At the invitation of the Miami Design Preservation League, our region showcased our cars in conjunction with the Art Deco Weekend festivities on along Ocean Drive in Miami Beach over the weekend of January 17-18, 2009.  Members and non-members of the AACA South Florida Region participated in an opening day parade held during the morning of the Saturday car show, and then another car show was held on Sunday.  It's hard to believe, but the car you drove in 1984 was eligible for this show.

     We have a lot of pictures of the cars and the event.  We start our Art Deco adventures with a kickoff parade on a cloudless, warm and sunny Saturday with our cars lined up along Ocean Drive next to the booths filled of period furniture, art, and bric-a-brac.  There were food vendors, performance artists, stilt walkers and costumed characters, thousands of spectators and, of course, our antique automobiles framed against a clear blue sky and the Art Deco architecture that is the hallmark of this historic section of the Beach.  Weather-wise, Sunday was as stunningly beautiful a day as Saturday; this was first time in two years that both days were perfect.  The clear skies and warm breezes brought out lots of cars, including some that we had never seen before at any of our events.  Also, Sunday, for the third year in a row, Billy Joel showed up along with two beautiful antique motorcycles.

     Show Chairman Mel Mann thanks all of the volunteers who worked with him to make this event so successful: Co chairs Ira Shapiro and Alex Fardales, Bob Squier, Philip Williams, Jean and Maurice Hawa, Andy Leavy and Guy Lewis.  We, the volunteers wish to thank Mel Mann for his organizational skills and boundless energy.

     If you could not join in on either day, you missed out on one great weekend of fun.  The pictures that follow should give you an idea of what you missed.

-- Bob Squier, Webmaster