Old-timers get rolling for rally
The Butler Old Stone House Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America hosted its first car rally on Saturday.
More than 50 cars, ranging from classic antiques to modern sports cars, toured 95 miles around northern parts of Butler County.
“We wanted to do a driving event,” said Bill Lindner, president of the club. “At other shows the cars are static and just sit there. We wanted to get on the road.”
Cars came from Western Pennsylvania and Ohio for a historical tour to sites of interest, including West Park Alpacas, the Old Stone House, and the Hooker Country Store.
The cars gathered at the Butler Farm Show grounds in the morning and returned after the tour for a cookout.
On display at the grounds were a 1909 Huselton and a 1922 Standard Sedan, though neither joined the tour on the road.
The oldest car driving was a 1912 Flanders Model 20 Roadster, owned by club members Kathy and Daryl Kemerer of Prospect.
The couple bought the car at an auction 13 years ago and has maintained it since. But that is something that is easier said than done with a century old vehicle.
“There are no parts for it,” Kathy Kemerer said. “You have to get them custom made or find them from other owners on the Internet.”
Kemerer said she and her husband drive their cars about once a week, depending on the weather. She said the tour was a great event to get both old and new cars on the road.
“It's a wonderful event,” she said. “There's such a variety of cars going.”The Kemerers have eight cars in their collection, the oldest of which is a 1909 Maxwell.“It's so much fun,” Kemerer said of her and her husband's hobby. “And it's so rewarding.”Bob Brandon of Center Township had his 1933 American Austin Roadster on the tour, making it the lone representative of Butler's former auto manufacturer.Brandon bought the car about eight years ago from a man from Canada at an auction in Butler County.He has been collecting American Austins since 1980.“It keeps you busy all the time,” he said of maintaining classic cars. Brandon also has a Willys Jeep Woodie wagon.Lindner said the event is something the club hopes to continue.“The nice thing with a tour like this is, there are so many places to visit,” he said.
