Event Coverage My Hershey Nightmare

I went to Hershey yesterday to place my old sixties built 1927 T coupe hot Rod in the car corral. What a mistake. As we drove in, an official of the local AACA chapter proceeded to stop us and become abusive since we were entering (as he called it in a loud voice) "A STREET ROD". He told us we were not allowed in the event. In trying to exit the area he abused us all the way out the gate on his golf cart. Mean while the whole place has many modified cars and hot rods on display. The official reaction was the club was getting them all out. This morning I put the window sticker on my tow van in order to enter the corral area to get to the management office to see about a refund. The same character comes running up screaming "thats the guy with the street rod, stop him". I was ******ed out. In the end, after much beuracratic wrangling and paying a hefty fee to get a replacement sticker I sold my spot to someone who was looking for a spot to sell a car.
After speaking with some officials higher up I realized there is a policy within the Hershey AACA to treat "modified cars" and Hot Rods as the enemy. This is odd, I have been attending Hershey for decades and have always seen a presence of cars in both those categories. I have even seen a Hot Rod being shown in show compe***ion! It seems one official decided I was going to be made an example of and this being a club the members circled the wagons.
I respect the fact that this is their party and they can make the rules, but don't make the enforcement random. In addition, the tyrannical behavior of its members is a bit much. I drove a long way there looking forward to a pleasant week, being insulted repeatedly was not what I had in mind.
So, what's my point? The AACA has a real problem with the HAMB culture. We should not patronize the Hershey event. We can visit the vendors at other events or on the internet. Maybe then the vendors will move away from the Hershey event. I know they also are getting tired of the AACA bully pulpit. We make up a large portion of the car business/hobby. They might be surprised if we walk away, since in reality we are not invited.

 

you have to respect them for what they have established. it is the largest car show and swap meet in the world. the rules have always been their and they will survive without you. i sell rod and custom parts and i kept my unacceptable parts in the trailer out of respect for their policies. when in rome do as the romans and sop crying!

 

I was there wednesday, and I only saw one 'hot rodded' car, but it was getting a lot of interest and picture takers every time I p***ed it. I picked up a so-so hood, and missed out on a GREAT hood for the Willys. Don't know if I would have gotten it though, it was in with a bunch of other stuff, all for $600. I thought maybe he wanted mainly the other stuff or was just going to flip it, so I asked the guy to p*** on my number to the buyer but I didn't hear anything back.

If you bought an orange hood for a 31 willys, along with a frame and a couple fenders, let's talk.

 

Don't worry, the old fart will soon keel over with a "grabber" and crash his golf cart into a 10 point cherry A-Bone and if he doesn't die from the grabber, the A-Bone guy will shoot him!!!!!

 

??? I feel for you, as I would have hated to travel that distance to an event and then treated in this manner . however.. here is a link to the registration regulations. .where it clearly states no street rods..

http://local.aaca.org/hershey/do***ents/2008/Fall Meet 2008/Car Corral pg 36.pdf

apparently your car was defined as a street rod..

this party belongs to the AACA.. they make the rules.

 

I'm sorry you got treated badly by these peaple. We ALL need to realize that we need to band together,rodders AND restorers alike,or "Big Brother" and the tree huggers will legislate us all out of our garages!
To quote Ben Franklin - "We must all hang together or most asuredly we will all hang seperately"

 

Let's get even with them and turn their old originals into hot rods!
We'll have to work this quietly,so as not to arouse su****ion....
We'll show em'!

Sorry to hear of your abuse.There are better ways to deal with the public.We are all in the same boat as rubberrodder stated.
Good luck to us all!

 

Got any pics of your street rod?

 

Good for him!
Those guys are with good reason tired of brain-dead Rockerbillies with their dead daddy's money buying up the last of the good complete runnig old Stock Model A's and butchering the **** out of them and making "ratrods" that are gonna then be s**** in 18 months or so...

 

So..... Hot Rods are bad, but ***HOLES are ok? You should have ran into the golfcart and just kept pushing till he **** himself.

 

Are car people that intolerant of others ?Just mention rat rod on this forum see what happens .Sorry for you ill treatment at that show .My 2 cents

 

You are right and wrong...and after decades of attending and seeing many modified cars it never occured to me the ban existed and It did not occure to me to read the rules. Every one I polled at the event (and they were not new at this) was surprised. That said, it is their party and yes, they can make the rules.
Just because you are successful does not give one the right to be abusive. I want to make our hobby aware we are not wanted at their event. So why should we attend? This is suppose to be fun.
You are sneaking modified parts in the field? Why you should be ashamed of your self!

 

I love a guy with a sense of humor!

 

sounds like someone needs their depends changed

 

Always have a camera handy, photograph the ****er and then tell him you are going to post his picture and the story of his ranting behavior worldwide on the internet.

 

Rossodino you should have took your time about leaving maybe the ****er would have stroked out..

 

They should be glad you came to their party! Whats wrong with these types? If you want drama ya can join the army. Thought this car thing was about having fun and appreciating all types. Like the Joker said in Batmman, "This town needs an enema"...............

 

Makes me want to buy a AACA cl***ic just to pull the fenders off.

 

They say there's an ***hole in every bunch, but it sure seems like the "Gods of Restoration" got more than their fare share.

 

Greetings from Long Branch,NJ,Americas first seashore resort and 7 time U.S. summer capital....attended an outdoor antique club car show in my city about 40 years ago and believe it or not I came away with the same feeling held by James427....wanted to bring in a 32 with gl*** fenders then knock off one of the fenders....talk about at***ude!....I also later worked with a guy who had a stock '52 Plymouth 4 door Cranbrook who got cold looks when he wanted to join an antique car club....after I took him to the Old Time Drags at E-Town and to his first car show he put Tru Spokes and blackwalls on the car and was looking at doing suicide doors, this for a guy who before that had never even seen a pair of Moon Eyes....kept saying 'Why does everybody have those eyes on their cars?''
Lee-overnight WRAT-FM

 

Hershey is not a real car show and swap meet, although it has turned out that way.

It is the AACA National Meet.

It would be like taking a Ford to a Tri-Five Chevy meet.

 

makes me glad i don,t go to hershey anymore i

 

Guys like that are why I'd love to take the POS '29 Franklin my buddy has and use the grille, cowl and a few other pieces in place of a Model A body for a hot rod. I mean I can just picture old guys seeing a registered cl***ic done up as a fenderless "rat rod" and keeling over as I drive by like the wake from a boat. I can even see them still *****ing even after seeing before pictures of a rotted, broken in two jumble of parts that hasn't resembled a car since 1950 or so, that most of them wouldn't even have used for parts in the first place.


It must only be the Hershey people that think one of the A's in AACA stands for ****. The AACA shows here locally have cl***es for hot rods and customs. Then again, it's Hershey, if you boycott it who do you hurt besides you? The local shows need to be nice to everyone or they'll have 12 cars show up in three cl***es.

 

I'm sure the poor guy did not know who you are. Obviously you are so important that any national organization should immediately change their policies on the spot that they have faithfully adhered to for over 40 years. He clearly did not understand how important you are. Policies and rules are for the "littles" which obviously you are above all of that. I'm sure, if you had gone to his superior, your place in history would have been recognized and his error would have been immediately rectified.

 

Boy this thread needs to be closed now.. Ok that said rules are rules but if the ***hole cant explain them in an adult manner instead of just plain har***ment then the ****er needs a good *** kicking... The guy ****ed up so politely yell him the rules.. Glad it wasnt me cause i hate being yelled at like that... ya id have knocked the ****er off the cart....
Dave

 

That sounds like a great idea - like the 'Forty Ford Day' Buena Park, CA official event T shirt has a picture of a tri five Chevy on it - yes really!

 

It happens. Give a person a golf cart and an officials badge (here in the UK it tends to be a high visibility jacket that marks them out) and the power goes to their head. I know that its damned annoying and I really feel for you, but find it in your heart to pity the guy, it's probably the only position of authority he's ever had, at home he's just a dull little man with a dull little job.
The other guys on the forum are probably right he'll shuffle off with a heart attack some time very soon if that's the way he reacts to a Hot Rod in his precious car-park. Hey just imagine how appoplectic he'd get if something really serious happened!

 

Ya know....I had the identical thought while driving home. Even some of his comrads seemed to be a little embarr***ed.

 

In an odd way you and I agree!....Think about it.

 

Wahhhh..... get over it. It's an AACA meet. You were wrong to take your car to the meet and he was wrong for the delivery of his message, but his message is no less valid.