I am going to the Hershey Fall meet for the first time next week. I have always wanted to go and really looking forward to it but not quite sure what to expect. I have been to the Turkey Rod Run in Daytona which is huge but I believe Hershey is even bigger. If anyone can offer advice or ideas on this show it would be greatly appreciated. Right now I'm planning on going Thursday and Friday. Thanks!
The problem I've found with the Hershey swap is the signal-to-noise ratio. You have to walk past miles of vendors selling Model T parts or similar stuff that you aren't interested in to find the one vendor who has something you're looking for. The majority of vendors are selling parts from Model T to the 1950s. Parts for 60s and newer cars are few and far between. It is interesting and I always stumble over some exotic part or motor or car that I've never seen before, but I usually don't find that much for my 1960s cars. Also, since it's an AACA meet, vendors aren't supposed to be selling aftermarket parts (which doesn't stop them but don't expect to find much). I'm amazed that there aren't more repro musclecar parts vendors. Carlisle is usually a much more successful swap for me. The Hershey car corral is definitely worth a look, however.
The majority of vendors are selling parts from Model T to the 1950s.????????????????? And how is this a bad thing? Turkey Run is like looking at the vendor accessory catalogs with parts from China and everywhere else.
Some tips based on my experience. If you're there to find & buy parts at the swap meet: 1. Wear comfortable walking shoes. 2. Have a shopping list. 3. Check out the field maps and make a plan to cover what you want to see in the time you've got. You can't really do the whole swap meet in two days, so pick your spots. 4. If you see something you want or need, buy it then. If you're going to look at cars: 1. Bring lots of $$$$...or lots of will power! 2. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Have fun!
Thanks for the info! Carlisle is on my "to do" list ( I don't do bucket lists), but that will be for another year. I am staying in Carlisle because everything around Hershey was crazy expensive.
Thanks, Do they separated everything by fields, so all the same kind of stuff is all in the same field? My wife already packed my will power for me.
I haven't been there in a few years, but I don't remember any sort of grouping. I remember you could indicate what you were selling when you reserved your spaces. That information should be available when you arrive. Unfortunately, the information is never complete so my experience was that you might find anything anywhere. Maybe someone who is there every year could provide a better answer....
Actually you may even loose a few pounds, evan after eating lots of dark chocolate at Hershey. All of that walking in comfortable walking shoes is good exercise.It's been proven that chocolate is good for you and gives you energy to check out the far isles.
Do the vendors on Wednesday Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, everyone is looking at cars. The car show is Saturday only. Most of the vendors spend Saturday packing up (many don't even open on Saturday). You may find some deals on Saturday, but don't wait for Saturday for shopping. Walking shoes is a good idea. A $2 rain poncho from Wal-mart that you can keep in your back pocket just in case is a good idea too. Bring sun screen. Bring a camera. Bring cash (some vendors take plastic, but most don't). Try to carry a bottle of water with you. Food vendors will have long lines. Allow an extra half hour for traffic when you arrive in the morning. It takes three or four days to go through all the vendors (start as early as you can each day like maybe 8am). The car show and car corral will take all of Saturday. If you start looking at cars while they are arriving early in the morning, you may get to most of them before they start leaving in the afternoon. Many of the cars that are in the car corral earlier in the week will be sold and gone, or in the show on Saturday. If you are shopping for a car, do the car corral before Saturday. There is no organization to the vendors. There is no place to sit down. There is very little shade. Remember that Saturday (not Sunday) is the last day of the event. Don't plan to put a car in the show unless you are an AACA member. The nice thing is that the vendor area is now paved. Used to be mostly thick gooey mud that would suck the shoes off your feet. If you have time, visit the AACA Museum in Hershey. Oh, and one more thing, if you see a vintage tin toy car at a vintage toy vendor spot (like the tin toy wagon in your avatar), don't touch it until you are certain its not some super rare toy with an $18K price tag.
Maybe. My best scores at Carlisle and Hershey are typically targets of opportunity that are NOT on my list.
Thanks for all the info, I hit tHe ground running tomorrow. I'll just see what I can and hopefully will have a story to tell.
You never know what you'll find at Hershey. Last year my buddy had a short shopping list of stuff for his 1960 Buick LeSabre and 1962 Skylark. He found everything on the list in the first three rows of vendors we did. Who would have guessed we would find a 1960 Buick back up light lens within 15 minutes of parking the car?
