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Contact us by clicking on the links below or send email to info@BayCountryAACA.org
President: Ed Nabb
Vice President: Charles Emery
Secretary : Carol Grant
Treasurer: Betty Nabb
Past President: Lee Caplan
Directors-2020/21
Charlotte Morris
Diann Prahl
Directors-2021/22
Craig Duerling
Neil Grant
Danny Morris
Installation/Christmas Party: Diann Prahl
Membership:Trudy Hamilton
Hospitality: Diann Prahl
Activities Chair: Open
Dust ’em Off Tour
Jim & Darlene Newcomb
Danny Morris
Calendar: Ken Briers
Tech. Advisor: Open
Webmaster: Craig Duerling
By Laws/Constitution: Andy Wilhelm
The Distributor Editor: Ken Briers
The purpose of the club shall be the preservation, use, and enjoyment of self-propelled antique, classic, and special interest vehicles and related parts, materials, and services.
The Board of Directors of the Region meet on the first Tuesday of each month via Zoom, unless otherwise specified. Membership meetings are scheduled for the third Wednesday of each month except July, August, and December. We meet at The Easton Elks at noon for lunch (optional) with the business meeting starting at 1:00 PM. Meeting announcements are carried each month in The Distributor.
Articles for the newsletter are welcomed and members are encouraged to submit news about personal interest items to the editor by the 20th of each month.
In the early 1980's increasing numbers of local residents were searching for and buying cars related to their youth. Cars like their parents or grandparents had driven, their first owned cars (or the ones they really wished they could have owned) were now available, in restorable condition, priced within their means. As the hobby grew, some became members of antique car clubs in Salisbury, MD or Washington, D.C.
In 1984, Bob Prouse drove his 1921 Model T touring car from Federalsburg, MD to the World Trade Center, New York City. There he joined a tour commemorating the 75th anniversary of the First Cross Country Race--from New York to Seattle, Washington. Two Model T Fords participating in the 1909 race successfully completed the entire trip. Many entrants did not complete the trip due to bad roads and breakdowns. The 1984 tour went from New York City to Detroit, where they joined the Annual Tour. After completing the Annual Tour, they drove on to Seattle. The return trip was by a slightly different route, for a total of 7,000 miles. Bob thought that the Model T's could go anywhere if they were maintained.
Such feats gained in popularity and the number of antique car buffs in the area soared. A group of men began to discuss the possibility of forming a "Mid-Shore" club. Under the pioneering leadership of Don Brown, Bobby Faulkner, Lee Gillis, Jules Grau, Jim Jones, Jim Mielke, David North, Adam Quick, Jack Weaver and Woody Woodson, public meetings were held at Hog Neck Community center to test the degree of interest. Those gathered said--let's go for it and get chartered by the Antique Automobile Club of America. Bay Country received its AACA charter in 1985. The Eastern Shore Region AACA Club from Salisbury was our sponsoring Club.
Our first Fall Meet was held October 1985 at Martingham's Harbourtowne Inn along the banks of the Miles River. When expansion of their facilities took over our show field, we moved our show to the Miles River Yacht Club through the 1996 show. We then moved to The Inn At Perry Cabin. When it expanded we lost our show area and went to several different locations over the next few years. We also hosted a Winter Parts meet for many years. The first location was the 4H grounds outside of Denton then to Governor's Hall in Cambridge until it closed to private functions.
Tours to Cape May, NJ; Gettysburg and Lancaster County, PA; Chincoteague and Winchester VA; Harpers Ferry, WV; Westminster, Crisfield and Tangier Island, Hoopers Island and Southern Maryland have given us lots of pleasure as we drove our wonderful old cars along the scenic back roads and enjoyed the admiring smiles and thumbs up along the way. We display our cars at celebrations, festivals, bridge openings, parades, and other civic affairs. Club outings to area Nursing Homes are always happy events. As we show off our pride and joy, the patients share with us their experiences of driving these cars when they were new.
Members have enjoyed the companionship and interest in our hobby when we participate in National and Regional antique car tours and meets throughout the country. The hub-type tours have a central headquarters, where the antique cars begin and end their daily runs. A typical tour day is 85 to 140 miles, round trip, with stops to visit museums, historic landmarks, scenic mountain overlooks, points of interest, and options to shop for antiques and bargains at malls.
Years later, Bob Prouse still believed his Model T would go anywhere, so he drove it to Florida and back and then to Kentucky and back. Only a few of us drive our cars to tours that are hundreds of miles from home. It's a great club, sharing information, pursuing restoration and showing antique cars. We are proud of our accomplishments and hope to remain active for many years.