From Rails to Roads Train Display

“All Aboard!” As the holidays are quickly approaching, the AACA Museum is proud to be able to showcase the “Rails to Roads” Train Display again this year! The display is scheduled to open on November 17th and run through January 7th, 2008.

Travel back in time as these “O” gauge trains chug through multiple scenes reminiscent of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Trains were the forerunners of automobiles so, we’re excited to offer this as an extension of the variety of experiences offered here at the Museum. A committee of Museum volunteers led by Ed Maloy worked diligently last year to create this wonderful display. For this year, they plan to add additional inter-active elements. There is also a Thomas the Tank Train that was donated last year and is a favorite of our younger audiences!

Many of our visitors are train enthusiasts, as well as car enthusiasts, so this is the perfect holiday treat for the whole family. The display is located on the upper level of the Museum in the AACA Region’s and Chapters Room and is included with your Museum admission.

More about the Rails to Roads Train Display and other upcoming events>>

Holiday Food & Toy “Drive”!

The AACA Museum is teaming up with Carry the Light Ministries of Mechanicsburg to help sponsor a Food & Toy “DRIVE”. The goal of the drive is to provide about twenty-five (hopefully more) needy families in the community with groceries enough to last from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Members of the community and Museum visitors can help by donating non-perishable food items (soups, canned goods, boxes of pasta, cans of tuna) or money to purchase groceries or grocery store gift cards. General household items such as bathroom tissue, soap, toothpaste, and home cleaning products will also be accepted for inclusion in the gift packages. Carry the Light Ministries has established a separate account to manage these donations. We are also accepting toys that will be provided to the children in these families for holiday gifts.

At the AACA Museum, a donation truck will be parked in the Museum’s lobby from September 29 – November 18th. The Museum is open daily from 9 AM – 5 PM.

Museum Gift Shop Gets In Gear!

High octane changes are flowing by the gallon at the AACA Museum Gift Shop. Are you buckled up? How are we fueling the change? First, by an extreme makeover currently underway with new shelving and stylish fixtures. Next, by adding some truly uncommon products such as those from English Retreads (an artist that manufactures everything from gorgeous, durable handbags to handsome billfolds out of old tires), to more high-end die cast vehicles to baby onesies with a decidedly AACA flair.

We’re also in the process of a giant summer blowout sale on all our summer items to make way for some new and unique products as we head toward the holiday season. So stop by and check out all the changes and the great buys!

The 2007 Hershey Auction—
A Modern Hershey Tradition

One of the World’s largest collector car auctions is held every year during the AACA Eastern Division Fall Meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania. This year’s edition of the Hershey Auction, presented by Kruse International, promises to be one of the best ever, offering a wide variety of collector cars, from high-end Duesenbergs and concept cars to good quality “starter” cars perfect for the beginning collector.

The AACA Museum is proud to be a beneficiary of the event, which will take place at the Giant Center on October 11 – 13, 2007. For the auction schedule and information on how to register a car, visit the Kruse website.

One of the featured cars at this year’s auction is a dramatic concept car designed by Virgil Exner, Jr. as part of his Master’s thesis requirements at Notre Dame. This remarkable, one-off vehicle, built on the chassis of a 1957 Simca, features an exuberant interpretation of the tail-fin trend that his father, Virgil Exner, Sr was then introducing at Chrysler during this period. Other notable cars up for auction include a 1932 Duesenberg J Rollston Sport Sedan. Built during the depression, this custom bodied classic is believed to be a one-of-kind body style.

“Large auctions, like the Kruse Hershey Auction provide a great opportunity to get a close up look what’s going on in the collecting hobby today,” notes Patrick A. Foltz, Executive Director of the AACA Museum. “You see cars up close that you’ve never seen before, or have seen only in magazines. You also get a feel for the prices being asked for cars of a particular type or quality. If you’re potential buyer, there’s a good chance you find something to bid on. If you’re selling a car, it should be in this auction. There’s no admission fee to either the preview or the auctions.”

You can preview the cars being auctioned at the Giant Center, in Hershey, Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. and on Saturday, beginning at 10:00 A.M. Auctions start at 5:00 P.M. on Thursday and Friday, and on Saturday at 2:00 P.M.

View auction inventory preview and registration

Blackhawk Exposition Sale Returns to the Hershey Lodge

The return of Blackhawk’s Exposition Sale to the Hershey Lodge will provide this year’s attendees a chance to see fine automobiles without battling long lines and surging crowds. Blackhawk’s sale is being presented in a “salon” format featuring forty special antique vehicles that are being made available for inspection and sale.

The salon is being held in the Great American Hall at the Hershey Lodge. It will be open from 3:00 P.M. until 10:00 P.M., Thursday through Saturday, October 11-13, 2007.

Headlining this year’s exposition are a 1929 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing Top Roadster body by Murphy built for Howard Hughes and a 1911 Oldsmobile Limited Factory Race Car.

For additional information, visit the Blackhawk Exposition web site or call Rob Williams at (702)499-0315.