This past June a number of Internet Checker Taxicab Archive members went to the Checker convention in Hershey, Pennsylvania.  Our own Internet Checker Taxicab Archive member Edward Fox organized the entire event and the results were very well received.   Best said by fellow Internet Checker Taxicab Archive member Mike Pincus, “A huge shout out to Edward Fox for pulling off an AMAZING convention in Hershey.  The hard work was evident throughout the weekend. Memories to last a lifetime!”.

Yes all the feedback from the show was fantastic.  I hope we can match those same results with our own Auburn show later this summer coming up in August.  For those who missed Hershey, Auburn will be a great opportunity to see some fantastic Checkers.

Several Internet Checker Taxicab Archive members were at the Hershey event. According to Mike Pincus “It was hard to decide which Checker   (I have 3) to drive to the show. I ended up driving my Superba. The trip was a 500 miles round trip. The Superba ran great. 3 Speed on the tree, original Continental engine, manual steering and brakes all held up well on this 55 year old beauty”

 

As with any large gathering Checker owners are bound to bump into each other while traveling across country and that’s exactly what happened in Lehigh, Pennsylvania.  New Jersey Internet Checker Taxicab Archive member Christian Hutter and his son Gavin bumped into Massachusetts based Steve Contarino and his collection of Checkers.  According to Hutter “not sure what I was impressed with more: the truck or the contents of the trailer.”  Steve of Checker  Motor Comany shuttles his Checkers with a vintage Dodge truck.

 

 

About twenty-five Checkers attended the show making the trip to Hershey.  A number of Internet Checker Taxicab Archive members were able to attend this years event:  Nicole Faith Rogers, Mike Pincus, Edward Fox, Steve Contarino, Jessica Tornado and David Veenstra to name a few.  Our friend Pete Talanca was also at the show with is buddy and Internet Checker Taxicab Archive member Ben Merkel.  This year Ben Merkel received the President’s Award for 2016 for his significant contribution to the Checker hobby.  It’s about time, for it not for Ben, many of us Checkerheads would be lost with out parts.

 

 

 

The highlight of the show was the Checker Car Coral held on Saturday the 24th at the Hershey AACA Museum.  Checker fans were able to display their Checkers and the tour museum, inside the museum, all had a chance to see the only restored Checker bus, originally restored by our friend Bob Welch, the AACA Museum acquired Bob’s donated bus from The Gilmore Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan.

 

 

Now as we are all aware, the Internet Checker Taxicab Archive will be hosting it’s own Checker show this year in Auburn, Indiana on August 12, 13 and 14th,  let’s see if we can get an equal number of Checkers in attendance to our event.  At this time we are sitting at about 20 Checkers and should be able to fill the gap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Auburn we’ll be able to see more of the the Bob Welsh collection.  Bob donated all of his Checker automobiles to the National Automobile and Truck Museum (NATMUS) several years ago and all will be on display outdoors at the A-C-D display plaza.   Also on display will be the famous Checker Model T currently owned and on display at the A-C-D museum.

Starting next week, the NATMUS will be launching a month long premier of our event.  The only surviving Checker Model A8 Driver-matic Special and Model A4 Taxicab will be put on display along with the Welch cars.

For more information on Auburn, check out our event item on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1635940060003843/

For more information on the AACA check out their website at: http://www.aacamuseum.org/

Special thanks to the AACA and Jim Bulter for photos used in this blog.  Also a big thank you to our man on the ground Christian Hutter for photo used in this blog.