Brimming with the unbridled enthusiasm of a true believer blind to the many pitfalls that could await, I plunged into the personal uncharted waters of classic car event planning. Together I and my cohort of equally eager enthusiasts, set forth to create a classic car interactive show targeted to those  eighteen years of age and under. This group represented an audience that we believed would be primed to embrace the culture, art and excitement of the  greatest gift of the industrial age, the automobile, if presented properly.

To the best of my knowledge such an event as the “Collectible Car Fair for Kids and Teens” has never been attempted, at least not in America. And if not here, the world’s most car-centric nation, then where else? As the show date of September 8^th fast approaches, an interested observer could rightfully ask “How’s it going?”

The answer might surprise you.

America’s First Car Show for Kids?

1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen

So the phone rings. A gentleman named Joe (Not his real name. I will explain later.) says he heard that I needed a Model T for a Collectible Car Fair for Kids and Teens. He said he loved the idea of the event and wanted to lend his support. I thanked him but said that I had just found the Model T I wanted the day before. Joe responded saying, “What else do you need?” I asked, “What else do you have?” He answered saying, “I have everything.” My wall clock showed 9:30 am. By 11:45 my car sat in his driveway. Looking up from the engine bay of what I assessed to be a late 1930’s Ford Phaeton, Joe welcomed me. Middle aged with a big frame and friendly demeanor, His warm greeting and extended hand made me feel at ease right away. Shutting off the Ford, Joe, joined by his father, the originator of this stunning collection, directed me inside the building located behind him. Thus commenced a guided tour through multiple buildings.

1908 Pope Hartford

All featured walls and ceilings adorned with a priceless array of vintage automobilia, so tightly packed, it left little wall surface visible. The buildings, themselves, housed a literal Pantheon of early to mid-20th century significant automobiles packed chock-a-block shoulder to […]

Carving a two-lane groove through verdant New England forests and farmland, Elaine and I had a morning’s worth of country miles under our belt. Having departed the Ira Allen House B&B in Sunderland Vt. and with Vermont now rapidly fading in the rear view mirror, a sharp left bend in the road revealed a sight that sent my foot off the gas. I found us fast approaching the tail of an post-war teal blue Studebaker pickup. Standing tall, proud and slow on its skinny bias-ply tires, it provided a window to yesterday on a timeless country road. Being in no particular hurry, I locked on to its 35 mph cruising speed and enjoyed the view. In a decision that would prove to significantly upgrade our planned day’s experience, I followed the truck as it exited the back road for a rural rest stop.

I was about to learn how to correctly pronounce Schaghticoke(?).

Classic Trucks Loaded with Memories

Don Dorr’s 1947 Studebaker Pickup

By the time I had pulled over and exited Elaine’s Honda Ridgeline, the man who I would later come to know as Don Dorr had the Studebaker’s hood up and his head buried in the engine bay. “It’s running hot,” said Don sensing my presence. “I think it’s a loose fan belt. You got a pry bar of sorts in your truck?” Don asked. Sadly, I had to say “No.” Though with the Ridgeline being Elaine’s truck, I did have a yoga mat at the ready if needed. Luckily Don carried a pocket full of wrenches and quickly tightened down the belt.

With the Studebaker returned to proper functionality, I took the opportunity to find out about the man. A spritely 88-years old, Don explained that he had been collecting trucks and cars for over 65 years. He recalled his first truck being a 1935 Ford pickup.

Don Dorr and friend with his Studebaker

Since then entries into his collection have ranged up to B61 and B53 Mack road tractors both of which he restored. In the case of the teal blue Studebaker, he has had it for the last 15 of those 65 years. “Why a Studebaker?” I ask. Don says, “I used to sell Studebakers in the 1960s until they went out of […]

I am really pleased. My adult school class of car enthusiasts loves the idea of hosting a Collectible Car Fair for Kids and Teens. A palpable excitement swept the predominantly “Boomer” filled classroom. They embraced the thought of introducing some of the most significant automobiles of the 20^th century to pre-teens and early adolescents, a cohort some fear to be oblivious to classic car culture and, worse, much of American history. Yet I believe these youthful digital natives possess an un innate yearning to feed a neglected hunger for positive real life hands-on experiences. The visceral pleasure of the analog driving experience being one excellent example.

Dauntingly, with this task comes the challenge of creating a meaningful and engaging hands-on experience for today’s Generation Alpha Digital Natives (Born after 2010). This latest wave of new born humanity has entered the world after the death of the new car brochure, the ascendance of Uber and the displacement of Henry Ford by Elon Musk as the reigning father of personal transportation. On the positive side  the Wall Street Journal recently reported writing, “Stick shift sales (While still a small percentage) have rebounded over the past three years, fueled by younger buyers.

Making it Happen: Collectible Car Fair for Kids and Teens

The profound impact of the automobile’s introduction in the early 1900s manifested throughout the known world but nowhere more so than in a strapping young 20^th century America ready to take its place on the world stage. Like a snap shift of tectonic plates, the impact of the automobile’s introduction on global society cannot be overestimated. Interestingly a single word captures the source of power that compelled society’s wild embrace of the automobile. The ground shaking power of this word revolutionized the life of every individual as well as the fabric of modern society in general. That word? Freedom! Freedom as granted by the automobile to all races, colors and creeds of common man, unmistakably represented the Industrial Age’s greatest gift to social mobility, in more ways than one.

Some fear that the appreciation for the awesome privilege of freedom no longer resonates with newer generations. It would seem that boys  and girls have not been raised to appreciate the largess and independence that they largely take for granted. […]