Hershey questions

beast_3

beast_3

Member
Anyone know what admission & parking fees are at Hershey this year?
Is there separate fee for Saturday car judging?
Just as visitor, not selling or displaying car...
Tried to reach Hershey AACA chapter but no response yet.

Also, are swap meet sellers assigned to a particular field by car make or type of items sold? Just wondering if I gonna have to hike all over hither and yon to find Model A sellers...

Bob East
Spring Hill, FL
 
No admission fees , but I think parking was 20 last year. There is no rhyme or reason to sellers spaces, best to figure out who's spaces you are going to hit and how many you find in between. Easy to walk 10-15 miles, so bring some good shoes!
 
I think Steve's estimate of walking distance is a bit on the low side! I would get a program and using the Model vendors list, mark the map where the Model A vendors are. It is a tedious job but after you are done, you will see where the concentration of Model A people are located. At the very least, have fun looking at everything, I have been going for over 35 years. Ed
 
If you plan to buy large heavy items plan on finding a vendor you know that will store the part during the day. You do not want to make trips to the car during the day and loose shopping time. Bob
 
Steve's got it right, get the program and find a nice shady place and mark the vendors you want to see. If you have limited time it will save you hours and miles of walking and looking at all the great stuff.
 
Free admission
$12/day parking

Be prepared - It's advisable to download and study the overall and individual field maps :

http://hersheyaaca.org/fm_information.html

They sell vender directories (generally $5) at the entrance gates into the swap meet area.

Be prepared to walk a lot - it takes 2 to 3 days to generally see every thing .
 
Take your wife along. She can drop you off at the gate of choice and go on to that happy shopping place. Do not for get gas up the car and set the GPS for pick up.
 
The only other thing that I will mention is that to find all of the Model A Stuff, you really have to glance over spaces other than those who are listed in the program as being Model A Vendors. For example, I have a friend who has had three spaces for many years. He shares them with a group of AACA friends. The spaces are in his name only, and he is simply listed as a generic antique auto part supplier. I have been with him for the past few years and will be there again. I am selling mostly Model A Stuff, but the program won't list us as a specific seller of Model A Parts. Feel free to stop by CG 32-34 in the Chocolate Field South if you want to introduce yourself or need a place to sit down for a few minutes.
 
I always take a small hand truck with a plastic milk crate bungeed on and additional bungees to attach bulky stuff on. You could also carry a small collapsible chair and an umbrella plus some cold water.
 
The swap meet opens at 7am (till dusk) . Depending on where your coming from , you need to plan accordingly. The Harrisburg / Hershey rush hour traffic can be bad in early morning - I would avoid the southern US 322/422 route into Hershey. I like PA rte 39 from the north off of I-81 -it comes right into the Hershey Park /Giant Center complex and the traffic control and parking are easy to follow. You may have to spend a little time waiting to park but it isn't too generally bad unless it rains and the parking fields get messed up.I come around 8:30 to 9 am and generally miss the traffic jams .
Pray for good weather - last year was absolutely perfect !
 
Jon-Ohio said:
The swap meet opens at 7am (till dusk) . Depending on where your coming from , you need to plan accordingly. The Harrisburg / Hershey rush hour traffic can be bad in early morning - I would avoid the southern US 322/422 route into Hershey. I like PA rte 39 from the north off of I-81 -it comes right into the Hershey Park /Giant Center complex and the traffic control and parking are easy to follow. You may have to spend a little time waiting to park but it isn't too generally bad unless it rains and the parking fields get messed up.I come around 8:30 to 9 am and generally miss the traffic jams .
Pray for good weather - last year was absolutely perfect !
Click to expand...

Last year was the first I can remember that it didn't rain! So raingear is always what I pack first. The water bottles, change for the bathrooms, camera, money,shopping list. Sunblock and a hat are good, too.

This year, in honor of the weather last year, I'll be in England where there's abetter chance of rain. Have fun for me! Oh, yeah, if you want to see venders, go during the week-not much left on Saturday-but that's when you'll need to go to see the best cars.
 
I find that arriving prior to 9 AM leaves you looking at a lot of booths with their wares covered by blue tarps.
Same thing for Tuesday afternoon.
Most vendors selling Model A stuff generally hang a Model A radiator shroud or similar eye catcher in front to get the attention of Model A folks.
 
Do any two people shop the same at Hershey? I hit the ground on Tuesday looking for what I want, if I see covered up stuff no bother, I'll see it the next day. Over the years I've found the "Good" sections most likely to have stuff I want. Last year I used a three wheel baby jogging stroler with a milk crate, worked out a lot better than the two wheeled cart I'd used in years past.
 
MCHinson said:
The only other thing that I will mention is that to find all of the Model A Stuff, you really have to glance over spaces other than those who are listed in the program as being Model A Vendors. For example, I have a friend who has had three spaces for many years. He shares them with a group of AACA friends. The spaces are in his name only, and he is simply listed as a generic antique auto part supplier. I have been with him for the past few years and will be there again. I am selling mostly Model A Stuff, but the program won't list us as a specific seller of Model A Parts. Feel free to stop by CG 32-34 in the Chocolate Field South if you want to introduce yourself or need a place to sit down for a few minutes.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I appreciate the offer. Do you know if the list of sellers is available online before the meet opens ?
Again, many thanks for the tips !
 
I've found the same thing in the last few years. Hardly any of the vendors are open at 7am. Seems like 8 or 9 is when they start getting unpacked. Waiting will keep you from needing to come back around to that section. One thing I wish is they would consolidate the fleamarket spaces. It's turning into a motor home parking lot. There are normally no great deals, but if you are looking for something specific, hershey is the place to find it.
 
Ther are many Model A specific vendors set up all over the fields, a lot in the area adjacent to the stadium. But you will miss a lot if you just follow the printed program. It is nearly impossible to walk an aisle and NOT find model A parts...and the best buys are from non-Ford dealers. If it were politically correct to swing a dead cat, you could hardly doo it without hitting model A parts! I just like to go with the flow and ENJOY myself. It's like Model A Christmas up there !!!
 
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