You don’t have to be an automobilista to have a good time at the AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America) Fall Meet Flea Market at Hershey, Pennsylvania. All you need is an interest in discovering esoteric objects, like a chromed garden tiller or a mag wheeled snowblower…a Kandy-Kolored Emerald-Flake Snowblind Baby, to paraphrase the title of Tom Wolfe’s 1965 essay about the world of Kustom Kars.
A pilgrimage to the huge Hershey meet every October is a yearly rite for car lovers, but there are many other kinds of wheeled vehicles and esoterica to be viewed as well. Joined by my carnaut friend Phil, I spent a day “noodling” around (an apt term in the home of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking), and without a predisposed itinerary, which is the best way to enjoy the oddities that pop up now and again along the rows and avenues. Phil was pleased to come upon this Farmall Cub similar to a neighbor’s that was the first vehicle he learned to drive as a child. He related that after a few summers of plowing for the old farmer just for the fun of it, his Dad convinced him to demand payment. He did, and he got it.
My own Dad first brought me to Hershey over 40 years ago, and when not trying to ferret out a some part for a jalopy back home, I spent a good bit of time over the years photographing interesting cars. When I remember those pics now, they seem unremarkable, and my subject choices have become more… esoteric.
However, this Dodge Wayfarer was worth a picture this year, because I am convinced that it might be a Flying Dutchman on wheels: I know it can’t be so, but I truly believe I have come across this same car in the flea market every time I have visited the Hershey event since 1970. Freaky.
But, as long as we have touched upon the world of the weird, let’s trip downward in class as well as size, to a car from the circus…of politics. I didn’t know anything about Joseph Clark and Richardson Dilworth before I took a photo of this little Crosley sedan. Clark ran for his second term in the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania in 1962, when this car was co-opted as a rolling campaign poster. He won, but his friend and fellow reform candidate for Governor, Richardson Dilworth didn’t. Both appear in an endorsement on file at the John F. Kennedy Library, dated August 16, 1962 (11 days after the death of Kennedy’s alleged paramour, Marilyn Monroe, and 13 weeks before his own assassination). Though Dilworth’s political career came to an end after his loss in this election, he led, on balance a very successful and fulfilling life. Decorated in both World Wars, he was a two-term Mayor of Philadelphia, and his legacy is preserved in the Richardson Dilworth Award for public service to the city.
Stepping down again in scale, we stumble across a vehicle I absolutely lusted after as a child. I remember seeing one of these battery powered, fiberglass convertibles at a Pontiac dealer in downtown Bethlehem, PA. in 1956. Formed of the new wonder material of small production runs, they were totally unattainable unless you were the lucky kid who won one in a contest… or had a rich Dad. I can’t imagine they had much of a range, but what a step up from a pedal car! Nowadays, when I see a yard with two or three battery powered jeeps or Barbie cars forgotten and fading in the sun, there’s a temptation revert to a 5 year old’s covetousness (“You kids, nowadays don’t appreciate what your have!”… blah, blah, blah).
Further down we go again in size, to discover this fascinating Hohm Instructional Motorcar Chassis. Perhaps our moderator, Paul’s Dad was schooled in the workings of das auto through one of these ingenious scale models. According the the website of Australia’s Museum Victoria, these table size rollers were made in Hamburg. Emil Hohm was an Opel dealer (hence the likeness to the teutonic GM marque) who began building instructional models in the 1930s, and over 1,000 of these electric powered demonstrators were built through the 1950s. It’s beautifully made, complete with a translucent engine block showing the working innards.
Great collection of interesting things.
I would have neighborhood braggin’ rights with a chrome-plated roto-tiller or snow blower…very slick! Kinda like a former neighbor who mowed a half acre subdivision lot with a beautifully restored Fod 8N with a belly mower…probably would have been quicker to just push a 21 inch walk behind but wouldn’t have looked as cool.
Quite the finds. Yes, that Opel chassis might have been used in the comprehensive driving license instruction course like my Dad took.
What I would have given for a battery-powered Pontiac convertible!
I knew of the Norseman and it’s watery grave but haven’t really known what it looked like. In the front of the Norseman I see the genesis of the nose of the ’61 Dodge Polara/Matador.
“(11 days after the death of Kennedy’s alleged paramour, Marilyn Monroe, and 13 weeks before his own assassination)”
You’re a year off on the death of Kennedy.
Yeah, Constellation. I just realized the Kennedy thing while re-reading. Sorry about that. I see ’57 Imperial in the headlight brows, too.
I lived in northern Pa. for almost 17 years and am 60+, but have never made it to any of the many Hershey events. Not that I haven’t wanted to. I have been to the AACA museum, twice. Once about the age of 8 or 9 and the 2nd time 5 years ago.
Still really want to go, badly.
I grew up not much over an hour fron there in the 60s and 70s, but never went. Too bad, I would have loved it, both for the cars and for the swapmeet / found treasure aspect. Unfortunately, Dad just wasn’t enough of a motorhead. He liked having unusual cars and neat mechanical things (cameras for instance), but his self identity was as an outdoorsman, so the hot rods would’ve turned him off. Now I’m a continent away, but i love the pictures.
Traditionally, Hershey has not been very hot-rod friendly. Craig. It’s been about restored (and more recently) unrestored survivors. That’s one of the singular things about it, in a day when rods are everywhere. Hershey prizes authenticity. The show goes back to days when the emphasis was on a finite list of cars deemed “classics” mostly produced in the 1930s. Cars that fit that category now (’50s and ’60s eras) came under a different heading: “Special Interest Autos”. That term is now a memory. In fact, as the founders of the AACA have gradually passed on and leadership has fallen to their children and grandchildren the organization has adopted more inclusive guidelines in keeping with current popular thought: any car 25 years or older can qualify. But there aren’t any customs (unless they were by a classic Euro coach builder) and the big players are still the people with the rare, expensively restored classics.
I was wondering if my dad saw that same Pontiac in Bethlehem, (he would have been 9), and they lived in Leithsville, about 5 miles away) but alas, my grandfather didn’t buy new cars at that point.
Wow, lots of Lehigh Valley connections I wasn’t aware of on CC…
Barry, do you ever get over for the summer brand specific weekends? Went to the Ford nationals this year (first time at Hershey) and had a blast seeing loads of awesome cars. Even the `81 Thunderbird.
Love this stuff. That plaster cast Hudson is interesting, but I’ll take the 56 Pontiac.
*VERY* nice pictures ! .
I like the looks of the Motocycle off and behind the ’56 Pontiac , not the modern dirt bike .
I’ve never been to Hershy , looks like a total blast .
Was there any rain & mud this year ? .
-Nate
Was there Fri/Sat – and got caught in the torrential downpour on Friday…
Beautiful day on the field Saturday though
I know I’m late to this, but an interesting historical sideline is that Richardson Dilworth (the Philadelphia mayor) and his wife were also traveling on the Andrea Doria when it was sunk by the Stockholm. Fotunately, unlike the Norseman, the Dilworths survived.
Lots of interesting finds–it’s been too long since I’ve been to a show that included a swap meet-type area. I do like that scale Pontiac convertible–who cares about the performance, look at the style! As opposed to the majority of Power Wheels and their ilk that are ill-proportioned caricatures of the real thing, that one seems to keep somewhat true to the dimensions.
Wow, pookie, that Dilworth connection is freaky! Isn’t history amazing?
I went to Hershey on Saturday for many years, but this time, I took a day off and went on Thursday. The weather was excellent, if slightly warm when the sun was out, and I benefited from regular sunscreen application.
It is generally accepted nowadays that if you want to buy anything at Hershey, you don’t wait until the weekend. Saturday was once big, but these days most of the vendors pack up and leave by then. Could be that they don’t linger because their online sales make it less necessary. The other thing is that the attendance is much lower on Thursday, which makes it less frenetic, and the pace is slower since a high percentage of the patrons are in their retirement years.
Of course, if you are into the show cars, you have to wait until Saturday and face the throngs, but the car corral is great on any day. There’s nothing like coming across a cool car in the middle of the flea market though.
I wasn’t aware that Hershey had marque specific shows, kalapanaBlack. I’ve been to them at Carlisle, but will watch for the Hershey ones now. More shows to attend is never a bad thing!
Nate: watch for the second installment of these pictures… there’s a pretty goofy cycle in them with a great backstory.
Thanx Barko ! .
I do so love walking the ‘ Car Corrals ‘ as I often find some old nail no one else wants for some reason and drag it home to play with….
Maybe after I retire I’ll make a point of going , Thursday sounds good as I hate crowds .
-Nate