On Saturday, August 26th the GRAACA held it’s annual summer tour. This year, tour planners Jerry Black and John Sayler had something very unique in store: a trip to the private estate of Irenee DuPont, Jr.
Mr. DuPont, who is 97 years young, has owned a 1936 Olds for 81 years now. He an his wife were delightful hosts and had a few surprises for their guests. Apart from their personal collection of antique cars, they also fired their pipe organ. GRAACA member Pat Shaffer wrote a few comments after her visit:
“That was not what I expected. Whoa!!!! Super fantastic. I just wanted to stay in the little room and listen… it was a huge WOW of fun, and interesting.”
Many thanks are due to Mr. And Mrs. DuPont for opening up their home to us.
Once again we were lucky enough to have beautiful sunny skies and a cool breeze!
On July 9th, the GRAACA held its annual picnic at Codorus State Park. Despite us having rented the luxurious (and air conditioned) Classroom Building, most everyone opted to step outside and enjoy the view and gorgeous weather at some point.
Thanks are due to Bob Shultz and Dan Yost who were in charge of grilling and did an excellent job of getting those burgers and hot dogs onto our plates in a jiffy. Also, thank you to everyone who brought a delicious dish or dessert. There didn’t seem to be many leftovers!
Finally, we are very grateful to our president Ron Green for organizing the event.
After having to reschedule due to the lovely wet weather May brought, we lucked out most of the day on Saturday, June 17th.
Karl and Mary Krouch were our tour planners, and they did an excellent job! The morning started around 9 at the Mechanicsburg Memorial Park where we got to enjoy coffee and donuts (still soft and warm) from Duck Donuts.
Soon after receiving our directions, we headed to Godshall Custom Machining. Owned by Wayne Godshall and his family, they specialize in working on steam locomotives. They were gracious enough to split us into groups for a very informative tour of their shop and their current projects.
Once we saw how the model locomotives are built, we took a scenic drive over to Pisgah Central Railroad, a privately owned an operated model railroad, to see the live steam engines in action. Of course, our hosts did one better than just let us watch: we got to ride the engines! We had our choice of 2 engines, and before a few showers broke out, some of the passengers got enjoy about a 20 minute ride and travel over a mile of miniature track.
Luckily the rain hit at lunch time and we all dug into a piping hot lunch of pit barbecued chicken, french fries, baked beans, mac and cheese, and brownies. Clutching our stomachs, some us hopped back on the engines for one last hurrah, and Karl and Mary called the winning numbers for the surprise raffle.
Once again, the AACA held its Annual Meeting in Philadelphia at the Sheraton Hotel from February 9th – 11th. However, Gettysburg Region members got to experience one slight change, as we had our own booth at the trade show!
That’s right. The 2017 Founders Tour is creeping closer, and closer. So, to get the word out about what we all know is going to be a fabulous week, our Tour Chair and Co-chair, Howard King and Annette Yost showed up early on Thursday to set up. With our banner hanging high, visitors to the booth got to view a slideshow highlighting some of the tour’s events, ask questions, take a brochure on the tour or a flyer about the Latimore Valley show, or maybe just grab a piece of candy (always a good “hook”).
Also, thanks to Destination Gettysburg, we held a drawing for a signed print of the historic Gettysburg train station. It was a huge hit, and we would like to congratulate Linda MacFarland who got to take this beautiful work of art home.
By the time Saturday afternoon rolled around, so many people had stopped by the booth that every single brochure was gone! Lots of folks seemed extremely enthusiastic about all that we have planned, and some have already booked their hotel room. If you happen to be one of these eager beavers, please make sure you send in your request for registration information to the AACA National Headquarters as soon as possible. Some registration packets have already been sent out. We have 150 spaces to fill.
One of the stops on the 2016 GRAACA Fall Tour (October 13-14) was Ron’s Antique Radio Service Station. Whether you were able to attend or not, we highly recommend that you stop by and see all that Ron has to offer!
Located in Bedford County, PA, he has an extensive collection of antique radios dating from the 1920’s to the 1960’s on display as well as a 1950’s service station. There’s no charge! He even repairs old radios.
What better way to kick off the new year than with ice cream?!
On Saturday, January 21st, the GRAACA met at the Mt. Holly Springs Church of God. Pat Shaffer once again acted as our gracious hostess.
As usual, everyone got to enjoy much more than sundaes. There was a raffle, a wacky glove contest, and a trivia game where people had to guess how certain minerals are primarily used in cars (tricky!). In addition, thanks to our previous Historian Ken Myers, all were treated to a slideshow highlighting the club’s events during 2016.
Many thanks are due to everyone who came out and helped make this day a success whether it was with set-up, clean-up, planning, or through donations of raffle items, snacks, table-toppers, etc. We would also like to extend a special “thank you” to the Mt. Holly Springs Church of God for allowing us to use their amazing facilities.
The GRAACA Fall Tour 2016, hosted by Jim Yemzow and Pat Shaffer, took us from Mechanicsburg to Bedford, PA and was a great opportunity for even natives of the area to explore some uncover some wondrous gems!
The tour began bright and early at 8 a.m. on the 13th at the Rolls Royce Museum. Mike was a wonderful tour guide and informed us that the museum now houses all the records for tracking previous owners by the serial numbers of each car. For more information, you can visit their website: www.rollsroycefoundation.org. We also recommend checking out www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk.
The next stop for the day was the Train Museum in Everett, PA. We traveled on the Lincoln hwy Route 30 to get there. The town of Everett was previously known as Bloody Run. In 1852, the Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad was chartered and built to bring coal, timber and other commodities as well as passengers to Bloody Run. The caboose was refurbished about two years ago. You can read more about the history of the railway here: www.bloodyrunhistory.org.
Our third stop was at the Fort Bedford Museum (www.fortbedfordmuseum.org). In the photo you will notice a flag. It’s the one and only Fort Bedford flag from the French and Indian War, 1758. The museum also houses a Conestoga wagon, civil war cannon, 19th century women’s clothing, documents signed by the Penn family, a cooper disc shot out of the air by Annie Oakely, and a Bedford Springs ledger signed by President Buchannon.
The fourth stop, in the evening, was the Omni Hotel Bedford Springs Resort, a fabulous resort that seems to go on forever with 4 stories and multiple corridors. It is completely refurbished and refinished to the 1920’s style, from the woodwork to the furniture. Even the indoor pool has been restored to it’s original decor. Visitors can also enjoy photos located everywhere of previous guests that stayed there. In addition, some of us took note of the window pane glass in the lounge areas: ladies etched their initials and names by using their diamond rings! Our stay finished with a ghost tour. A few people said they could smell cigar in the men’s only smoking room (spooky!).
Day 2 was just as packed full of exciting stops and kicked off with a stop at Ron’s Antique Radio Museum. There were radios of all kinds, everywhere!
Next, we stopped at the American Legion for a quick stay which included a covered bridge. Other stops for the day included a visit to Bison Corral Store, Juniata Trading, the Coverlet Museum, and of course, the Flight 93 Museum.
The tour covered approximately 250 miles, and was well worth the trip! Many thanks are due to Jim and Pat, the Bedford Quality Inn where we stayed, and to everyone else at the various stops who helped make this possible.
This article was written with the help of Dan and Annette Yost. More photos can be found on our Facebook page.
On Saturday, August 20th, the Gettysburg region had its annual Summer tour. I think our participation keeps on growing as we had 51 people (27 cars) attend! And what a gorgeous day it was, too.
The day kicked off at the American Legion Post #262 in Biglerville where everyone met up to get their sugar fix and directions. Thanks are owed to Krista, the manager and hostess of the American Legion, and to Stew Gardner who knows where to get the best donuts.
Tour guides in period dress.
From Post #262, everyone traveled through orchards and the cooling shade of the Michaux forest to arrive at Renfrew Museum and Park in Waynesboro. The park allows visitors to step back in time to the late 17- and early 1800s. The Royer family Pennsylvania German farmstead is interpreted with historical accuracy by costumed guides. The museum also includes the Nicodemus collection of decorative arts and Bell pottery collection. The park itself sits on 107 acres, 50 of which are designated as a wildlife preserve.
The day concluded at the Keystone Family Restaurant with a fantastic lunch buffet offering good food and yummy homemade desserts.
Extra thanks are due to Dade Royer, executive director of Renfrew Park, and to Annette Yost for planning the lovely excursion.
Note: This was originally published on May 10th on our old website and was transferred over. You can click on photos to open a larger image in a new window.
Outside of the American Legion
On April 16th, GRAACA members got the chance to get out for a little spring fun. This year’s tour took us through some beautiful parts of Cumberland County as well as the orchards of Adams and Franklin Counties.
The day began at the American Legion Post #674 in Mount Holly Springs for some doughnuts and coffee before heading out.
One of the many wonders at the museum.
The first stop was Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum, an absolute “must see” roadside attraction offering candy and fresh roasted peanuts (of course!) in addition to the estimated 12,000 elephants on display. The museum also lays claim to the East Coast’s largest collection of Pez dispensers.
After another scenic drive, we got to stretch our legs at the PA Forest Fire Museum in Caledonia State Park. Afterwards, it was onto Solomon’s Lutheran Church for an absolutely fabulous homemade buffet!
The Forest Fire Museum
Many thanks go to Millie Skelly for planning the wonderful trip. Everyone enjoyed a lovely day, and we got to see many new faces! We hope all felt welcome and will join us again, soon.
Many thanks to Solomon’s Lutheran Church!
We also want to thank the American Legion, Mr. Ed’s, Caledonia State Park, the lovely ladies at Solomon’s Lutheran Church, and everyone else who came out and helped make this tour a success. More photos can be seen on our Facebook page.
