Greetings and salutations, my fellow ‘49ers. As another Cadillac-LaSalle Club Grand National fades into memory, it unfortunately also signals the impending end of summer. I refer to this as “my favorite time of month” since summers in New England always seem so short compared to our all-too-often brutal winters that seem never-ending. Alas, before we know it (except for those fortunates who live in more temperate climates), it will be time to put our “babies” in mothballs and prepare them for their winter hibernation.
On a brighter note, the next big car event (at least for me) will soon be upon us: the annual AACA Fall Meet in Hershey PA. I was finally able to start attending this wonderful “Mecca” for the old car enthusiast regularly in 2008, “bunking” with our Founder and Past-President, Jay Friedman, who somehow tolerated my snoring and snatching up ’49 Cadillac parts before he could get to them. Prior to this, unbelievably, I had attended Hershey only twice.
The first time, in 1971, was quite memorable. I was a fresh-faced college student and was invited to travel with a fellow hobbyist in his pristine, low-mileage 1964½ Mustang convertible. We set up a 2-man tent on a field adjacent to the old stadium. We’d crawl out of our sleeping bags as soon as Old Sol started rising and stumble into the men’s room in the Stadium, splash some cold water on our faces, then head out for a full day walking in search of that elusive part. I vividly remember being totally overwhelmed by the enormity of it all–I had never seen such a massive swap meet before! I also recall, with mixed emotions trudging through mud over my ankles, my $5 “skips” half-full of water, making “squish-squish” sounds as I walked. Those indeed were the “good old days” notwithstanding constant grumblings about the rain and muddy quagmires we endured. We were “young men on a mission”, and a little (or a lot) of rain wasn’t about to hold us back!
With all that said, I look forward to another pilgrimage in October. Now that I’m finally retired after 37 years teaching Junior High School Industrial Arts, I plan on going every year as long as I can walk. Hope to see many of you there in October.
Keep ‘Em Rolling,
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