff have the capability of answering questions in each other's area as we try to cross train as much as possible. Please don't hesitate to contact us anytime for assistance.