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Ford Model T club ends annual tour in Butler

Ford Model Ts line Main Street Friday. More than 200 of the antique vehicles came to town as part of a tour.

The more than 200 Ford Model Ts driving through downtown Friday couldn't have picked a more appropriate place to stop.

The last day of the Model T Ford Club International 62nd tour, which included a five-day tour in Butler, Beaver and Clarion counties, ended with a visit to Butler County Ford.

The club spent a year planning the tour and wanted it to include the iconic dealership because it is celebrating a 100-year anniversary.

Its building on Main Street has housed a Ford dealership since it opened in 1918. Owner Cathy Glasgow said her grandfather, Walter Cramer, acquired the dealership that year and named it Butler County Motors.The name was changed to Butler County Ford in the early 2000s.“This building is 100 years old,” Glasgow said. “It was always a Ford dealer.”Scott and Sheryl Stier of Huntley, Ill., brought their restored 1911 Model T touring sedan on the tour, which was the 21st they have attended in 30 years as members of the Model T Ford Club International.Their 1911 is one of five Model Ts in their collection, which includes Model As and other vintage Fords. Scott Stier said the first car he bought for his collection was a Model A because his father owned one.“I started hanging out with the (Model) T guys because they have a lot of activities that are family oriented,” he said.He said he and his wife bring their children to events sponsored by their local club, the Midwest Chapter of the Model T Ford Club International.Sheryl Stier is a past president of the international club and organized three tours during her tenure, he said.<h3>Taking it on the road</h3>The Stiers put 1,500 to 2,000 miles on the 1911 every year, but it takes time to learn how to drive a Model T.Shifting gears is accomplished by pushing foot pedals, the throttle is operated with the hand and the clutch pedal has to be pressed down to get the car to move, he said.Best first time driver is one of the awards the club was to present at a banquet Friday night.David and Dianne Schonz brought their 1926 Model T touring sedan from their home in Berne, N.Y.“We go on a tour like this once a year,” David Schonz said.He said he owns three other Model Ts and sold one years ago to actor Tom Hanks' production company, which used it in the movie “The Green Mile.”The couple said they logged about 500 miles on the tour this week including personal trips to stores and restaurants.Dianne Schonz said a 10-mile drive along the Allegheny River to Foxburg, Clarion County, was her favorite part of the tour.“It was a beautiful drive,” she said.“All the towns have been so gracious,” said Gwen Neubert, who helped her son, Simon Neubert, president of Western Pennsylvania Model T Ford Club, organize the tour.“The week has been awesome. It's been a blast,” she said. “Our goal is to showcase our little towns in Western Pennsylvania. We drove 100 miles a day.”Stops included McConnells Mill and Moraine state parks, Volant and a privately owned car collection.Neubert said 34 children younger than 13 years old accompanied their parents on the tour, which included activities for children.“We encourage youth. They're the future,” she said.

<h3>Putting it together</h3>People on the tour also enjoyed visiting Butler County Ford where a 1907 Model R Ford in the midst of a restoration and a 1930 Model A were on display.The Old Stone House Chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America had Butler's 1941 Bantam Jeep and 1909 Huselton and the club's 1922 Standard 8, which were built in Butler, on display at the dealership.Dennis Glasgow, Cathy Glasgow's husband, said the 1907 Model R was taken in as a trade by Cramer in the 1950s.He said Model Ts were delivered partially assembled in crates by train and the crates were trucked to the dealership where assembly was completed.Wood from the crates was used to make the floor boards and other parts, he said.Any extra wood was returned to Ford, which made the scraps into charcoal.“Henry (Ford) didn't want to waste anything,” he said.The cars hung from chains attached to I beams on the ceiling, which are still there, so they could be moved between workers, he said.

Model Ts line up at Butler County Ford on the last day of the Model T Ford Club International tour.

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