SMOKE SIGNALS The Official Publication of the ANKOKAS, NJ Region AACA July/August 2020 Volume 57, Issue 4 In This Issue: p From the Archives p It Caught My Eye p The Car Is The Star p Calendars and Fun Holidays p Dog Breed Puzzle p Webside Ramblings p The History of Bowling p Mail Order Catalogs p Amelia Earhart In This Month’s Issue: Looking Down the Road................... 1 News........................ 2 From the Archives..... 3 Volting Into the Future................. 4 It Caught My Eye...... 5 Car is the Star........... 7 Well, 2020 has been a very 9 challenging year so far with the COVID-19 Rummage Box.......... Carlisle show that 9 pandemic and everything being shutdown. Matching Puzzle....... was finally held June 17 10 Just when you think it can’t get any worse, we Ankokas Calendar..... thru June 20. It was held against 10 have all this trouble across the country. We AACA Calendar......... approval to hold it, due to the restrictions 10 are certainly living in extraordinary times. Fun Holidays............. of the virus, but at the last moment they were Local Events............. 10 Ankokas, along with everyone else, has been affected by this pandemic. We had to issued a fine with a court appearance the Cat Breed next day. They went to court and were able Puzzle....................... 11 cancel the Charter Luncheon in April and the May meeting. However in June, thanks to to remain open. Now it looks like rest of the Webside shows at Carlisle will go on as scheduled. 12 technology, we had our first Zoom general Ramblings................. Carlisle has taken all the necessary measures History of Bowling.... 13 meeting. The meeting went well with about 15 people on Zoom. It was a tough decision and in regards to social distancing, wearing masks, Mail Order etc. Soon we will be able to see if there are 15 after much discussion it was decided that, Catalogs................... spikes in that area from the virus. Maybe then Amelia Earhart.......... 17 due to all the unknown factors, it was best to cancel the Haddonfield show this year. the Hershey Region may be able to have the Letter From showing of the cars on Saturday, October 10th 19 No one is sure if this virus is winding down the Editors................ as originally planned. Marketplace.............. 20 or if it is going to come back in the fall. I think we all know that the virus is still around and It looks as though our ways of it is so difficult to make any kind of plans, communication are going to be by way of now or in the future. At the present time, our Zoom for the next few months. It is better to breakfast meeting is scheduled stay safe, as no one needs to jeopardize for November 14th. Also the their health. Everyone stay safe and This newsletter is holiday party is scheduled stay well during these difficult and a publication of the trying times. The next meeting Ankokas Region of the for December, but I think Antique Automobile Club we all know as we get will be held Thursday, July 9th at of America, located in closer to the events 7pm by way of Zoom. An email southern New Jersey. things could change. will be sent to all members with Material may be One thing to look at instructions how to get on Zoom. reproduced only if credit is the two times of the Enjoy your summer as best as is given to the source rescheduling of the spring you can. and we are asked for permission to reproduce Joe Dougherty, the material. President If you have material that you would like to contribute or you have comments or ideas about the newsletter, please contact the editor, Diana, at newsletter@ankokas. com. President Joe Dougherty. Photo by D. Antinucci. SMOKE SIGNALS Page 2 ghgh News & Events ghgh Secretary’s Report on the June Zoom Meeting For all of you who joined the Zoom Tailgate party on attendance is lower than usual, cars are parking further Thursday, thanks for turning on your computer. For apart, people are wearing masks. There are also many those of you who missed the meeting, we missed you. more shows being canceled and postponed across Hopefully everything is OK at home. the region. The AACA changed the date of their Grand The highlight of the evening, well actually the lowlight National show in Allentown on August 22. They have I guess you could say, we agreed to also canceled the Hershey flea market cancel our September Haddonfield and car corral and will host a one day show this year. It was not an easy only show on October 10, 2020. You decision to make. In light of current can check our calendar page for a restrictions on large public gatherings, short list of shows that may still be the difficulty of maintaining social active. Be sure to always call ahead distancing, and the township itself for last minute changes. unsure of their ability to host the With the success of our first Zoom event, we are now planning to have a meeting, we are going to do it again in bigger and better show in 2021. To July. Usually we don’t have meetings maintain the health and safety of our in July, but this isn’t a usual year. Our members and show guests, this is our next Zoom meeting is Thursday July best course of action right now. 9, 2020, at 07:00 PM Eastern Time. There are other car shows still Please check your e-mail for the link happening around our area. It and meetig ID and password. was reported in the meeting that If you do go out to any car events, please take pictures and email them to Diana, July 9: Zoom meeting at 7PM. [email protected], so she can include them in the newsletter. August 13: Zoom meeting at 7PM. Stay safe, and I hope we see you at the next Zoom Sept. 10: regular meeting, location TBA meeting on July 9. Sept. 12: Haddonfield car show CANCELED Oct. 15: regular meeting, location TBA Thanks Nov. 14: breakfast meeting Steven Soppe Dec. 6: holiday party Secretary/Webmaster ghgh Car Trivia! ghgh p The first Japanese car produced in the US was the Honda Accord in 1982. p The Chevy Impala sold a record-breaking one million units in 1965. p The Thrust SSC ws the first car to break the sound barrier in 1997. p Cruise control was invented by Ralph Teetor, blinded in an accident at age five. p The songs “American Pie”, “Keeping The Faith” and “She’s In Love With The Boy” all mention Chevy. p The 1966 Jensen FF was the first car equipped with anti-lock brakes. p The average car is made up of 30,000 parts. p The first documented car accident took place in 1891. p In the 1970s, Chevy Vegas were shipped vertically, nose down, to fit more cars per railcar. SMOKE SIGNALS Page 3 gh From The Archives gh article by Howard Steinberg Once in the early 60’s, I bought a 1957 Plymouth convertible from the back row of a used car lot. It was a hound, but I Tales From The Old Car Game: needed a car at the time and it was cheap. The brakes quit at Famous Car Wrecks an inopportune moment and I walloped the trunk of an older reprinted from Smoke Signals October 2005 shoebox Ford coupe. The driver claimed whiplash. Sometime in the late 1950’s, I had a New Year’s Eve date Well, OK, I told a fib. The car wrecks that I am talking about with a rich girl out on the Philadelphia main line. My car was really aren’t famous. In fact, they are all but unknown. I just down for repairs, so I borrowed a 1954 GMC ¾ ton pickup liked the title. Most automotive writers, who cover the nostalgia from my dad’s inventory. (There wasn’t much to choose from.) beat, usually write about the happy and romantic side of their My date took one look at the truck and insisted we use her automotive pasts. With the possible exception of our own Bob new 1958 Plymouth hardtop. She handed me the keys. It was Schuman, I don’t recall anyone in our group setting forth on his still early evening and we were on our way to dinner. About or her history of car disasters. So, here goes. five blocks from her house I stopped My first new car was for a red light. An elderly gent, who was a 1963 Triumph Spitfire well into his cups, demolished the back roadster. About six of her new Plymouth. So much for that months into ownership, romance. I was driving too fast on My luck was only slightly better with wet Belgian blocks when company cars. Once, on a business my car suddenly had an trip to Brooklyn, NY, in the early 80’s, intimate encounter with an old man sideswiped my car. We a 1960 Chevy Impala both pulled over to one side of the sedan. The Triumph traffic circle that we were driving on to came out second best. survey the damage. The old duffer was Not to worry. I dressed in a wind breaker and a fedora replaced it with a new in spite of the August 95 degree heat. I 1964 Chevrolet Bel remember thinking that it was perhaps Air two-door sedan. I beyond the point in his life when driving loved that car.