Hershey 2008

[balthazar]

Anyone going, from the Jersey or very east PA area, and if so, when? I have 2 packages I'm supposed to deliver, but I'm not feeling it in my bones to drive there & back by myself this year. Last year I slept over in my truck, but I'm not up for that again, either. Anyone willing to take a hitcher along?

I don't care what day I go at this point; still waiting on a callback from package #1 guy.

[Cory Wolfe]

I take back my comment about Saturday in Hudson's thread. I'm actually just going to drive down tomorrow. I'll be going down to Altoona as it is... and that will give me someone to go with. I'll PM you my cell if you happen to go.

[Camino LS6]

Wish I could go, I have yet to experience Hershey.

[XP715]

Wish I could go, I have yet to experience Hershey.

+1. Damn work. My father goes every year and tells me how awesome it is. Someday......

[Sixty8panther]

My excuse (2008): Amelia is coming any day now... but next year is a serious possibility!

I've missed two days of work as of today, I'm sick as a dog. I'll spare you the details.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Wish I could go, I have yet to experience Hershey.

And why haven't you yet mister? You live closer to Hershey than I do and it's carved in stone that I 'must' attend each year

Oldsmoboi, ocnblu... you two going this year??

There's a relly good '50s diner about two miles away called "The Soda Jerk Cafe". Great food and atmosphere. I'm going for dinner before I head on my way home.

Are we having a C&G gathering this year? I'll be up there myself Saturday, walking around and trying to fit as much in as I can (it seems to get bigger and bigger each year). I've been going every year since 1989 (I begged my dad to take me <I was 14 y-o at the time> and neither of us knew what we were getting into - I've been hooked ever since). Next year, being the 20th anniversary for me, I want to stay overnight Friday into Saturday, maybe even into Sunday. I've only wanted to do this for several years now, but have never acted on it. Being that the 20th year for me is coming up, maybe that will 'light a fire' under my a$$ to do it.

If you're going, here's a link to the official map of the show: http://local.aaca.org/hershey/documents/20...8OVERALLweb.pdf

And a special treat for GM's 100th anniversary awaits at the AACA Museum just up the road from the show, about a mile away: the GM Firebird Motorama Concept cars will be on display: http://www.aacamuseum.org/events/event.aspx?id=187

The museum has special hours until Saturday (close at 9:00 PM) because of the event.

And while balthazar posted a picture of the 2003 event, here's last year's <2007> aerial photo:

And it seems as GM (among other corporations) will have a special display set up in the Orange field:

New Corporate Area in Flea Market

This year there is a special “corporate area” on the Orange Field (SA-SB) that will house General Motors with a special

10 car display, Ford Motor Co., RM Auctions, Kruse Auctions, Meguiars, Amelia Island Concours de Elegance,

JC Taylor among others. Make sure you stop by and visit. GM is once again bringing a very unique and rare group of

cars to the Fall Meet. Get your questions answered about the auctions by both RM and Kruse!

[Hudson]

Anyone going, from the Jersey or very east PA area, and if so, when? I have 2 packages I'm supposed to deliver, but I'm not feeling it in my bones to drive there & back by myself this year. Last year I slept over in my truck, but I'm not up for that again, either. Anyone willing to take a hitcher along?

I don't care what day I go at this point; still waiting on a callback from package #1 guy.

I'm heading up Saturday. Call me (if you still have my phone number) if you need me to take stuff for you.

Wish I could go, I have yet to experience Hershey.

Excuses...excuses...c'mon! Drop everything and do it!

And while balthazar posted a picture of the 2003 event, here's last year's <2007> aerial photo:

If you look REALLY REALLY closely, you can see Balthazar and I near the bottom of that picture.

[Drew Dowdell]

I'm not going, but GMTguy and OCN, if you remember my friend Dominic who was with me last time, he'll be there.

Instead, I am going to visit the EBT.

[ocnblu]

I'll look for you guys if I end up going. PM me your cells if you like, I'll have mine that day.

[Cory Wolfe]

I went yesterday. The most I have to say is that I should have planned it better. I didn't arrive there until 6 pm after some problems with my directions and not leaving until 2 pm. I didn't really get to see much. Seen some amazing cars in what I did see, however. I'd love to drive back Saturday, but I don't know if I can put up with another 400 miles of driving. I'm beat, and down about $100 (granted, only $40 from gas). Another trip might be too much for me.

Also, I tried to get some pictures, but it was just getting dark when I started. Not to mention I was taking them with my cellphone. If any turn out, I'll attempt to post them.

[balthazar]

I can't F-ing go, my truck started making 'gear' noises sporadically this morning. Any of you who have made the drive know what PA looks like 40 miles west of the Delaware- rural to the 100th power. I cannot chance it. Someone be sure and get good pics of the Firebird Turbines for me. Gdamnit. I'll miss hanging with ya, Hudson.

[Hudson]

Any of you who have made the drive know what PA looks like 40 miles west of the Delaware- rural to the 100th power.

As someone who has lived most of their life more than "40 miles west of the Delaware," I take offense. While they might not be the most metropolitan people in the world (there's an understatement), it's hardly a scene from Deliverance. And they are very adept at working on trucks...I'd trust them well before I'd trust a Philadelphia region mechanic.

[GMTruckGuy74]

As someone who has lived most of their life more than "40 miles west of the Delaware," I take offense. While they might not be the most metropolitan people in the world (there's an understatement), it's hardly a scene from Deliverance. And they are very adept at working on trucks...I'd trust them well before I'd trust a Philadelphia region mechanic.

Hudson, I think you've misinterupted balthazar. I read it to mean that he doesn't want to break down in a rural area where he can't get the service he'll need to get back home the same day. I didn't take it as an insult to the people in that region. I travel out that way several times a year and find the people there friendlier than where I live in rural southern NJ. Of course balthazar is a big boy and can speak for himself, but I just wanted to point out that balthazar is not an insult-slinging guy before anyone else makes a mountain out of a mole hill :AH-HA_wink:

And balthazar, why not rent a vehicle to make the trip out?

[Hudson]

Hudson, I think you've misinterupted balthazar....

Oh, don't worry about me. While it's hard to hear the sarcasm dripping from my "offensive" tone because I can't get myself to use an emoticon, I knew where Balthazar was going...and I hope he took it as humor as well.

If (big IF) I get offended by someone on here, you'll all know it.

Don't worry about me. My skin's thicker than it looks.

[balthazar]

GMTG got it- it's not the people; I'm a country boy myself (growing up, I lived in a township where the 2 nearest towns had about 2300 people)- it's just the distance between garages out there and not knowing the area beyond the wagon trail I take. Rural PA is beautiful- Jersey taxes may push me over the river at some point...

Thought about renting.. but I also wasn't feeling up to the drive by myself this year...

[ocnblu]

It's a great show to attend, but I guess I'm not going to make it out. Pics, please, from everyone who goes this year.

[Oracle of Delphi]

GMTG got it- it's not the people; I'm a country boy myself (growing up, I lived in a township where the 2 nearest towns had about 2300 people)- it's just the distance between garages out there and not knowing the area beyond the wagon trail I take. Rural PA is beautiful- Jersey taxes may push me over the river at some point...

Thought about renting.. but I also wasn't feeling up to the drive by myself this year...

Come to Delaware, home of tax free shopping.

[Hudson]

I'm loading my pictures up right now. Check them on my CarSpace page!

www.carspace.com/hudsonthedog

[GMTruckGuy74]

I'll be posting my thoughts, reflections, and pictures later today.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Here's a link to my Photobucket album of the 2008 AACA Fall Meet in Hershey (66 pictures): http://s19.photobucket.com/albums/b194/GMg...Hershey%202008/

The weather was perfect - I wish I wore shorts instead of jeans (when I arrived at 8:40 AM it was 50 degrees outside; two hours later I was shedding my coat as it was well on it's way to the mid-70s!). I will say that I was disappointed with the many "gaps" in the vendor areas and with the number of vendors packing up at 9:00 AM. Speaking to a vendor I deal with every year, he stated that the people looking for parts and other specific items come Wednesday and Thursday and a majority of those there on Saturday are there for the show cars/fields and not the vendors. But what about those that can only make it on Saturday and want to see both? The only option appears to be to do both days if that's your goal. By the time I was heading back to my car (3PM-ish), the main vendor fields were 75% empty at this time. When I first went 19 years ago, most of the vendors started packing up that afternoon (however, the show was only 3 days long, not 4 like now).

As you can see if you visit my photo album, GM vehicles had a good showing as usual. GM sent 10 or so vehicles from the "GM Historical Collection" - the Corvair Rampside 95, the early 1900's Oldsmobile Limited, the '70s GMC Motorhome, the LeSabre show car, and the late '40s Chevy Suburban are the ones I took to share here (there was also the 1902 Cadillac "prototype" which I couldn't photograpgh well, but out in the showfield was a 1903 Cadillac that came from the 1902 prototype I included). And though I'm really there to see GM vehicles and it shows with my picture selection, there are a few "other" manufactures as I do like other cars too

Attendance I'm sure wasn't down too much, but you could tell there was less people in the vendor fields than in previous years. A vendor selling various parts and I talked about how people weren't spending as much as in previous years, lowballing their offers on parts that had their prices marked. I spoke with two different people trying to sell their classic GM cars (the two-tone turquiose & white '57 Olds and the '68 Pontiac Executive S/W) and both said that while they had all intentions of selling their vehicle, even at lower prices then they originally advertised at, people basically wanted to "steal" the cars with their offers (the '68 Pontiac wagon for example had three prices marked on the windshield - $7,500 & $6,500 <both crossed out> and $5,500 - it was a steal at $5,500 as it was an original survivor and in daily driver/garaged condition - and the highest offer she got was $3,000!). The show fields were packed and you could tell those that were over in the vendor fields from those that were not (bags and wagons in tow with parts, versus people with just their cameras). While I will select a few car aisles to walk down, I primarily go for the truck aisles only. They're usually in the back and I found the commercial trucks, but didn't see any pickups and SUVs there. As I was walking out, I spotted the pickups in a new area - basically sandwiched in the middle (so I guess AACA will be separating the trucks from now on instead of combining all of the trucks in one area).

What I find weird is seeing cars I grew up with on the show fields now being judged. Early '80s Mustangs and Cutlass Supreme coupes... anything from 1983 and older is accepted (next year will include 1984 vehicles). They're still in the minority at this point, but since they're starting to show up now, I'm sure more will follow in the near future.

A beautiful day, a lot of cool finds in the vendor areas (although a few diecast vendors I've seen year after year were not there this year), and some unique vehicles to be seen made this another great year in Hershey. Since next year is my 20th anniversary of the first time I attended the AACA Fall Meet in Hershey, I'm hoping to be able to take off from work on Friday, be able to book a hotel room close by, and stay over to see if two days will be the new "norm" for me.

Enjoy the pictures!!

[balthazar]

>>"anything from 1983 and older is accepted (next year will include 1984 vehicles). "<<

I understand why this is done, but I can never get behind it. No matter how much time passses, this era can never hold a candle any earlier decade. They will never be interesting to me.

Nice shots. You must've really been drooling over that '57 Suburban pick-up, right ??

The LeSabre was there... {slams hand sledge into temple}. I'll forgive myself eventually for not going....

To top my misery off, I deduced the 'gear noise' I have been hearing is a worn set of tires. {another well-aimed hand sledge swing begins it's violent arc...}

[Cory Wolfe]

Some &#036;h&#33;ty pictures from my cellphone:

[GMTruckGuy74]

>>"anything from 1983 and older is accepted (next year will include 1984 vehicles). "<<

I understand why this is done, but I can never get behind it. No matter how much time passses, this era can never hold a candle any earlier decade. They will never be interesting to me.

Nice shots. You must've really been drooling over that '57 Suburban pick-up, right ??

The LeSabre was there... {slams hand sledge into temple}. I'll forgive myself eventually for not going....

To top my misery off, I deduced the 'gear noise' I have been hearing is a worn set of tires. {another well-aimed hand sledge swing begins it's violent arc...}

I agree with your sentiment about the '80s vehicles starting to show up. Like I said, right now there's just a bunch on the show field, but I'm sure it will encourage others to bring theres out in future years. Last year I saw a '82 Ford F-150 Ranger in the truck area and it was judged.. that's when I realized that the '80s were now welcome by the AACA according to the rules

I liked the '57 Suburban Carrier pickup (if it was stock and affordable, I'd be living in it right now because the wife would have killed me for buying it!). I liked the '55 NAPCO Suburban much better though. Surprisingly, I really liked the '67 Mack R (bright red) the most from this show this year. For the past 2 or 3 shows (not this one) there was a bright orange 1937 GMC pickup in the showfield... other than that one, it's been a while since any other GMC has been in the showfield. It seems that GMCs were popular in the '90s and early 2000s; now they're non-existant again.

The LeSabre was nice and you could go right up to it (I saw it at the Philly Auto Show a couple years back, but it was on a platform and you couldn't get too close). I wanted to get over to the AACA Museum to see the "Tail Fins" exhibit and the GM Firebird trio, but family plans Saturday night had me out of Hershey by 4:30 PM and on my way home. If there were any other Motorama cars, I might have been able to push off the family plans (I'm not a big fan of the '50s Firebirds). But it still would have been nice to see them. Oh well.

Too bad about your truck. I still say you should have driven it out... that way, you would have seen the LeSabre, all of the other cars there, and maybe even the Firebirds

[Hudson]

Nice pictures, all!