This weekend, Fall Carlisle, or more accurately, the 47th annual Fall Carlisle Collector Car Flea Market & Corral will close the season at the Carlisle (PA) Fairgrounds. This car-lover’s experience includes a massive automotive flea market that is one of the best opportunities to get your hands on all things automotive. With 8,100 spaces of vendors selling a vast array of automotive parts, accessories, cars, collectibles and memorabilia, there is something automotive for everyone. Accompanying the automotive flea market and car corral is the Manufacturers Midway featuring the latest and greatest products and services, and a two-day auction across the street, presented by Carlisle Auctions.

One of the highlights of the event is the attendance and display of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA). The AACA’s mission statement is to be “America's premier resource for the collectible vehicle community.” Since 1935, AACA has had one goal: The preservation and enjoyment of automotive history of all types. From Nationals (Meets) and Tours to Regional events, AACA was established to bring enthusiasts together through exciting National activities, friendship, and Antique Automobile … an award winning 100-page full color magazine.

AACA first displayed at Fall Carlisle in 2020, and Ed Buczeskie, Fall Carlisle Event Manager said, it is important for AACA to display at Carlisle. He said, “Their involvement began out of (Carlisle Events co-owner) Bill Miller’s desire to help our friends at the AACA after it was announced that they would not be able to hold their Fall Meet in 2020. It was very important to Bill that we reach out and offer them space at Fall Carlisle. He wanted to give them space (totally free of charge) to promote the AACA, sell memberships to Carlisle guests, get membership renewals from current members and to display some of their cars. As Bill put it, ‘for about one-and-a-half weeks in September/October, Central PA becomes a car-lovers paradise with Fall Carlisle and Hershey being back to back. We are all in this together and we need to support each other.’”

Buczeskie  said, “We also worked with the AACA to offer their vendors space at Fall Carlisle because we knew it was going to be a financial hit to many of them if they didn’t have a venue to sell their products. We made an effort to reach out to them and let them know that they could vend at Carlisle. We also did a lot of marketing to let people know that there would be a lot of ‘Hershey vendors’ at Fall Carlisle. It was all done in a way that was VERY CLEAR that we were NOT out to ‘steal’ the AACA’s vendors. Rather, we just wanted to offer them a one-time opportunity to vend in lieu of Hershey.”

Wayne Tuck, AACA Executive Vice President, said, being at Fall Carlisle benefits his group. “A display at Carlisle provides AACA the opportunity to recruit new members and renew memberships of existing members. It also allows us to tell our story about what AACA does to benefit the entire hobby, members and non-members alike. We find a great source of old car fans at Fall Carlisle.”

Tuck said the AACA display includes a wide variety of his members’ cars. He said, “Last year we had cars on display representing nearly every decade of automobile production. A table is set up with membership benefit brochures, sample magazines and membership applications. Recruitment personnel are available to answer questions, and for visitors, ours is a car-lovers’ showcase.”

Tuck said the AACA display is dictated by the space available. “We have had as many as 15 cars displayed when enough space is available. This year, more emphasis is placed on recruiting members than in the past.”

Buczeskie added, “There is a strong social aspect to Fall Carlisle (and Spring) that cannot be had via online sales. Even though Fall Carlisle is all about buying and selling, there is a social aspect that online commerce will never have. For many shoppers, it’s about walking around with friends and/or family while you shop for deals. For many vendors, it’s as much about spending the weekend with friends as it is about making sales. You can see this in the interactions that occur during the event. It can be in the swap area or you can see it in the AACA display as the current members relate to each other as well as the new members getting acquainted with the AACA for the first time.”

Tuck is appreciative of the support and said, “We are grateful to Carlisle Events for providing this opportunity to promote our shared interest in the old car hobby.”

Buczeskie said, “Spring and Fall Carlisle are swap meets. They aren’t intended to be entertainment like our specialty shows. Displays and attractions are different from entertainment because entertainment is typically scheduled for a certain time(s) while displays and attractions can be enjoyed at any time without a specific schedule. So we classify the AACA display as a ‘highlight’ of Fall Carlisle 2021, as are the Bill Miller Collection auction, all of the deals from the swap meet and car corral and the Carlisle Auction at the Expo Center. One other highlight is local author, antique collector, owner of “The Old Sled Works” and historian, Jimmy Rosen, who will be in Building T selling copies of his book “Got Gas?” It’s a book all about service stations from Central Pennsylvania in the 20th century. But AACA is an important aspect of the event.”

Car lovers and parts-hunters can visit the automotive paradise called Fall Carlisle, this weekend at Carlisle (PA) Fairgrounds.

> Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years. </I>

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