0 Hershey Swamp Meet: 2013

by Willy Vinton
© Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

My wife and I arrived at Hershey, PA for the annual meet on a rather cool Tuesday afternoon, and spent the rest of the day walking around the flea market looking for treasures. An ominous sky greeted us Wednesday morning. It wasn't raining when we arrived at the field, but that didn't last long. 

Over the next few days we met up with and had short visits with friends from home: Ron and Nancy Allen, Rick and Jill Larrick, and Scott and Lynne Grundy. I sure hope they didn't float away
in the torrential rain that fell on Hershey during the meet.

I must say that I have not seen that type of rain since I was in southeast Asia during the monsoon season. We had 7 inches fall in one 24-hour period, and probably 10 inches or better in some areas.

The vendor numbers were a little sparse, and I think the spectator numbers were down as well. After the rain started a lot vendors never uncovered their loads of treasures to share, and many left early as the week progressed. The vendors that had tents up, however, drew crowds looking to get a moment out of the rain.

There was a lot of flooding in some areas, with some on/off ramps closed, so one had to watch where you were going. Thursday night I waded through ankle-deep water to get to our car, so that I could be a gentleman and bring the car to the ladies so they could stay somewhat dry.

This photo shows how vacant the flea market had become by Friday afternoon. Water was running through all the tents, golf carts were stuck on the grassy areas, and only the hard-core folks were venturing about.

I saw only a few Brass Era cars at the two nights of the RM Auctions, but there were some rather nice later cars. We managed to buy something for our Preservation Gallery--a 1910 Schacht Model R, which should arrive in Fairbanks in the next few weeks. It is a rather unusual little car and will make a nice addition to the museum.

All in all, it was another memorable trip to Hershey!