Appreciating Cars
A loose-knit group that includes congressmen, the lobbying arm of an aftermarket parts group and local car clubs and museums will hold auto shows and drives this month across the U.S. to celebrate national Collector Car Appreciation Day.
The tribute launched eight years ago will officially take place July 14 this year. The Specialty Equipment Marketing Association's SEMA Action Network (SAN) sets the national date, although the network encourages local car club promoters to host events at any time in July.
The collector car appreciation day – many held in out-of-the-way small towns and auto hotbeds such as Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Monterey, California –has seen interest rev up since debuting in 2010. According to the appreciation day website, 103 events will take place nationwide in 32 states, with six more in Canada in four provinces. Shows, cruise-ins and auto gatherings take place from the Camaro Superfest 2017 in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on July 1 to Hot Summer Nights in Lafayette, Indiana, and D&S Automotive annual cruise-in at Mentor, Ohio, both on July 29.
SAN encourages groups to "celebrate our hobby your way." Among the suggestions on the organization's website are to attend an official vehicle-inspired event, host your own gathering or club meeting, promote a "holiday sale" at your business, invite partnerships with enthusiast-related groups and drive you special ride – new or old – whatever the destination.
The U.S. Senate helped roll out the car appreciation day by passing yearly resolutions "at the SAN's request," the network said. Senators Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, and Jon Tester, D-Montana, have sponsored the edicts as "strong advocates for the automotive hobby in Washington, D.C." They recognize "the integral role collector cars have played in fostering our nation's appreciation for the automobile’s unique historical place in our history," the action group noted.
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