Antique car parade sees large turnout

The 58th annual Antique and Classic Car Parade stretched out longer than usual this year, with 380 vehicles rolling through Hamilton and Fairfeid Saturday.
“I’d say the quality of the cars was very high, but the overall number, that’s the best number we’ve had in probably 10 or 15 years. It was the perfect day for weather and that really helped,” said Glenn Bailey, a member of the Antique and Classic Car Club of Butler County.
Winning the Best in Show award was Gerry Hasen of Beavercreek, for his 1954 Packard Pacific, a two-door hardtop.

“I’ve had that since 1974. It came from Tuscon, Arizona. It took us 15 years to restore it when I was in the Air Force, so I’ve been showing it for 20 years,” he said. That particular Packard has won about 10 first in class prizes at other shows, he said.

“It’s the last year the Packard made (that model.) They only made 1,189 so it’s very rare. It’s a good road car, we’ve driven it to the east coast three times,” he said.

Since that Packard is such a rare car, Hasen admitted he gets a bit nervous driving it sometimes.

“You’ve got to watch people because of the brakes. The brakes are good, just not as good as on newer cars,” he said.

The winner of the Judges’ Choice Award was Ray Kissinger of Fairfield for his 1933 Chevrolet Master two-door coach car.

“I was kind of amazed I’d win something like that with a ‘33 Chevy,” he said. “That was my grandfather’s Chevy. He bought it brand new in 1933, so it’s been in the family all these years.”

Keith Vidoruek of Hamilton was surprised to win first in class for his 1929 Model A Ford.
“This was the first year I brought that car to the show. In the past, I brought my ‘28 pickup truck and won every year with it. This car here used to be my father-in-law’s. I fixed it up, and he would be very proud,” he said.

Justin Spencer of Oxford, a newcomer to the parade, said “Oh, it was big-time fun. I was pleasantly surprised at how big at was.” He drove in a 1978 Corvette.

Another award was for the oldest vehicle in the parade. That distinction belonged to a 1910 Maxwell Runabout owned by Scott Vasler of Glendale.

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