HERSHEY PA – Ten residents of western Montgomery, eastern Berks, and northern Chester counties, who own historic or antique cars, were named as winners Oct. 6 (Friday) in their respective classes and categories at the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) 68th annual Eastern Fall Nationals show held in Hershey PA.
The event, jointly hosted by the AACA and its Hershey Region, attracted an estimate crowd of about 200,000 visitors during its four-day (Oct. 3-6, 2023) run. The Eastern Fall Nationals are described as “the largest antique car show and flea market in the world.”
Some automotive enthusiasts say they think of it as an “antique car mecca.”
Show winners from our area
The show occupied roughly 235 acres across the HersheyPark entertainment complex parking lots, the Giant Center, Hershey Stadium, and the field behind AACA national headquarters. Its local winners, according to a finalists list, included:
Michael K. Nester of Elverson,
Daniel R. Kelly IV, Barto,
Charles Cantwell, Phoenixville,
Charles T. Russo, Birdsboro,
A. Ross Myers, Boyertown,
Tony Russo, Collegeville,
Mark D. Serfass, Douglassville,
Herbert E. Todd, Audubon,
George A. Wolfgang, Bechtelsville, and
Glenn L. Dunlap, Collegeville.
The locals’ winning vehicles were among nearly 1,000 registered for show competition. Of all those exhibited, 84 vehicles were 100 or more years old, AACA reported. The exhibit list included an 1899 Reese 3-Wheel Roadster, a 1901 Locomobile, a 1997 Harley-Davidson Softail Motorcycle, and a 1998 Porsche Boxster Convertible.
Additionally, the Eastern Nationals staged its free-to-attend annual flea market with an estimated 9,000 vendor spaces. Shoppers, many interested in restoring their own vehicles and someday hoping for a win themselves, said the stalls were filled with every car part, tool, and automotive memorabilia imaginable. Also part of the event was a “car corral” featuring about 700 spaces offering antique cars for sale.
The show has attained national recognition, visitors say, in part due to close-knit associations within “the collectible vehicle community.” It’s also known as a place where celebrity guests mingle shoulder-to-shoulder with other automobile fans to enjoy the cars on display. AACA shows, and those of its regions and chapters, have proven to be “the best way to share” the hobby, they add.
AACA calls itself “the world’s largest and oldest antique car club,” with more than 45,000 members and more than 350 local regions and chapters. The non-profit organization annually conducts and hosts between 10 and 15 national shows and tours.
Photos from the Eastern Nationals by Jim and Carol Decker,
used by Travels With The Post with permission
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