An estimated 500 vehicles were on display at the 57th Annual Duryea Day Antique and Classic Car and Truck Show and Flea Market at Boyertown Community Park on Saturday, Sept. 2.
Hosted by the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles and the Pottstown Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America, the family-friendly event featured a wide variety of makes, models and years of cars, trucks and motorcycles, including restored, all original, barn finds, modified and hot rods. This year’s featured make was Cadillac. While several were on display, a 1904 Cadillac B Touring was the oldest exhibited.
“Since we have no requirements on age or make or model, or whether something is original or modified, we get a huge variety of vehicles. I think that makes our show very unique,” said Michaela Zaborowski, museum community engagement coordinator.
Duryea Day pays homage to early automotive pioneer Charles Duryea, who, along with his brother Frank, made the first commercially marketed car in the United States. Charles moved to Reading and for eight years built unique cars at his Duryea Power Company factory. Several of those Duryea automobiles are on display in the museum, said Kendra Cook, museum executive director, in previous event coverage.
Proceeds help the museum to continue its mission of collecting, preserving and exhibiting Pennsylvania transportation heritage. The museum, like Duryea Day, began in 1965.
“Duryea Day is the museum’s largest fundraiser and is intended to strengthen our community ties and raise important funding for our operations and the maintenance of our collections and facilities,” Zaborowski said.
Awards
Eight class trophies — pre-war car, post-war car, sports car, street machine, street rod, motorcycle, commercial truck and pickup truck — were awarded along with 30 Museum Choice trophies.
Pastor Lawrence Weed of Denver won Best Street Rod for his 1937 Ford Coupe All Steel.
“I’ve come (to Duryea Day) several years, but this is the first time I’ve won an award,” Weed said.
Augie Binder of Bath won a Museum Choice trophy for his 1936 Chevrolet Panel Truck, which his father bought it in 1979.
“He tried buying it for years and the owner would never sell it,” he said. “When the owner passed away, my dad finally bought it from the estate. He parked it in a garage, and it sat there until 2019 or 2020.”
Then Binder took it out and started working on it. This spring, he and a friend got it running.
“This is the first time it’s been on the road since 1944,” Binder said.
Jared Schoenly of Spring City won a Museum Choice trophy for his 1913 Stanley Roadster.
“I’ve done 55 miles an hour on the highway in the rain,” he said. “There’s a hand throttle, there’s no transmission, there’s no clutch. There’s no shifting.”
He has four Stanleys and a modified car that was built in the 1950s. This was the first time he brought a steamer to Duryea Day.
Best Pre-War Car was presented to Joe Rogers III for his 1931 Lincoln Limo. More than 7 feet tall, the limo was custom-made for Edward Howland Robinson “Ned” Green, son of Hetty Green, the “Witch of Wall Street.” Rodgers has owned it for 14 years; it was under restoration for 12 years.
“I had a lot of local guys help. One guy did the paint and another guy did the woodwork on the body,” he said.
His daughter Karen Mohn explained some of the Lincoln’s features: “It has a dividing window, that’s what makes it a limousine. It also has a speaker system, and it’s got a specialty back seat that is on like a trolley so that the gentleman (Ned Green whose leg was amputated below the knee) could just get on the running board, turn around and sit down. He didn’t have to climb into the car.”
More than just a car show
The event featured the closing of the museum’s summer exhibit “Where We’re Going We Don’t Need Roads: A Back to the Future Tribute,” featuring guest curator Tom Silknitter’s memorabilia and his DeLorean time machine tribute car.
Performing for a second year, strongman Tom Kelly “The Irish Anvil” was a popular attraction that featured feats of strength like twisting horseshoes, bending iron bars and tearing playing cards and telephone books in half.
Jed Pusczykowski, 6, of Birdsboro was invited to smell a 1985-86 Chester-Southern Delaware County phone book verifying the book didn’t smell cooked. The Irish Anvil said that while other strongmen may bake a book, which takes little effort to tear, he doesn’t use any cheats in his act.
A large variety of food was available from trucks and stands.
For the first time, Helping Hands, Inc. staff and volunteers made and served food under a park pavilion, including breakfast and lunch items with an option to make any sandwich a “Wendy” by replacing the bun with a grilled, glazed donut. Discovering that previous groups would not be participating this year, Helping Hands decided to try a new fundraiser, said Laura McGinty, executive director. Proceeds benefit programs for adults with intellectual disabilities including summer camp, vocational, residential, socialization and recreation programs.
For more information, visit boyertownmuseum.org/duryea-day or visit the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles Facebook page.
Source: Berkshire mont
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